Jeanie McIntyre, President of the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) in Hanover, was presented with the Sarah Thorne Conservation Capacity Award on Saturday at the annual Saving Special Places Conference in Weare, NH. The award was created in 2005 as a way to recognize people who make successful land conservation happen in the state of New Hampshire. Recipients are people who, in the course of their own conservation efforts, have enhanced the capacity of others to accomplish land conservation.
The award was created by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) to honor Sarah Thorne, who dedicated nearly 20 years of her career to land conservation in New Hampshire. Jane Difley, President of SPNHF, presented the award to Jeanie McIntyre at the Saving Special Places Conference on Saturday, April 10, at John Stark Regional High School in Weare, NH. McIntyre said she was honored to be recognized for her work in the Upper Valley region. “New Hampshire is distinguished among the 50 states for the vibrancy and effectiveness of its grassroots land conservation. That SPNHF, a statewide organization, has chosen to celebrate this kind of capacity building through statewide recognition is so wonderful. Thank you, Forest Society.” McIntyre’s name, along with those of previous recipients, will be inscribed on a permanent exhibit at the Conservation Center in Concord.
The Upper Valley Land Trust was created in 1985, as the Upper Valley Community Land Trust when Frances Field, who owned a small farm in Lebanon, asked “How can we keep all the farms in farming?” Jeanie McIntyre, a Lyme, NH native, has been a critical part of UVLT and land conservation in the Upper Valley for over 20 years. Serving in the capacity as Executive Director/President of UVLT for the last 15 years, she has largely shaped the growth of the organization. Over the years, UVLT has grown to hold conservation easements on more than 400 properties, amounting to more than 40,000 acres, across 44 towns, in two states and including over 27 miles of Connecticut River frontage. McIntyre has overseen the development and continual maintenance of over 22 community trails and seven canoe campsites, which are visited by scores of people each year.
Beyond advancing the goals of land conservation in the region, McIntyre seeks to improve and enhance the health of the Upper Valley community, as well as the viability of its landscape. McIntyre’s focus on the whole community includes encouraging collaboration between land conservation advocates and supporters of other nonprofit and educational organizations. She volunteers on the Board of Twin Pines Housing Trust, recognizing the need for affordable housing and its link to working lands and open spaces. She also has built enthusiasm for land protection in connection with school communities. McIntyre’s passion for this type of collaboration was evident in the recent successful community effort to protect Zebedee Headwaters in Thetford, an important property used as an outdoor classroom by the Thetford Elementary School.
Staff and Trustees of the Upper Valley Land Trust cordially invite friends and community members to join us in acknowledging McIntyre’s receipt of the Sarah Thorne Award and in celebrating her many years of dedication to land conservation in the Upper Valley. The organization will host an Open House on April 28, at 6 pm at their offices, 19 Buck Road, Hanover. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Nora Doyle-Burr at noradoyle-burr@uvlt.org or (603) 643-6626 ext. 102.
Photo courtesy of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
