Dairy farming is an integral part of the landscape in New Hampshire and Vermont, with many thousands of acres used for grazing dairy cows and growing feed. Dairy farms support thousands of jobs, contribute billions to local economies and create the rural character enjoyed by residents and visitors to the Twin States. So let’s celebrate dairy! Milk is healthy, local food produced at dozens of farms in the Upper Valley, many of them conserved—including the Upper Valley's own Strafford Organic Creamery (pictured above), which owns a conserved parcel that they use to grow hay and graze their herd. Want to join in the Dairy Month festivities? Read the State of Vermont's proclamation, check out facts and activities from the American Dairy Association, or try your hand at a themed word search, or make a batch of homemade ice cream (with local ingredients, of course!).

What's Happening at UVLT

Next-Generation Conservation Leaders

This summer, three talented and passionate students join UVLT’s staff team as interns. Ella Barrett, Cora Day, and Daisy Andrews bring expertise in field research, legal issues, and community service to UVLT’s land conservation and stewardship mission. Two of UVLT’s long-time employees first met us as interns. We are proud to welcome and guide future land conservation practitioners and grateful for their support this summer! Learn more about Ella, Cora, and Daisy.

Food Pantry Garden Comes Alive

Everything is growing! With assistance from intern Ella Barrett, service contributions from a wonderful team of Hypertherm Associates, and the eager hands of many volunteers, we’ve planted onions, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, radishes, and eggplants, harvested rhubarb and asparagus, and begun the installation of a tall fence to keep deer out of the food pantry garden at Brookmead in Norwich. A very big thank you to the Norwich Women's Club, Norwich Lions Club, and the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation for grants that have helped us pay for fencing materials! We would also like to thank our friends at Edgewater Farm for their donation of over 100 seedlings, including tomatoes, eggplants, and cabbage, to the food pantry gardens. We look forward to working with our friends over at Willing Hands and the Claremont Soup Kitchen to distribute donations to our neighbors in need throughout the growing season.

Celebrating Upper Valley Wetlands

May was American Wetlands Month, and we took the opportunity to spotlight the essential role these vital ecosystems play in protecting our communities, mitigating climate change, and providing habitats for plants and animals. To date, UVLT has conserved over 6300 acres of wetlands and stream frontage. Miss our blog posts? Catch up to learn about marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens.

Connectivity Study in the News

UVLT’s multi-year study of wildlife corridors and connectivity got a statewide shout-out in May when it was featured in “Taking Action for Wildlife,” an online publication of UNH Cooperative Extension. Haley Andreozzi, Wildlife Conservation Specialist, writes “It’s likely that there are many people who haven’t thought about the importance of connections for wildlife – but, for those working to conserve and manage New Hampshire’s wildlife and habitats, these connections have become a primary focus in recent years. Read the story here. 

Gift of Air Time for Easement Monitoring

Thetford resident and pilot Don Graber volunteered to fly for UVLT last month. His flight captured imagery for 36 conserved properties that needed to be monitored before June 30 (the end of our fiscal year). The flight took about three hours total and covered almost 200 air miles. UVLT’s GoPro was mounted at the tip of the right wing and took a photo every five seconds. The average height above ground was approximately 1500 feet, giving us a view three-quarters of a mile wide.

Tire Sidewalls for Your Silage Bunkers

On May 29th, UVLT co-sponsored a tire-slicing event with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture at our Brookmead Food Pantry Garden. We were able to showcase the state’s new SuperSlicer machine, which cuts sidewalls out of tires that can be used to hold down silage tarps without filling up with water and create mosquito breeding grounds. Within about 2 hours, we were able to slice side walls out of 120 tires which will now be used at the food pantry garden to hold down silage tarps. The Agency is building a loan program that will allow Vermont farmers to borrow the SuperSlicer for use on their property later this year. Thank you to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, our volunteers, and farmers who stopped by to learn more about this machine and details on the loan program! If you would like to learn more, please contact Cassie Bernyk at cassie.bernyk@uvlt.org.

See More Events on Our Calendar

We Know You Love the Upper Valley. We Do Too.

Become a part of the conservation solution and DONATE and/or VOLUNTEER today!