The Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission welcomes the public to its fourth annual meeting Thursday, April 23 at St. Patrick’s Church Cheverus Hall, Newcastle.

The LCRPC, directed by a board of municipal officials and area residents, is the county’s economic development, land use and transportation planning organization.

Neil Lash will be the guest speaker. Lash is a long-time educator at Medomak Valley High School, and co-founded the High School's Heirloom Seed Project, which, since 1991, has been collecting, growing, and distributing rare plants seeds world-wide.

Local students have swapped seeds with Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, and Mount Vernon, home of George Washington.

The Heirloom Seed Project actively collects and plants historical trees in the Francis G. Cross Living History Arboretum, which is located next to MVHS at the corner of Miller Road and Manktown Road in Waldoboro. Additionally, the project has a collection of seven Inca plants which were featured in the National Science Foundation's book, "Lost Crops of the Incas."

Students also manage the school’s greenhouses, learn about experimental gardening, basic landscape practices, and running a small business. The project’s annual seed catalog is in its 19th year. Currently, this extensive project combining botany, history, and student participation, is the only one of its kind in American schools.

The planning commission carries out a variety of activities in community development (water, sewer, storm drainage, and shore and harbor infrastructure), sea-level resiliency, small business assistance, transportation, brownfields assessments, bike and pedestrian planning, habitat improvement, community health, promotion of STEM education, and other programs.

The evening will inspire “cross-pollination” talk of education, food strategies, and our economy. The annual meeting, open to the public, begins at 5 p.m. with refreshments and networking, and includes highlights of the past year and board elections. Local officials, residents, businesses and nonprofits are welcome to attend.

For more information and to RSVP, please call 207-882-5152 or 207-882-5188.