02/25/11 by admin | Stewardship News | No Comments »
The Patchen Miller internship at UVLT embraces the science and stewardship involved in conserving land and encourages opportunities for people to enjoy, explore and learn from conserved properties. A Patchen Miller intern has leeway to develop a unique program of work while learning about land conservation and gaining experience with a nonprofit organization.
Each applicant is asked to submit a proposal for consideration by UVLT that serves the applicant’s individual interests and learning objectives, furthers UVLT’s land conservation mission, and draws on collaboration with teachers, naturalists and/or other professional mentors. A modest stipend between $1500- $2000 will be awarded. Internship length is variable but should generally incorporate the equivalent of 8-10 weeks of full time work.
An intern need not have significant expertise in the work area proposed, but the work plan should be well thought out, with a timeline and measurable goals. The products of the internship can be written, verbal and experiential. There may be evening programs and slides shows, workshops for landowners or resource profession¬als, scientific documentation and/or outdoor events. Some possible internship themes:
- Develop outdoor programs on conserved properties – recreational enjoyment as well as teaching. (Ex: Mapping, signage, trail building, as well as leading hikes, bird walks, kayak trips etc.)
- Teach children and adults tracking & plant identification skills, forest succession, wetland delineation, invasive species, ecosystem analysis, land management assessments.
- Coordinate educational exchanges drawing on the knowledge of experts in the community. (Could include forest management, tracking skills, agricultural know-how, photography, identifying natural communities, etc.)
Document conserved properties for future ecological monitoring– assemble in depth baseline botanical information to allow an assessment of incremental change over time.
- Work with UVLT and adults to sustain the Connecticut River Primitive Campsite program.
Share storytelling traditions and myths about the natural world (especially our immediate part of it), and/or music, art.
- Link life in the Upper Valley to ecological changes else¬where by examining migratory species, acid rain, etc.
- Develop management plans for recently acquired, UVLT owned lands incorporating wildlife, recreation, and long-term sustainability.
Your application should include your resume and a brief letter outlining your interests and proposed focus of work. Based on your initial application, UVLT staff will work with you to refine your proposal to meet both your objectives and UVLT’s interests.
Applications are due by April 1st for the upcoming summer of 2011. Submit your letter of application to: Patchen Miller Internship, Upper Valley Land Trust, 19 Buck Road, Hanover, NH 03755 or email it to peter.helm@uvlt.org. Questions may be directed to Pete Helm, Vice President of Stewardship, (603) 643-6626 x104. or via email (peter.helm@uvlt.org).
Click Application Guidelines for a printable PDF of the above.
Visit our Volunteer page to learn about jobs and internships as the become available.
To learn about volunteer opportunities at UVLT, please visit: our Jobs and Internships page.
02/23/11 by admin | Other UVLT News | No Comments »
This summer, VINS and AVA Gallery will be holding a summer camp on a parcel conserved by UVLT in Lebanon – the Jackson Conservation Area, which is owned by the City and managed by the Conservation Commission. The camp is called “Art in the Wild” and it will (according to VINS website):
“teach children to observe and respond to the patterns, forms, and colors of nature. With faculty members from both AVA and VINS sharing art and environmental expertise, kids will explore woods, meadows and wetlands, while learning about plants and animals in their native habitats. This outdoor session will take place within walking distance of AVA, on the Jackson Conservation Area in Lebanon, recently acquired and conserved by the City and the Upper Valley Land Trust.”
To register or learn more visit: http://www.vinsweb.org/index.php/discover/nature-camp#art
02/11/11 by admin | New Conservation Projects | 1 Comment »
The Town of Bradford has succeeded in expanding the Town-owned Wright’s Mountain properties by purchasing and conserving an additional 64 acres of abutting forest land. The project was supported by the Bradford Conservation Commission (BCC), and by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB). The added acreage has been incorporated into a conservation easement by the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) that also includes three contiguous parcels already owned by the Town. Now, including private land, the total area protected from development on Wright’s Mountain adds up to more than 800 acres.
