TOPSHAM

Topsham’s Back to the Future series continues Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Topsham Public Library with a workshop focusing on the town’s rural heritage: Can we grow without losing our natural environment, farm and open space?

According to a release, organizers invite citizens to participate in a discussion “about maintaining what we collectively value about this special place where we live. Specifically, the discussion will focus on the elements and resources that make up the rural landscape, gain a better understanding of the values of these elements and resources, and how we may prioritize and protect those values. We will also hear about innovative projects that achieve the goals associated with rural planning.”

Planning with the rural landscape in mind is a difficult task as there may be many competing interests. The workshop will cover what the town has now for known landscape resources, what if any options are available to sustain those resources over the longterm, and how the town might provide opportunities to avoid, minimize, and mitigate future losses — all while promoting growth in the community.

Participating in the workshop are:

• Elizabeth Hertz, director of the Municipal Planning Assistance Program at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry;

• Angela Twitchell, Topsham resident and executive Director of Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust;

• Steve Pelletier, wildlife biologist, licensed Maine Forester, and principal at Stantec Consulting in Topsham where he specializes in site- and landscape-level habitat assessments, forest and wetland ecology, and has experience working with a variety of rare species in Maine and across the U.S.;

• Aram Calhoun, professor of Wetland Ecology in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology at the University of Maine where her research focuses on forested wetlands and vernal pool ecosystems;

• Steve Walker of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, who is also a Brunswick- Topsham Land Trust board member, a Brunswick Town Councilor and former Brunswick Planning Board member;

• Franklin Burroughs, the Harrison King McCann Research Professor of the English Language Emeritus at Bowdoin College where he retired from teaching in 2002.

Topsham’s Back to the Future ongoing series of public workshops are presented by the Topsham Public Library, the Topsham Planning Department and the Topsham Economic & Community Development Department. The goal of this series is to provide background and information about the community and the challenges it faces, “so that together, we can plan for a prosperous, affordable future while preserving our cultural and natural heritage,” the event announcement states. All workshops are held in the Topsham Public Library’s Highlands Community Room.

The Topsham Public Library is located at 25 Foreside Road in Topsham. For more information, call Topsham Public Library at (207) 725-1727 or visit www.topshamlibrary.org. The snow date is April 13.

Other presentations in the series include workshops on Topsham’s historic and rural heritage and goals for moving Topsham forward together.

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