Dr. Heather Leslie, director of the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center, will be the featured speaker at the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission’s annual meeting on Wednesday, April 27 at DMC in South Bristol.

The LCRPC, directed by a board of municipal officials and area residents, is the county’s economic development, land use and transportation planning organization. The Darling Marine Center began in Walpole when Ira C. Darling donated his 127-acre property on the Damariscotta River to the University to develop an oceanography program. The Center — now a destination for UMaine marine researchers and students, scientists from around the world, and area schoolchildren – celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

The annual meeting begins at 5 p.m. with networking and refreshments, and includes highlights of the past year and board elections. Tours of the DMC facility will begin at 4 p.m. The meeting is open to the public, and local officials, residents, businesses, and non-profits are encouraged to attend.

Dr. Leslie has been a member of the University of Maine faculty since August 2015. Her research focuses on the ecology, policy, and management of coastal marine ecosystems. She received an A.B. in biology from Harvard University, a Ph.D. in zoology from Oregon State University, and conducted postdoctoral research at Princeton University. Before arriving at UMaine, she was on the faculty at Brown University, as the inaugural Peggy and Henry D. Sharpe Assistant Professor. She is a Leopold Leadership Fellow and originally from Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The DMC is part of the University’s School of Marine Sciences. Faculty teaching and research include aquaculture and marine fisheries; biogeochemistry and microbial ecology; conservation science and policy; invertebrate biology and biodiversity; marine archeology; and remote sensing, phytoplankton ecology, and ocean optics. The DMC also plays a role in the region’s economy through its incubator for aquaculture-related industry research.

In addition to their well-known summer and fall undergraduate and graduate semesters, the Center’s K-12 education coordinator works with local schools to enhance their marine science curriculum with field trips and outreach programs.

The Planning Commission works with municipalities, businesses, and non-profit groups in community development (shore and harbor infrastructure, water and sewer), sea-level resiliency, transportation, small business assistance, brownfields assessments, habitat improvement, community health, and other programs.

There is limited space on the tours, and early registration is requested. To RSVP for the annual meeting and/or the tour (there is no charge), please call 882-5983 or email Zach Mosher, zmosher@lcrpc.org.