Over the past sixteen years, through the perseverance of Bradford’s Conservation Commission, and particularly through the tenacity of the Commission’s chair, Nancy Jones, the conservation area on Wright’s Mountain has grown and developed into a recreation area that tourists and local residents enjoy. “Supporters of the Bradford Conservation Fund deserve a tremendous amount of credit for making this possible,” says Jones.
Above: Bradford Conservation Commission Chair, Nancy Jones points to a vernal pool on Wright’s Mountain.
The newly conserved land has been useful to area students. Nancy Jones said, “In 2002, we were studying vernal pools in my biology classes at Oxbow. One of my students said he thought he knew where there was a vernal pool near a place where he hunted, so he took me to this land, and sure, enough there was a vernal pool… AND near it, a beautiful wetland. When I called Mr. Bryce Thomas to get permission to take students on his land to study these features, he was delighted that his land was being used for educating young people. I’m sure Mr. Thomas, now deceased, would be pleased that this land and these rich natural resources will now be protected forever.”
In addition to its educational values, the land on Wright’s Mountain makes significant contributions to the Town’s economy, gives residents of all ages a connection to the Town’s history, and expands opportunities for outdoor recreation. Both UVLT and the BCC have invested many hours creating and maintaining the trail system on the previously conserved Town property, and will continue their efforts in the additional acreage. The road frontage of the newly conserved area offers the possibility of additional trails and a new point of entry from the road.
Besides humans, Wright’s Mountain is also valued by other species. Nancy Jones says, “Other features on this land include giant oaks, maples and pines, as well as some very unusual rock formations. Based on the abundance of tracks and markings, the wetland appears to be of great importance to bear, moose, deer and bobcat.”
Also key to the successful completion of this project was support from VHCB, the state agency which provides funding for conservation and affordable housing projects. The agency supports conservation projects of agricultural, recreational and natural importance in Vermont. “Without VHCB funds this [conservation project] would not have been possible and Bradford would not have this wonderful resource,” according to Nancy Jones.
As VHCB’s website asserts, “The conservation of Vermont’s open and wild lands preserves the landscape that is such an integral part of the state’s identity, supports the agricultural economy, protects wildlife habitat, and provides public access to the state’s waterways and woodlands.”
Recipients of VHCB grants – the Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition – come together annually for a Legislative Day at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. It is a time when recipients of these funds speak up in favor of continued support for the program. This year’s event will occur on Wednesday, February 16.
A group of Upper Valley VHCB supporters will be leaving from UVLT’s office on Buck Road in Hanover. Contact UVLT’s Programs Coordinator Nora Doyle-Burr for more information, noradoyle-burr@uvlt.org or (603) 643-6626 ext. 102.
02/03/11 by admin | Other UVLT News | No Comments »
One of UVLT’s founders, Fran Field, passed away last week. She lived to be 95, and lived all 95 years to their fullest. In addition to co-founding UVLT with Dana Meadows in 1985, Fran was the first nurse hired to the faculty at Dartmouth Medical School; she helped to found Hospice of the Upper Valley and established the first certified organic farm in Grafton County. What a legacy!
Photograph of Fran Field taken by Peter Stettenheim at a UVLT event in 1991
Reading over her list of accomplishments, we are reminded that the vision she and Dana had for the Upper Valley Land Trust was really about people and place. They believed in good, local food and healthy communities. As always, we’ll keep this in mind as we embark on our next 25 years of regional land conservation.
We were lucky enough to have the chance to speak with Fran this fall. Her voice is part of the chorus telling the story of UVLT’s founding in our video “Groundwork.”
Find the story at http://www.uvlt.org/2010/10/groundwork-a-brief-history-of-uvlt/.
Learn more about Fran at http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/237192/frances-w-field.
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