Save the Date!

Annual Meeting & Celebration of Land Conservation
Tuesday, May 25

Meeting Featuring Guest Speaker, Jared Duval
7pm, Bradford Academy Building, Bradford, VT

Jared Duval, a quarter century year-old native of the Upper Valley and Lebanon High School graduate, will offer thoughts about what makes our region special, while discussing some of the challenges and opportunities before us as we embark on our next quarter-century of work.

About Jared:
Fellow, Demos
Author, "Next Generation Democracy"
Trustee, Orton Family Foundation
Board of Directors, Sierra Club
Former National Director, Sierra Student Coalition

The meeting will also feature a slide show depicting this year's conservation successes, an award presentation, and the election of new trustees.

For more information about the event, contact Nora at nora.doyleburr@gmail.com or (603) 643-6626 ext. 102.

Please join us for other activities taking place in Bradford on May 25!

• Wright's Mountain Hike with the Bradford Conservation Commission


• Solar Panel Tour at Farm Way


• Round Trip Express Bus


• Perfect Pear Prix Fixe Dinner

Wright's Mountain Hike
Suggested donation $12, with all proceeds to benefit BCC's current land conservation project.
2:30pm Walk led by Bradford Conservation Commission Chair, Nancy Jones
4:00pm Shorter hike led by Tom Gray
Both outings will meet at the Bradford Academy Building and include a picnic dinner. In case of rain, the picnic will be held indoors at the Academy Building.

Solar Panel Tour
3:45pm Tour of Farm Way's solar panels, and time to shop
5:00pm Leave for dinner at the Perfect Pear (see below), or elsewhere in Bradford.

Round Trip Express Bus
Cost is $12.
6:00pm Bus leaves from Hanover/Lebanon - along the way enjoy sandwiches from Stellas & count the number of UVLT conserved lands you can spot from the road!

Please RSVP by May 21, for the hikes, solar panel tour or bus trip by emailing nora.doyleburr@gmail.com or by calling (603) 643-6626 ext. 102

Perfect Pear Dinner Option

5:15pm Field Green Salad with Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette, Gorgonzola Cheese, Maple Walnuts, & Cherry Tomatoes

Choice of Entree:
Grilled New York Sirloin, Jack Daniel's Demi Glace, Rosemary Mashed Potatoes, & Asparagus with Lemon Butter
or
Seared Atlantic Salmon Fillet, Balsamic Vinegar & Fresh Basil Marinated Roma Tomatoes, Brown Rice & Asparagus with Lemon Butter
or
Vegetarian Tortellini Primavera with Parmesan Cream Sauce
Dessert:
Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Caramel Whiskey Sauce
Includes coffee, tea, & Coke etc. (Does not include specialty sodas, bottled water or any alcohol)
$35.00/ person tax & gratuity included

To RSVP by Friday, May 21, call the Perfect Pear @ 802-222-5912 and mention UVLT.

You're Invited to a Public Discussion about the Mascoma River!

Come find out about a non-regulatory, community-based approach to river management.
Share what you value about the Mascoma River and its watershed and voice your ideas and concerns for the river’s future.

The Mascoma River Nominating Committee, a tri-town citizen’s group concerned about the river’s future, is working to nominate the Mascoma River into the NH Rivers Management and Protection Program. Successful nomination would create a broadly representative Local Advisory Committee to address river-related issues cooperatively in the wider watershed area.

Please attend any of the sessions in three riverfront towns!
Public Discussion with the Lebanon Planning Board and Conservation Commission
Monday, April 26, 2010 at 7:00 pm, Lebanon Opera House, 51 North Park St, Lebanon

Public Discussion with the Canaan Board of Selectmen
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm, Canaan Fire Station, 62 NH Route 118, Canaan

Public Discussion in the Town of Enfield
Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 6:30 pm, Enfield Community Building, 308 US Route 4, Enfield

For more information, please go to www.uvlsrpc.org/MascomaRiver.html or call Rachel at 448-1680. Sponsored by the Mascoma River Nominating Committee with support from Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission.

