WOODSTOCK — A program that teaches people and municipalities about conservation and development will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, at the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center’s new Lakeside Lodge.
The Beginning With Habitat conservation workshop is open to local residents, town officials and landowners. It will be hosted by the Androscoggin River Watershed Council, which is working with the Mahoosuc Land Trust and Maine Audubon.
Beginning With Habitat is a program that brings maps and information about wildlife and habitat to local communities and landowners to consider when making decisions about development and conservation.
“There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to conservation so presenters will cover a variety of options for citizens and municipalities,” Jessie Seymour Perkins, program coordinator of the council, said Monday in a report.
Steve Walker, Beginning With Habitat program coordinator for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, will focus on land protection and talk about the BWH Toolbox.
The Toolbox is a guide to help towns develop and implement a “conservation blueprint,” or suite of local actions that will achieve a municipality’s land conservation goals, Perkins said.
It gives people tools that can be used to address common conservation issues that arise in many Maine towns.
Elizabeth Hertz, director of Land Use Planning from the Maine State Planning Office, will talk about opportunities for towns to use comprehensive planning to meet their conservation goals.
Fergus Lea, planning director for the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, will discuss applicable ordinances.
A light dinner will be provided. Those interested in attending may register online at www.androscogginwatershed.org or call 754-8158.
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