To help provide the tools and strategies needed by municipal officials, community based conservation organizations and activist citizens, the Penn State Cooperative Extension will offer a series of land use planning workshops. The program will take place on June 6, June 13 and June 27 at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center.

The workshops will look at the impacts of unbalanced growth and development patterns from a local and regional perspective and offer information and techniques that have the potential to mitigate the adverse effects on open space and natural resources, according to program planner Mark Remcheck, extension community forester based in Washington County.

The objective is to encourage and facilitate regional cooperation and planning.

Topics covered will include Allegheny Land Trust's "Greenprint," a regional conservation agenda for the public good; an overview of comprehensive planning, land use regulation and natural resource conservation as authorized by the state; the fiscal impacts of residential development; and "Natural Infrastructure," a nine-county coordinated GIS database of natural assets.

Registration is required by May 25. The registration fee is $20 for one workshop; $30 for two and $35 for all three. For more information about the workshops, contact Penn State Cooperative Extension in Washington County at 724-228-6881.

Composting workshops

Composting workshops and composting bins are being offered by the Penn State Cooperative Extension.

The workshop sessions will be held in the lower level meeting room of the Butler County Cooperative Extension Office in Building 10 on the grounds of Sunnyview in Butler.

Evening sessions have been scheduled for May 16 and 17 and May 21 and 22. The sessions will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Registration is required. Space is limited to 25 participants per session. Registrants should indicate their first and second choice of dates. These will be the only opportunities for county residents to receive a composting bin as part of the current program.

Registrations are being accepted through the Butler County Extension Office. Phone 724-287-4761. Registrations will be accepted by phone at 724-287-4761, Ext. 222, or e-mail ButlerExt@psu.edu with your name, address, phone, and choice of dates.

This material is submitted by Donna Zang, Extension director, and the staff of the Penn State Extension office at the Sunnyview complex.