Where the Wildlife Roam

Free Public Presentation

Bobcats Moving Through Our Valley:
Envisioning a Shared Landscape

Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, 7 pm
VINS Nature Center Classroom
6565 Woodstock Road (Route 4), Quechee, VT

Joint Program by
Kimberly Royar
Wildlife Habitat Biologist, Vermont Fish & Wildlife
Jens Hawkins-Hilke
Conservation Planning Biologist, Vermont Fish & Wildlife
Linking Lands Alliance
Townspeople Working Together on Regional Issues

Hosted by
The Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Free refreshments will be available

Jeanie McIntyre Receives 2010 Sarah Thorne Award

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.

2010 Green Choice Campaign

If you love our work then tell the world!

You have an exciting opportunity to help make even more of a difference in our community. GreatNonprofits – a site like Amazon reviews – is conducting a campaign to find the top-rated environmental nonprofits.

Won’t you help us participate in the campaign by posting a review of your experience with us? All reviews will be visible to potential donors and volunteers. It’s easy and only takes 3 minutes!

Go to:www.greatnonprofits.org/reviews/upper-valley-land-trust-inc

Be sure to choose “Green Choice Campaign” from the drop down menu of campaigns in the review template. With your help, we can gain greater visibility in the community.

Productive Farmland and Scenic Views Conserved in Thetford

ACADEMY ROAD, THETFORD, VT—Through a grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) and donations from the Thetford Conservation Commission and the Upper Valley Land Trust, Thetford landowner Lilla Willey signed documents on Monday topermanently protect 51 additional acres of her scenic farmland on Academy Road. The signing of the conservation easement and the small celebration that followed took place at the Upper Valley Land Trust’s office on Buck Road in Hanover. The Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) will be responsible for ensuring that the development restrictions included in the easement are adhered to in the years to come. The successful completion of this conservation project was made possible through a generous bargain sale of development rights donated by the landowner, which leveraged federal, state and local grant funding.

According to Li Shen, Chair of Thetford’s Conservation Commission, “If this land were not conserved it would become, no doubt, a highly desirable site for subdivision and development.” The recently conserved land includes almost 1,000 feet of road frontage on Academy Road and a sizeable open field, which combine to allow passers-by to glimpse scenic views of Mt. Cube, Smarts Mountain, Cardigan Mt., Holts Ledge, as well as the more distant Mt. Moosilauke. Academy Road is a town-designated scenic byway and has been selected as, “One of the highest priorities [for protection] for the municipality,” according to Thetford Selectboard Chair, Tig Tillinghast.
In addition to being scenic, the open field is very productive. It is made up of prime agricultural soils, as well as soils of statewide significance. These fields are hayed and leased by a local farmer and also used as horse pasture.

Approximately 28 acres of the property is managed forestland. Notably, this includes a stand of Norway spruce. The remaining forestland is characterized as a hemlock/hardwood forest. In addition to open farmland and the mixture of forest communities, the property includes two ponds and a small amount of wetland.

The Willey property also serves as an important scenic buffer to the award winning trail system on the nearby Thetford Hill State Park land. The trail system may be extended at some point in the future, since the conservation easement granted by Lilla Willey includes provisions for the possibility of future public access.

The protection of the Willey farmland adds to the already 377 acres protected within the immediate vicinity. These protected lands include Thetford Hill State Park, and two privately owned parcels, both conserved with UVLT. In total, there are 490 acres conserved by UVLT within 5 miles of the Willey Farm and an additional 1,400 acres of other protected lands. Current and future generations of Thetford residents and visitors will be able to enjoy the recreational, scenic, and agricultural uses that these conserved lands have to offer.

Learn More & Do Your Part to Protect Land Conservation Funding in New Hampshire!

Please visit the Forest Society's website: http://forestsociety.org/issues/lchip/ And then call your state representatives and ask them to oppose the diversion of the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) fee. Find your representatives here: www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wml.aspx.