BETHEL – Western Maine’s evolving economy and the future of the Androscoggin River Valley and Mahoosuc Mountains Range, are topics of next week’s Watershed Conference.
The 11th annual gathering, hosted by the Androscoggin River Watershed Council and Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments of Auburn, will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 7, in The Bethel Inn Conference Center.
The conference, “From Umbagog to Rumford: The Future of the Mahoosucs and More,” is designed to provide information about the Mahoosucs Initiative Project and information regarding land-use changes.
The initiative is a collaborative project that addresses changes in the region.
“Over the past 15 years, there has been significant changes to the economy, and the land and natural resource base of the area,” council Chairman Ferg Lea stated in a Wednesday press release.
Pulp and paper mills and the lumber industry provided a relatively stable economic base for most of the past century, he said. Now, these companies have sold most of their land.
“Residents will be challenged to adapt to the evolving economy, and maintain the features and resources that have made this area special since the first settlers moved here,” Lea said.
Although society’s dependence on natural resources is expected to change, these resources will continue “to play a primary role in the evolving economy,” he said.
Conference sessions are titled “Benefits of Town Forests,” “Ecological Values of the Mahoosucs,” and “Recreational Access and the Economy.”
Each session will have a panel of experts on the topics, a time for questions and answers, and a panel discussion, “Challenges and Opportunities for the Mahoosucs Region.”
That panel will provide several perspectives on occurring changes and stimulate thoughts about a vision for the future.
From 4:45 to 6:15 p.m., Stan Howe of the Bethel Historical Society will lead a tour of historic Bethel village.
From 6:30 to 8 p.m., a free public session will be held where groups and consultants working on the initiative will present their findings on changing ownership and the region’s ecology and economy.
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