Raise the Roof: 40 Years Strong
Upper Valley Land Trust Invites All to Pavilion Raising, Nature Tours, Picnic Party
Free Public Event and Celebration on Saturday, June 27
Hanover, NH: We know you love the Upper Valley and we do, too! The Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) invites everyone to join in celebration as it concludes its 40th anniversary year at the Ely Mountain Conservation Area in Thetford, VT, on Saturday, June 27. The free public event will feature activities for all ages, guided nature walks, food, and music as UVLT “raises the roof” on a beautiful new timber frame pavilion.
The Heartwood School of Alstead, NH, precut the timber frame roof in an advanced timber framing class. Ben Hemberger, a Norwich, VT, native, is founder and owner of Ben & Company Timber Frames & Custom Homes of Brunswick, ME. He and son Liam have volunteered to set the posts, assemble the roof frame, and raise the entire structure.
“This is a milestone for UVLT and a special job for me because I have a lot of history in the Upper Valley,” says Ben. He grew up in Norwich, VT, and once worked at the Hurlbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, VT. Ben’s mom, June Hemberger, is a UVLT trustee.
“It’s a unique timber frame that it was cut by a lot of different people, from students all the way through professionals,” notes Ben. “It is definitely a community project in many different aspects and we're looking forward to putting it together.”
Spectators are welcome to watch the Timber Frame Assembly on Friday, June 26, noon-3 p.m., and the crane lift Pavilion Raising on Saturday, June 27, 9 a.m.-noon. Both will take place rain or shine.
The following activities on Saturday, June 27, will take place weather permitting (rain date: Sunday, June 28).
2:00 – 4:30 PM | Meet the Mountain
Join naturalists for guided walks, family friendly activities, and hands-on exploration of the landscape. Along the way, we’ll invite walkers to take photos of what they’re seeing and spend time afterwards uploading them to iNaturalist. Local experts include:
- Alan Graham, former Vermont state entomologist, will discuss opportunities to assist our three native ash species with the threat of emerald ash borer (EAB).
- Kevin Martin, author of Big Trees of Northern New England, will demonstrate how to measure big trees and discuss their importance.
- Len Reitsma, ornithologist and Plymouth State University professor emeritus, will lead a bird walk and discuss the importance of a variety of habitats for our feathered friends.
- Dan “Rudi” Ruddell, White River Partnership watershed scientist, will be alongside a headwaters stream with a hands-on exploration of healthy stream ecology.
- Alice Schori, field botanist, will explore flora of Ely Mountain.
3:00 – 4:00 PM* | Discussion and Storytelling: Land Use and Conservation in the Upper Valley
- Harry Pease is a UVLT trustee and he and his wife Linda own and operate Brackett Brook Farm in Orford, NH, which has been in Harry’s family since 1866. He has served as Orford’s town moderator and conservation commission chair.
- Steve Taylor, of Meriden, NH, has been a newspaper reporter and Valley News editor, dairy farmer, and founding director of New Hampshire Humanities. He served as New Hampshire’s commissioner of agriculture for 25 years.
*Timing is tentative.
3:00 – 4:30 PM | Noticing Nature: “Meet the Mountain” Hike for Kids and Families
- Join UVLT’s Naturalist and Outdoor Programs Leader Holly Henderson and her young family on a woodlands walk that encourages exploration, wonder, and fun for kids of all ages. Click here for details.
4:00 – 4:30 PM | Demonstration at the Pavilion: How to Upload Photos to iNaturalist
- iNaturalist is a citizen science platform used by researchers and conservationists to study biodiversity and inform land management decisions.
4:00 – 5:00 PM | Geo Mapping Station
- UVLT Senior Land Steward & Stewardship GIS Coordinator Micah Tilles will demonstrate the mapping applications UVLT has developed and use them to explore the Ely Mountain Conservation Area.
4:30 – 6:30 PM | Pavilion Picnic Party – Music, Picnic, and Celebration
- Live music! Fiddlers and traditional musicians from Upper Valley Music Center, led by Carol Compton.
- Bring your own picnic and blanket; UVLT will provide beverages and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Strawberries courtesy of Edgewater Farm in Plainfield, NH.
For more information visit www.uvlt.org.
Media assets
About the Upper Valley Land Trust
UVLT is a nonprofit land conservancy that works in 45 Vermont and New Hampshire towns in the Connecticut River watershed, providing conservation leadership and supporting communities and landowners to realize their conservation goals. Founded by Upper Valley residents in 1985, UVLT has conserved 582 properties spanning more than 59,000 acres, including over 12,000 acres of productive agricultural soil and more than 27,000 acres of ecologically significant habitat, 52 trails and trail systems, and 35 Conservation Areas owned and managed for long term stewardship. Much conserved land remains in private ownership, protected by permanent deeds known as conservation easements. For more information visit www.uvlt.org.
Media contact
Peter Lee Miller