Flora and Fauna Discoveries on a Guided Wetland Quest
Photos (L-R): Participants on the guided quest observe the tree canopy while guide Nathaniel Sharp calls migratory birds in with…
Questing is a place-based education model of creating and exchanging treasure hunts in order to collect and share your community’s distinct natural and cultural heritage — your special places and stories. Follow the clues to the treasure box. Inside the treasure box, you will discover more information about the site, a rubber stamp, stamp pad, a sign-in field journal, and a pencil. Sign your name in the book, adding a few notes or a sketch from your walk, and collect an impression of the stamp as a memento of your journey. Then, carefully re-hide the box exactly where you found it.
Photos (L-R): Participants on the guided quest observe the tree canopy while guide Nathaniel Sharp calls migratory birds in with…
Join us on Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 10:00 to noon for the Late Season Pollinators and Migratory Birds Guided…
Valley Quests are a unique Upper Valley tradition. These treasure hunts take you on a journey through farms, fields, towns,…
The weather is warming, the buds are bursting, and the calendar is turning to May — it’s time to go…
Wanted: People of all ages with a love of the outdoors. Share that love by volunteering as a Valley Quest…
The 2021 SuperQuest winner is Team Small of White River Junction! Bettianne, Carter, and Luther (L-R, above) were one of…
So many traditions at this cold, dark time of year involve gifts – expressing love, generosity, abundance, creativity, and human connection.…
The quest was an interesting journey A means of finding things out Classmates, this town and myself All of these…
Vital Communities’s Valley Quests allow you to undertake self-guided explorations of more than 160 special places throughout the Upper Valley.…
As the poet and farmer Wendell Berry once wrote, “There are no sacred and unsacred places; there are only sacred…
Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 1: It’s a big one for Valley Quests! Not only is May 1 Opening…
Valley Quests are treasure hunts set in special locations around the Upper Valley. Each Quest follows a unique set of…
Have you seen the star alight upon Mt. Tom in Woodstock? Wouldn’t it be fun to see it up close? …
Congratulations to all our participants in our Quest to Refresh Challenge! 28 teams took us up on the Challenge to…
Don’t be deterred by wet, cold, or snow. Good times can be had when a-questing you go! Be sure to…
Join Vital Communities’ Valley Quest Coordinator Sandy Gmur along with Roy Black, lifelong resident of Wilder and a member of…
Do you hope to do a longer hike before the good weather ends? Do you enjoy a challenge? We have…
Over these past few weeks I have experienced waves of anxiety and sadness, and at the same time such gratitude.…
Have you been on the Mascoma River Greenway yet? If not, it is time to check it out. I had…
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Earlier this summer I had the fortune of working with the amazing staff of the Artistree Community Arts Center in…
With this amazing stretch of sunny days we’ve been having, I wanted to get outside and do more Questing! This…
This month, I wanted to spotlight a Quest on the Super Quest list! If you haven’t signed up for the…
We are excited to announce the Royalton Historical Quest, a new Valley Quest! This Quest will take you around the…
I’m happy to announce that we have a new Quest! With the help of Mr. Butler’s 3rd & 4th grade…
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies lists 382 species of bird that occur in Vermont, whether year-long resident or migratory visitor.…
This year’s Aquatic Adventure Super Quest showcases the 5 subbasins that make up the Upper Connecticut River Valley, or, more fondly,…
While Questing is an absorbing hobby in its own right, it opens the door for a number of Side-Quests that you…
Having lived in the region all my life, I grew up Valley Questing with my family. I recently realized, however,…
Since this year’s Super Quest explores the Upper Valley’s aquatic features in all their myriad forms, this makes for an…
We in the Upper Valley owe a lot to our wondrous waterways. Our rivers, brooks, ponds, lakes, wetlands, and marshes…
Last week, I brought my partner along to do the Lake Morey Quest in Fairlee, Vermont! It was a beautiful…
Valley Quest is often thought of as a family-oriented program. With educational treasure hunts of varying length, difficulty, and physical…
With the warmth and the beginning of Quest season this past month, I’ve dealt will my fair share of ticks.…
Hey Questers, A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Herricks Cove Wildlife Festival in Rockingham Vermont.…
Every summer Valley Quest recruits an intern to help us monitor our 170+ Quests. Carrie Borowy joined us in March as…
This year’s Super Quest was designed in honor of the beloved Miraculous Trees Quest, written by Ted Levin and Steve…
Our 2017 Super Quest is now live! This year’s theme is “Miraculous Trees” where we celebrate the beautiful tree diversity…
Looking for something fun to do in Wilder? Try the new Olcott Falls Valley Quest! This Quest was created this…
Tom Marsh from Around Windsor interviews Valley Quest Coordinator, Sara Cottingham and Questers Ted and Lois Frazer.
Special thanks to volunteers Ted Frazer, Lois Frazer, Linda Kahl, and Misty Dumont! These avid Questers have been busy this…
Have you ever come to the end of a Valley Quest and found the treasure box hidden inside a wooden…
The best part about Valley Quest is how excited people get when they go on a Quest. Until last week,…
On a normal morning, I wake up after hitting snooze roughly three times, make two pieces of toast, brew a…
If you’re an avid Super Quester, you might notice that this year’s Super Quest is a little different. In past years,…
Yesterday afternoon, as the sun set quietly over the western hills of the Upper Valley and the peak temperature of…
Just before school started this fall, I visited Sharon Elementary School. I was excited to visit this stop on the…
The August Quest of the Month is Village Green E in Woodstock, Vermont. Bring a pencil and paper to help…
I stopped at Edgewater Farm in Plainfield, NH with my daughter last week to check off another stop on the…
This week, my daughter and I continued on our Super Quest and visited Hurricane Flats Farm in South Royalton, Vermont.…
As the new Valley Quest manager and the newest member of the Vital Communities team, I’m very excited to dive…
Quest for Invasives is our featured Quest this month. This brand new Quest at VINS was created by the Ottauquechee…
I took a couple of my Vital Communities colleagues on a field trip to the Anaerobic Digester at Vermont Technical…
Our 160+ Quests each have a treasure box that needs tending at a few intervals each spring and summer. This is done by a team of indispensable volunteers. Want to give people joy and excitement and give yourself a few visits to a special Upper Valley locale each summer? Volunteer as a Valley Quest Box Monitor! Email volunteer@vitalcommunities.org to join the team.
People of all ages, interests, and physical abilities can find Quests they love. Hear from some of Questing community about what they love about it, and see some of the beautiful places Quests can take you!
Film by Henry Allison, 2020
Project Manager, Valley Quest & UVTPC (she/her)
Gabrielle (she/her) joined Vital Communities in 2021. Gabrielle’s experience is centered around serving communities to become stronger and more civically…