Community Conservation Tour brings 75 people out to hear about Valley Cemetery restoration

MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester Conservation Commission held the second in a series of Conservation Tours on Saturday August 23 at the Valley Cemetery. Although people often only think of cemeteries as a place for the dead, the Valley Cemetery was originally designed to be enjoyed by the living. At one time families would come to spend the day with a deceased loved one and celebrate their memory while having picnics and enjoying time with nature and family.

The mission of the Manchester Conservation Commission is to preserve natural resources for the benefit of all Queen City residents. The Conservation Commission wants to bring attention to a number of hidden gems that are right in front of us, but often overlooked according to Commision Chairman Don Waldron.

“There are a number of groups that have been working very hard to take back this greenspace and others like it in the city and we want to put their efforts into the spotlight,” he said.

Over 75 people participated in the tour which started at the Valley Cemetery Chapel and made its way down into the center valley of the cemetery before making its way back up by way of the recently cleared “east stairs.” Along the way tour participants heard from various people who are working hard to restore this green space.

Tanya Orr talked about the efforts her group, the “Valley Cemetery Volunteers” have undertaken since adopting the cemetery under the “Adopt-a-Park” program in 2017. These volunteers meet every other weekend to tackle one project after another. Representatives from Parks and Recreation were on hand to discuss the city’s efforts. Cemetery Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Plourde talked about what the city does to maintain the area as well as pointing out a number of interesting landmarks along the way. The group also heard from Kathryn Waldo who is overseeing the City’s efforts to restore the Valley Cemetery into the Victorian-era garden park that it once was.

Arnold Mikolo of the Conservation Law Fund discussed how important the Valley Cemetery is to provide access to urban green space for families that live in the immediate area and often lack transportation options to get to further away parks. Alderman-At-Large June Trisciani was on hand to extend a thank you to all of the groups that have been working to restore the cemetery and discuss what the City has been doing to make needed resources available to these groups.

Tour participant Pamela Pitman commented “I cannot stop talking about how fascinating the Valley Cemetery is…that land is spectacular and you would never know there is a “valley” below with elegant staircases and a feeling of peace.”  According to Tanya Orr, the head of the Valley Cemetery Volunteers group. “It was wonderful having the Manchester Conservation Commission on site for the walking tour at Valley Cemetery. A great job was done honoring the history and original vision of this community gathering place. I appreciated the opportunity to highlight the current efforts of the Valley Cemetery volunteers and share the progress that this dedicated team is making and changing the dynamic of the space, especially given the number of first-time visitors that came for the tour that would have never stepped foot in Valley otherwise! “

If you would like more information about the Manchester Conservation Commission and future Conservation Tours please click here or visit www.manchesternh.gov.

The Valley Cemetery Volunteers meet every other Saturday morning at 9 a.m. to work on restoration projects. If you would like to volunteer you are invited to attend one of their sessions.  The next meeting is Saturday,  September 9 at the Pine Street gate.