Genetically engineered food

FARMINGTON — There will be a public forum to discuss LD 718, a bill to establish a state-wide system of regulation for labeling of retail food that is produced using genetic engineering. The forum will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 21.

The forum will include a question and answer session with Rep. Lance Harvell, the sponsor of the bill, and Sen. Tom Saviello. The forum will be held in the North Dining Hall of the Student Center at the University of Maine.

Maine Media Women meet April 27

HALLOWELL — Kathleen Shannon, a veteran journalist with WCSH6-TV Channel 6, will address the afternoon session of the annual meeting of Maine Media Women on Saturday, April 27, at Maple Hill Farm B&B and Conference Center.

Shannon hosts the newsmagazine program “207” and also serves as the station’s investigative reporter.

The morning session of the meeting will feature artist, writer, independent publisher/entrepreneur Anne Valley of Gardiner. Her presentation, “Creating with Intention: How I Connected the Parts of My Artistic Self,” will focus on the development of the sophisticated mixed-media gift packages she calls “Journals and Journeys,” and what she learned about herself in the process.

The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m., after the keynote speaker. A full buffet lunch is included, as well as the silent auction to support the biennial scholarship. The meeting is open to the public, and guests are welcome to attend and participate: $50 for the full day or half-day including lunch; $25 for the keynote only.

For more information, contact MMW president Genie Dailey at 549-5518 or [email protected].

Audubon seeks frog listeners

FALMOUTH – Maine Audubon is looking for volunteers to “lend an ear” and help observe the presence of frogs and toads in their local area. Wood frogs, the Northern Leopard frog and other amphibians are already active in vernal pools and wetlands throughout southern Maine, and will begin activity in the rest of the state within the next week. Frog and toad species make their mating calls for a very short period of time, often less than two weeks.

Maine Audubon started the Maine Amphibian Monitoring Program in 1997. It is part of a nationwide effort to collect data and better understand the distribution and abundance of amphibians.

Volunteers drive along an assigned route three different times during the spring and stop at designated areas to observe the presence of nine different amphibian species. A free online training is available for all volunteers. Volunteers are needed for routes throughout the state.

To sign up for a route or to learn more about MAMP, contact Susan Gallo at [email protected] or call 207-781-2330, ext. 216. Learn more at www.maineaudubon.org.

Alzheimer’s education

PORTLAND — The Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will host the 2013 Statewide Educational Conferences from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. Registration fee is $45 per person and includes lunch. Six contact hours are available for professionals for a $95 registration fee.

Keynote speaker, Paul Raia, Ph.D., has directed patient care and family support at the Alzheimer’s Association for the past 22 years and now serves as vice president of clinical programs at the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter. In his keynote address, “Caring for the Person with Dementia: Habilitation Therapy,” Raia will discuss habilitation therapy, an approach to dementia care that he developed that focuses on the emotions and remaining capacities of the person with the disease.

The conference will also feature a research update by Scarborough-based neurologist, Dr. Eric Dinnerstein, and a luncheon panel discussion with adult children of parents living with Alzheimer’s disease. Seminars will include legal and financial planning; partnering with your doctor; developing a community safety net for people with dementia living independently; an improvisational acting experience designed to help people with dementia and their care partners; and the “Spaces Between Your Fingers Project,” a special workshop that helps people with dementia author and preserve their memories.

Get more information and purchase tickets at act.alz.org/2013MaineConferencePortland or by calling 207-772-0115.

Twelfth annual women’s ride

FREEPORT – The 12th annual Maine Women’s Ride, produced by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, will take place on June 2 at L.L. Bean’s Casco Conference Center on Casco Street. Staggered start times begin at 7:30 a.m.

The Maine Women’s Ride is a celebration of women and bicycling. The all-female event offers a friendly, supportive atmosphere geared toward girls and women of all ages and abilities. The routes (10-, 25-, 50- or 75-mile options) follow quiet roads, offering beautiful views of the Maine coast and countryside. All routes will be fully supported with rest stops, mechanical support and SAG wagons. At the ride’s conclusion, participants will have the opportunity to receive free massages and participate in yoga. A post ride party will feature free food, discounted beer, music, and door prize drawings.

Registration costs $35 for members and $45 for the public, which includes a six-month trial membership in the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. There is a $10 discount for girls 12 to 17 years old and seniors over 65. Girls 11 and under ride free. All proceeds benefit the coalition’s work to make Maine better for bicycling.

For more information and online registration, visit bikemaine.org or call 207-623-4511.

Expertise, plants at sale

FALMOUTH — The 20th annual Cumberland County Master Gardener’s plant sale will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 18, at the Barron Center, 1145 Brighton Ave.

The sale features herbs, vegetable seedlings, an extensive variety of perennials including the Perennial of the Year, house plants and a large assortment of annuals. Gardeners can pick up some shellfish compost by the bag or container.

Also featured are a bake sale, raffles of many garden related products and services as well as a sale of gently used garden tools. Participating this year will be a representative from Garbage to Gardens, a composting operation. Master Gardener volunteers are on hand to share growing tips and advice.

It is the largest fundraiser by the Cumberland County Master Gardeners each year. The sales proceeds support the group’s Seed Grant program for community projects.