CASCO – More than 75 youth from across New England, including some from Casco, gathered with adult mentors on Nov. 10 and 11 for the Jane Goodall Institute’s 2007 Roots and Shoots New England Regional Youth Summit in Lincoln, Mass.

The event took place at the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, offering hands-on workshops, skill sessions and presentations focused on people, animals and the environment.

Workshop topics included monarch butterfly banding, recycled art projects, greyhound advocacy, green school initiatives, corporate advertising messages and conservation careers.

Two Casco residents in attendance included 12-year-old Quincy Dean and 13-year-old Maya Kritchfield, who are involved in a Casco-based Roots and Shoots chapter with five other youth.

Said Dean, “Saving the planet and animals is important. It’s going to affect the future a lot if we don’t do anything.” Kritchfield said her favorite workshop was on the art of rock balancing, because “you have to be totally calm and focused. It’s meditative and pleasing to the eye.”

To learn more about the summit or Roots and Shoots, call 617-439-9090 or e-mail [email protected].