Twelve communities in the Bangor region have joined together to undertake a regional open-space planning effort in conjunction with the Trust for Public Lands, a nonprofit conservation organization. The first session was held May 28 at Hampden Academy, and the second session is slated for 6:30-8:30 tonight at Old Town High School.

The purpose of the sessions is to allow the public to express its views on regional priorities for open-space preservation. Some examples of possible priorities include drinking water protection, park space, wildlife habitat and preserving working farms and forests.

The meetings are intended to assist the planning effort by asking community members to rank their priorities for conservation. Attendees will be asked to look ahead and describe what they would like to see in the future for conservation and land protection.

In addition to the public listening sessions, a survey will be conducted among randomly selected residents in the region. Information gathered from the survey and other sources will be used to develop a set of regional priorities that will guide the planning effort.

The overall goals of the effort are to protect the Penobscot Valley’s quality of place, establish a forum for regional cooperation and create a regional open-space plan.

Participating communities are Bangor, Bradley, Brewer, Eddington, Hampden, Hermon, Holden, Milford, Old Town, Orono, Orrington and Veazie. The project is administered through the Penobscot Valley Council of Government.

Residents of those towns who are interested in helping to guide the future open-space and development patterns for the region are invited to attend one of the sessions.

For information, call Jim Gooch at 772-7424, or Ed Barrett at 992-4205.