Dr. Thea James, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Boston Medical Center/BU School of Medicine, will discuss “Race & Health Equity in Boston: How We Can Achieve Healthy Communities for All” on Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Questions she’ll address include: How did health inequities in Boston arise, and how have they persisted? What are the links with challenges in housing, economic development, and other social issues? How can communities in Greater Boston create effective partnerships to build healthy communities? Hosted by the FPL Racial Justice Advocates and Outreach Committee; cosponsored by the Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln WIDE, and the Lincoln Council on Aging and Human Resources. Click here to register.
“Redressing Injustices of the Past: Building Wealth in Communities of Color” is the title of a Zoom talk by Glynn Lloyd, Executive Director, Foundation for Business Equity on Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. Income inequality and financial insecurity are foundational to structural racism. The Federal Reserve cites the median net worth of a White family as $171,000 compared to $17,600 for a Black family. How are banks and financial institutions making amends for the redlining practices of the past? To what extent do lending barriers still exist for Black and Brown families and businesses? A pioneer in the field of transformative urban economic development, Lloyd helped found the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts and most recently the Coalition for an Equitable Economy.
Hosted by the First Parish in Lincoln Racial Justice Advocates and co-sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library and Lincoln WIDE. Click here to register.
Staci Rubin, Vice President, Environmental Justice at the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), will give a talk titled “Environmental Justice is Racial Justice: Centering Equity in the Climate Movement of our Region” with on Thursday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Introduction by Lincoln resident Andy Falender, Senior Advisor at CLF. Click here to register for this virtual meeting. Sponsored by The First Parish in Lincoln and the Conservation Law Foundation. Cosponsors include Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, Lincoln WIDE, Mothers Out Front Lincoln, 350 Mass MetroWest Node, St. Anne’s Climate Justice Ministry, and MetroWest Climate Solutions.
The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will host a conversation about the book and TV series Maid on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. In addition to being one of the most popular shows on Netflix, Maid is also a best-seller written by Stephanie Land about her experiences as a single mother and housecleaner after fleeing an abusive relationship. The discussion will focus on the portrayal of domestic abuse and a survivor’s journey after leaving their relationship.
Reading the book or watching the series is recommended but not required to attend. Copies of Maid are available at the Lincoln Public Library as well as Wayland and Goodnow libraries. The books were donated by the Roundtable in memory of Nalini Goyal, a Roundtable member and a founding member of Gifts of Hope Unlimited. The program is free and open to all, but registration is required.
The Lincoln Agricultural Commission and the Lincoln Garden Club will host a Zoom presentation on “No-Till Gardening and Cover Crops” on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. Register here or on the Garden Club website. Using no-till and cover-crop methods on our farms and in our gardens not only helps sequester carbon but leads to healthier soils and more abundant crops and flowers. Douglas Wolcik and Kayleigh Boyle (formerly of Gaining Ground Farm in Concord) will discuss how to incorporate no-till. Learn how to set up permanent beds using only hand tools, take and interpret soil tests, amend soils for optimum soil health, manage pests and disease with best practices, and how to cover-crop in a no-till system.
The First Parish Church’s racial justice journey continues on Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m. on Zoom with a screening of the award-winning PBS documentary “The Power to Heal.” Central to the struggle to secure equal and adequate access to healthcare for all Americans is how a new national program, Medicare, was used to mount a dramatic, coordinated effort that desegregated thousands of hospitals across the country in a matter of months. Before that less than half of U.S. hospitals served black and white patients equally, and in the South. It raises questions that resonate today: Is healthcare a human right? Must the federal government intervene to ensure equality? Click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 981552).
Are you longing for an herb garden filled with beautiful and aromatic plants well-suited to both your teapot and the wildlife in your neighborhood? Join Jenny Hauf, owner of Muddy River Herbals, for “Herbal Garden Planning” at Farrington Nature Linc on Sunday, April 10 from 1–3 p.m. No matter what space you have, whether it’s a backyard, windowsill, or fire escape, this class will give you the tools you need to have an herb garden gorgeously suited to your space. RSVP to Zach@NatureLinc.org.
- Week of April 18–22 — Individuals and groups are encouraged to self-organize cleanups. Trash bags will be available for pickup in advance, as well as drop-off locations.
- Friday, April 22 — Conservation staff will lead two group cleanups from 10 a.m.–noon. At 1 p.m., we’ll gather at Lincoln Station for a celebration with local groups, including Farrington Nature Linc. Enjoy family-friendly activities, treats, information about Earth Day, climate change, and more. Each participating group/household will receive a free Earth Day Serviceberry Seedling at the celebration while supplies last. Our hope is to have community members sharing their cleanup efforts and Earth Day messages on the OuterSpatial app. Please complete this form if you’d like to participate so we can provide support, supplies, and more details as the event approaches.
