Land planning workshop Nov. 15 in Monson

MONSON — Land is a valuable resource and asset to residents of Piscataquis County. Those that have land have passion for maintaining, using and protecting it. Additionally, most landowners have hopes and dreams for the future of their land. With all this in mind, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) has hosted several land future planning (succession) workshops over the past three years and are thrilled to be hosting speaker Jessica Leahy for an evening program from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Monson Arts Center to discuss planning a future for your land.

This event “Taking the First Steps: Building a Plan for the Future of Your Land” will be hugely beneficial to all landowner types. Leahy is the president of Maine Woodland Owners and a professor at the University of Maine in the School of Forest Resources. She presented at the “Trees in Transition: Succession Planning for your Woodlands” workshop held in 2015 and was incredibly well-received from the 40 participants that attended. For this event, she will instruct participants in how to build a foundation and get started as they think about the future of their land. Perhaps, you would like to sell, or give it to a family member, or put it into a conservation easement – Leahy will speak about the conversations that folks need to have with counterparts, when and if it makes sense to get other organizations involved, and will walk participants through the superbly helpful resource, “Your Land, Your Legacy.” Each person who attends this event will go home with this resource and a clear plan on how to get started.

Land succession can be a challenging thing to navigate and this event is a comfortable, informative place to start this process. To attend the Taking the First Steps event, please register with the PCSWCD by Nov. 12. Registration can be done at www.piscataquisswcd.org, calling 564-2321 ext. 3 or emailing info@piscataquisswcd.org. Taking the First Steps is cosponsored by the Central Maine Chapter of the Maine Woodland Owners.