KINGFIELD – Members of the Kingfield Comprehensive Plan Update Committee are inviting the public to attend a one-hour “Beginning with Habitat” presentation at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, at Webster Hall.

Presenters are members of a partnership between the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Maine Natural Areas Program, the State Planning Office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maine Audubon Society, as well as several others.

The program is meant to help towns plan for open space in the future as they update their comprehensive plans.

Organizers ask the question, “Where will you be able to hunt, ski, fish or look for lady slippers in Kingfield in 2030? As private lands are split up and developed, and public lands come under more and more pressure, knowledge of our local natural resources is a critical first step when developing plans to protect our rural character and quality of life.”

The presentation is designed to help people become aware of threats to local open space as well as understand its value now and in the future. GIS maps and data about Kingfield’s natural resources will be on hand during the presentation.

“The goal here is to balance growth with the protection of natural resources for wildlife, recreation, sustainable forestry and agriculture,” said Molly Docherty, director of the Maine Natural Areas Program.

Residents are invited to attend, view the maps ask questions and add their own knowledge of the area to those maps. Members of the Comprehensive Plan Update Committee are hoping many residents will take advantage of the presentation, as it will aid the residents and committee in advancing the town’s plans for the future.