Queer Spring Nature Stroll - Vermont
April 19, 2025 — 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ET
Rain date: April 26, 2025
Last day to register: April 17, 2025
Springtime! Does it fill your heart with hope and delight? Do you get excited the first time you hear a red-winged blackbird each year? Do you need a reminder that cold times end, and light and warmth return? Come spend an evening with volunteers Amy and Sam as we appreciate signs of spring and joy of community. This is less a hike and more of a very slow nature walk along a dirt road—we won’t be covering a lot of ground (just half a mile!). Instead, we’ll try to spot and truly see the wonderful living things around us. Lots of time will be spent standing, gazing, and generally admiring the small wonders of our natural world. Are the mourning cloak butterflies out and about? Are the turtles up? Have the palm warblers returned? Maybe we’ll see Leucy, the local leucistic red-tailed hawk! This event is in the evening so that we can listen to the frogs singing and hopefully catch sight of the local beaver family.
This mostly flat route is made of hard-packed dirt, though it may have a little mud and some potholes in the spring. There are no benches, but participants are welcome to bring along small, portable stools (or similar) if they need a break from standing. Participants should be aware that much of this route is on an active road. Restrooms are available at a nearby business a short drive away. Binoculars, cameras with telephoto lenses or spotting scopes are encouraged but they are not required to attend.
We ask folks under the age of 18 to please register themselves and an adult to accompany them.
If you require a service dog to attend, please let us know and we’ll collaborate with you on how to keep you both comfortable and hydrated at this event.
GENERAL INFO
Location: Putney area, VT (Abenaki, Wabanaki and Pennacook)
Parking: Small dirt lot. It can be muddy in the spring.
Pets: While we love pets, we ask that furry friends remain home on this adventure. Tell them we said hi!
Meet: April 19, 2025
Hike: 0.5 miles, 10ft elevation gain
Cost: $0-$20 sliding scale
To find out where you fall best in our sliding scale, see the “Why does this trip cost money?” dropdown below.
Bring: Water, weather appropriate clothing and shoes. Binoculars, cameras with telephoto lenses or spotting scopes are encouraged but not required. We’ll have extra binoculars to share!
COVID SAFETY
Masks are not required during this event, however they are welcomed if wearing one allows you to better engage with the group. PLEASE be mindful of your own and group safety. If you or anyone in your household are not feeling well, do not participate in a hike.
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Our sliding scale is meant to make our trips and events more accessible for those who have financial barriers. Paying a higher amount allows us to provide more opportunities to others. Paying a smaller amount is recommended for those who would not otherwise be able to afford the estimated value. Please choose an amount that you will be able to pay, but will not hinder your ability to afford food, housing, etc. By paying as much as you can, we are able to serve more of our community members.
Our sliding scale recommendation:
- Low: Yearly income $30,000 or under, struggles to meet basic needs
- Mid (pays estimated value): Yearly income $40,000-$75,000, some expendable income
- High: Yearly income $80,000-$100,000, comfortable, never struggle with basic needs
Need more examples? We follow the Green Bottle principle. Click here to view and find out where you fall.
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Information for our land acknowledgment was gathered from nativeland.ca, which provides an estimate of original indigenous land occupation, but does not take into account migratory patterns or movement of the many surrounding communities. We recognize the historical complexity of indigenous movement across the land, and honor with gratitude the many, many surviving native nations whose land we benefit from in our work to diversify the outdoors.
