Join Lincoln Conservation Director Michele Grzenda for a Zoom presentation on the Conservation Commission’s six-part mission on Thursday, Feb. 22 from 7–8 p.m. This talk will focus on how ConCom, along with Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, protects land, manages open space, and educates residents. Michele will share some tips on how residents can help protect the open spaces and wildlife habitat in their backyard. RSVP here. Sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library.
State Rep. Carmine Gentile (D-Sudbury) will hold virtual office hours on Friday, Feb. 23 from 10 a.m.–noon. Any constituent who wishes to speak to Rep. Gentile can sign up for a 20-minute time slot by emailing his legislative aide, Ravi Simon, at ravi.simon@mahouse.gov. Please provide your full name, address, phone number, email, and discussion topic.
The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee will hold a caucus on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. in the Bemis Hall map room to elect six delegates and four alternates to the 2024 State Democratic Convention in June. Registered and pre-registered Democrats in Lincoln who are 16 years old as of February 15, 2024 may vote and be elected as delegates or alternates. All are welcome but only registered Democrats may vote.
At the state convention at the DCU Center in Worcester on June 1, delegates will place a candidate name on the statewide primary ballot in December. Those interested in getting involved with the Lincoln Democratic Committee should contact Travis Roland at travisroland89@yahoo.com or Joan Kimball at selenejck@gmail.com. Young people (ages 16-35), those with disabilities, people of color, veterans, and members of the LGBTQ+ community not elected as delegates or alternates are encouraged to apply to be add-on delegates at the caucus or by visiting massdems.org/massdems-convention.
February 21 at 7:30 p.m., Bemis Hall
February 25 at 2 p.m., Lincoln Public Library
In 2005, 170 Palestinian civil society organizations called for a non-violent boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) campaign to pressure Israel to comply with international law. Although the campaign has gained little traction with the American public, the pro-Israel lobby has aggressively pursued—and in 36 states, succeeded in—enacting legislation that penalizes the free-speech “right to boycott.” The film follows three cases: a newspaper publisher in Arkansas, an attorney in Arizona, and a speech therapist in Texas who were forced to choose between their jobs and their political beliefs. Watch the trailer.
The Rural Land Foundation will hold its next public forum on the future of the mall on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Click here to join the meeting (passcode: 94034). Redevelopment of the mall will be guided by rezoning in South Lincoln mandated by the Housing Choice Act. At the first forum on January 18, the RLF unveiled two visual concepts for 40 units of housing and 5,000–10,000 square feet of first-floor and/or street-activating use space.
The First Parish in Lincoln continues its “Conversations on Tap” series at the Tack Room with Rev. Nate Klug in “Talking with Your Kids About Current Events” on Monday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. Open to all spiritual backgrounds and towns. This year especially, with war in Ukraine and the Middle East and a national election upcoming, we may feel overwhelmed in thinking about how to approach current events with our children.
Are you wondering how to keep the lights on when the sun’s not shining? Jay Turner, an environmental studies professor at Wellesley College, will draw on his recent book Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future and his experiences retrofitting his home in Natick to be net energy positive to discuss the big picture and fine details of electrification on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. Click here to register and receive a Zoom link. This series is hosted by CFREE, a working group of Lincoln’s Green Energy Committee.
There will be an informational meeting with representatives of the Housing Choice Act Working Group and the Rural Land Foundation (owner of the mall) on Thursday, March 7 at at 7 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. This will be an in-person event only, and seating will be limited.
The unofficial meeting with town officials including Select Board member Jennifer Glass, Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson, and Director of Planning and Land Use Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie is organized and hosted by Pam and Ken Hurd. It is not a presentation or debate but will focus on questions people may have regarding the proposed zoning changes to the Lincoln Station District in response to HCA.
Geoff McGean and Michelle Barnes of the RLF will also answer questions on the constraints they face in transforming the current mall building into housing with ground floor commercial, perhaps using a schematic plan for illustrative purposes only.
Videos of the RLF’s public forums in January and February can be found on this RLF web page. Read about them in the Lincoln Squirrel articles published on Jan. 21, 2024 and March 3, 2024.
Explore the world of natural color with an introduction to dyeing fabric with plants. You’ll create your own set of four dyed cotton napkins using plants, including some foraged at Nature Linc over the summer. Different surface techniques will be explored, including creating resists on fabric with natural materials. Adults only. Pre-registration required.
Click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 284293). For details, see “CapCom, CPC spending proposal to be aired on March 11.”
The Lincoln PTO will host a town election candidate forum on Tuesday, March 12 from 7–9 p.m. in the Lincoln School Learning Commons. It will also be accessible via this Zoom link.
