New employment opportunities and funding programs for farmers and landowners are already becoming available in the Piscataquis region as a result.

The Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District will host a Locally Led Conservation Meeting at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 15 at the district office in the Dover-Foxcroft Plaza Mall. Representatives from many conservation agencies will come together to conduct a conservation needs assessment. The public is invited to participate in the meeting. Conservation districts are traditionally the grass-roots effort behind locally led conservation. Goals of the meeting will be to define the conservation priorities for Piscataquis County so that appropriate funding can be sought for programs that will address those needs.

Public input, at the meeting and beforehand, is sought to help the district envision what priorities the community feels should be set for agriculture to solicit what priorities community stakeholders may envision for agriculture, forestry and wildlife.

The USDA local work group may be comprised of federal, state, county, tribal or local government representatives including the Natural Resources Conservation Service designated conservationist, members of the conservation district board, member(s) of the County Farm Service Agency Committee, the FSA county executive director, Cooperative Extension board members or manager, state or local elected or appointed officials, other federal and state government representatives and representatives of American Indian and Alaskan Native governments. Despite the membership limitation, public participation is allowed and very much encouraged at local work group meetings.

More information about the 2002 Farm Bill is available from the National Association of Conservation Districts.

Those wishing to help define the conservation priorities for Piscataquis County in coming years are encouraged to attend the meeting and/or submit their concerns by telephone to District Conservationist Al Dow, FSA Manager Terri Libby or District Executive Director Sheila Grant at 564-2321, by mail to PCSWCD, 1073 W. Main St., Suite 7, Dover-Foxcroft, 04426 or by e-mail at pcswcd@me.nacdnet.org.

All programs of the Soil and Water Conservation District are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis, without regard to race, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, political beliefs, or disabilities.