“Living Soil: A Closer Look at Fungi, Bacteria, and Fauna in Soil,” the fourth class in the Healthy Soils series, will take place on Saturday, April 23 from 10:30 a.m.–noon. Participants will learn about examining the vibrant ecosystem that soil supports. Click here for more information and registration links. All participants must also complete this waiver form in advance. Healthy Soils is a collaboration among the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, Codman Community Farms, and Mothers Out Front.
Ever wonder whether and how you personally can make a difference in the quest to reduce waste? Join us for a free Zoom workshop featuring Stephanie Miller, author of Zero Waste Living: The Busy Person’s Guide to a Lighter Footprint. The session will focus on the importance of “recycling right” and help participants identify what’s recyclable and what’s not. We’ll delve into the recycling waste streams by material: metals, glass, paper/cardboard, and plastics. Click here to register.
Extinctions of plants and animals and climate change seem like overwhelming problems but each of us can fight these crises right at home, especially by treating our home gardens as habitat to nurture the living things native to our continent. Claudia Thompson, founder of Grow Native Massachusetts, will discuss her home landscape rich with habitat — supporting wildlife, birds, and pollinators. Register here. Ready to add native plants to your yard? Attendees who live within five miles of Wayland will be offered a community service garden visit by Jean Milburn, Wayland’s Native Plant Ambassador from the MCA Native Pollinator Task Force.
The fifth and last class in the Healthy Soils series, “Carbon Cycling and Storage Potential in Soils,” takes place on Saturday, May 14 from 10:30 a.m.–noon. and will look at the garden as a model for carbon storage as we learn about deeply rooted perennial shrubs, conservation tillage, and composting. Click here for more information and registration links. All participants must also complete this waiver form in advance. Healthy Soils is a collaboration among the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, Codman Community Farms, and Mothers Out Front.
Tired of dragging out your window air conditioners every year? Looking for the most comfortable, cost-effective way to cool your home? Join the Green Energy Committee on Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. for a webinar all about air-source and ground-source heat pumps, the most climate-friendly home heating and cooling options available today. We’ll cover the ins and outs of replacing an old, inefficient system or adding a brand-new a supplemental unit or a whole-house system to your home. Dandelion Energy, a ground source heat pump installer, will answer questions, and you can hear from your neighbors about their experiences with heat pumps. Click here to register for this Zoom meeting.
There will be a Lincoln trail-use public forum held on Zoom on Wednesday, May 18 from 7–8:30 p.m. sponsored by the Lincoln Conservation Commission and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. The two organizations have completed a comprehensive review of the multiple uses of Lincoln’s trails and how best to manage them for the protection of open space and overall public benefit. Over the last year, they’ve sought public comments and feedback regarding ways people use and enjoy our open spaces and trails.
At the forum, the Conservation Commission will review the process we used to evaluate changes in allowed trail uses, present draft trail use regulations, and discuss proposed changes to our trail biking map and dog walking rules. Additional comments will be sought during and after this meeting. Afterwards, the commission will post the draft trail-use regulations on the Conservation Department website. Submit any comments to the Conservation Department (conservation@lincolntown.org or 781-259-2612) by Tuesday, May 25. Click here for the May 18 Zoom link.
The first Lincoln Arts and Farmers Market for the 2022 season will be Saturday, June 4 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Tack Room at 145 Lincoln Rd. The market will run weekly June-October. This year there will be more vendors, more produce, and more coffee along with music, food, arts and crafts. Stay updated on planning and vendor availability each week via this Facebook page.
Have you thought of putting solar panels on your roof? Do you want to save on electricity? Ready to capture the 26% federal tax credit for solar? Come to Lincoln Green Energy’s solar presentation on Tuesday, June 21 at noon via Zoom. Presenters will discuss topics including solar system net metering, state and federal incentives, battery storage backup, and MassSave’s ConnectedSolutions program. Great Sky Solar will also be on hand to answer questions. Click here to preregister and get the Zoom link.
The next Virtual Lincoln Conservation Coffee on Thursday, Sept. 8 from 8–9 a.m. will look at “The Ins and Outs of Lincoln’s Water Supply Protection.” Darin LaFalam, Lincoln’s Water Superintendent, will talk about Lincoln’s drinking water infrastructure, challenges surrounding water quality and distribution, and what emerging contaminants Lincoln is looking out for. He’ll also discuss some regulatory issues such as DEP’s water withdrawal permit and unaccounted water loss. Finally, he’ll offer some tips and tricks for how you can help conserve water. After the presentation you’ll hear updates from our Conservation Department and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT). Click here for the Zoom link.
Come celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lincoln Garden Club volunteers maintaining Station Park at an open house on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m.–noon at the intersection of Lincoln Road and Ridge Road, just across Lincoln Road from the mall at Lincoln Station. Light refreshments will be served, and the farmers’ market will be open across the street with produce, crafts, and music. Information on the park’s history and how to join the Lincoln Garden Club will be also available.