Candidates will have three minutes to introduce themselves and present a substantive statement of their platform. Moderators Rob Stringer and Sarah Cannon Holden will then direct questions to candidates that were submitted on cards filled out by attendees shortly after they arrived, or that are posed via the chat function on Zoom. Candidates will have two minutes to respond. The LPTO can’t guarantee that there will be enough time to get to all the questions.
The forum is intended not as a debate but as an information session and meet-and-greet whereby voters can get acquainted with candidates and their views. Candidates have been asked to refrain from addressing or referring to fellow candidates and to refrain from campaign speeches or speechifying.
The candidates scheduled to participate in the forum are as follows (each seat is for a three-year term):
Select Board:
- Incumbent Jennifer Glass (jlrglass@mac.com)
- Frank Clark (clark@gmail.com)
Planning Board:
- Incumbent Gerald Taylor (gatlincoln@gmail.com)
- Sarah Postlethwait (sarah@bayhas.com)
Upon arrival, attendees should stop at the LPTO table to fill out a name tag before settling into the Learning Commons. Volunteers will also offer audience members question forms and pencils prior to entering the Learning Commons. Attendees will be invited to join in a collective round of applause for all the candidates at the beginning and end of the Introductions round and are asked to refrain from cheering for anyone candidate during that round.
The “On Belonging in Outdoor Spaces” free speaker series continues via Zoom on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. with Erika Rumbley, co-founder and director of the New Garden Society and Director of Horticulture at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. She will speak about her work training incarcerated students in the art and science of plants. On Wednesday, March 27at 7 p.m., Doug Sutherland, a summer camp professional, will share his experiences as a Black person in rural New Hampshire, where “belonging” is an assumption for some and unattainable for others.
Click here to register for either talk. The series is hosted by Farrington Nature Linc, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, the Walden Woods Project, Mass Audubon, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, and Codman Community Farms. Spring 2024 Sponsorship is generously provided by the Ogden Codman Trust and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area.
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust invites residents to help out on Stewardship Work Days starting on Friday, March 15 at 1 p.m. Join volunteers and staff from LLCT and LCD to pull non-native plants from conservation land. Tools and snacks will be provided. Click here to sign up.
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will host a movie night to welcome spring and continue our focus on both pollination systems and the importance of dark skies for wildlife by screening “Bat Man of Mexico,” a 50-minute PBS episode about the lesser long-nosed bat, a crucial pollinator of agave plants, on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the LLCT office (145 Lincoln Rd, Suite 102A).
According to NASA, turf grass lawn covers more of the U.S. than any other irrigated crop. Lawns are resource-heavy, requiring mowing, irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides to thrive in New England. Learn why you should “kill your lawn” and how to replace it with beautiful and environmentally friendly gardens. Transitioning your yard to incorporate native plants in the lawn or gardens helps to mitigate floods, heat waves, sea level rise, and the mass extinction of species.
This free session will be presented by Mark Richardson, Director of Horticulture for New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. and is sponsored by MetroWest Climate Solutions (a growing partnership between First Parish in Wayland, First Parish Church in Weston, First Parish in Lincoln, the Congregational Church in Weston, Energize Wayland, Sustainable Weston Action Group, and other communities and individuals). To register, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.
Click here for a list of candidates. For Election Day information, click here.
State Rep. Carmine Gentile (D-Sudbury) will hold virtual office hours on Tuesday, March 26 from 1–3 p.m. Any constituent who wishes to speak to Rep. Gentile can sign up for a 20-minute time slot by emailing his legislative aide, Ravi Simon, at ravi.simon@mahouse.gov. Please provide your full name, address, phone number, email, and discussion topic.
How much is your old water heater costing you? It accounts for about 18% of your home’s energy usage. Replacing an electric resistance water heater with a heat pump water heater can save you money. Join us on Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. to learn from Larry Chretien, CEO of Green Energy Consumer’s Alliance, about super-efficient heat pump water heaters — how new models are much quieter and how 120V models can replace gas water heaters without expensive electric upgrades. Best of all – find out how really strong rebates reduce the cost enormously. Click here to register for the Zoom link.
The “On Belonging in Outdoor Spaces” free speaker series continues on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. via Zoom when Doug Sutherland, a summer camp professional, will share his experiences as a Black person in rural New Hampshire, where “belonging” is an assumption for some and unattainable for others. Click here to register.
The series is hosted by Farrington Nature Linc, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, the Walden Woods Project, Mass Audubon, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, and Codman Community Farms. Spring 2024 Sponsorship is generously provided by the Ogden Codman Trust and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area.