ORONO – The Dr. Edith Marion Patch Center for Entomology, the Environment and Education, in partnership with the Orono Bicentennial Committee, will present “Planning the Future, Preserving the Past: How Can a Historic Preservation Ordinance Help Our Community?” 2-4 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at the Page Farm and Home Museum, University of Maine. The event is free of charge.

Orono’s bicentennial is only a year away. Even as residents are planning heritage gardens, sprucing up old buildings and celebrating the treasures of Orono’s past, developers are mapping out new streets and neighborhoods and hundreds of new residences for those drawn to the town by its cultural and historic character.

Now, like other Maine communities, officials said, Orono looks to the future and is weighing the possibility of a moratorium on development. They ask, is it possible for Orono, or any town, to protect its historic resources, while at the same time welcoming growth? What role can a historic preservation ordinance play in helping the town balance past and future?

All are welcome to explore the possibilities by attending the forum with speakers Mike Johnson of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, and Michael Pullen of Hampden Historical Society. Both are experienced in helping communities develop strategies for preservation and planning.

For information about the Patch Center forums or the Friends of Dr. Edith Marion Patch, call Mary Bird at 581-2434 or e-mail mary.bird@umit.maine.edu.