The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

conservation

Town bans almost all outside watering

Lincoln has gone to Stage 4 of watering restriction measures, meaning that all outdoor watering except for once-weekly drip irrigation and limited hand watering is banned until further notice. 

The move comes just days after a July 17 announcement that the town had gone to Stage 3 restrictions (watering allowed once a week). Since then, Massachusetts has experienced a heat wave, and no rain is in sight for the immediate future.

Lincoln follows guidelines set out by Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, which declared a “significant” drought on July 12 and a “critical” drought on July 21 in northeastern and central Massachusetts. Those guidelines ask residents to minimize overall water use (both town and well water, which draws from the same aquifer) and stop all non-essential outdoor watering, which means any watering that’s not required for health or safety reasons, food production livestock maintenance, or to meet the core functions of a business.

“For the time being, the Water Department is allowing hand watering by hose of personal vegetable gardens and watering by bucket or watering can of non-vegetable plantings. Using water from rain barrels or excess water from household activities is preferred,” Water Commission Chair Ruth Ann Hendrickson said on July 26.

Water Department staff will drive around town in the early mornings to check for water sprinklers in use and will leave warning cards for homes that are in violation. Some residents have automatic systems that they forget to adjust, or can’t right away because they’re away on vacation.

The town’s water use restriction bylaw mandates a $50 fine for the first violation and $100 for each subsequent violation. However, fines will not be assessed right away. “People need time to hear about it and adjust to it,” Hendrickson said.

The Water Commission plans to meet on Friday, July 29 at 1 p.m. to discuss the town’s drought response and to take a detailed look at the town’s water withdrawal permit and other sources of information “to see what wiggle room we have,” she added.

Since the Stage 4 status was announced on LincolnTalk on July 24, residents have offered several creative tips for water conservation, such as outdoor watering using water from pasta boiling, salad spinners, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, sump pumps, and showers (caught in a bucket while waiting for the water to get hot).

The last time the area experienced a “critical” drought was in August 2016, when area pond and reservoir levels were extremely low. Lincoln’s watering restriction stages have gotten somewhat more stringent since then.

More information:

Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4
Hand-held wateringAllowed 6pm–9amAllowed 7pm–7amAllowed 7pm–7amAllowed 7pm–7am
Above-ground/
in-ground sprinklers		Allowed 7pm–7am• Even house #s:
Tues & Sat

• Odd house #s
Wed & Sun		• Even house #s:
Sat only

• Odd house #s:
Sun only		Not allowed
Soaker hosesAllowed any time2 days a week1 day a weekNot allowed
Drip irrigationAllowed any time2 days a week1 day a week1 day a week
New lawnsAllowed any timeJune & Sept. only: 20 days of daily watering, then 2 days a week, 7pm–7amJune & Sept. only: 20 days of daily watering, then 1 day a week, 7pm–7amNot allowed
Washing vehiclesAllowed any timeCommercial services onlyCommercial services onlyCommercial services only
Washing buildings, pavementAllowed any timeNot allowedNot allowedNot allowed
Swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, JacuzzisAllowed any timeOne fill per season for new or repaired equipmentTopping off only (3" per month)Topping off or refill not allowed
Car wash fundraisersAllowed any timeAllowed any timeNot allowedNot allowed
Games or toys with continuous waterAllowed any timeAllowed any time (30 mins/day) on specified day (see row #2)Allowed any time (30 mins/day) on specified day (see row #2)Not allowed

ConCom approves new rules for town’s conservation trails

Maps showing the trails currently open to bikes, the proposed expansion, and the compromise presented on June 1 (the area outlined in yellow would not be open to bikes). Click to enlarge.

After months of debate and hundreds of comments and opinions shared by residents, the Conservation Commission unanimously approved new trail use regulations last week, meaning more trails — about 24% of the total or roughly double what’s currently allowed — will be open to bikes.

The new set of regulations (available in both abbreviated and detailed formats) are almost identical to the amended set proposed by the ConCom in June. The only differences: 

  • Some trails that are actually in Concord (though on land managed by Lincoln) will stay closed to bikes until Concord officials approve.
  • When approaching other trail users, dog owners must leash their dog or hold it by the collar, vs. the last iteration which required only “voice control” of the dog

(The rules linked to above do not reflect these two updates.)

Another new requirement that was the topic of much discussion is that dogs must be leashed on the entirety of Flint’s Pond conservation area to protect the town’s water supply. In addition, groups of five or more bikers must get a permit in advance to bike the trails together.

After getting public pushback in the spring, the commission cut back on the number of trails on Mt. Misery that it had proposed opening to bikes, but the approved regulations still opens substantially more trails in the popular conservation area than were permitted before. This change has been the subject of voluminous and heartfelt debate in LincolnTalk emails and several ConCom public hearings each attended by dozens of residents on Zoom.

“There are very strong opinions, pro and con” about bikes, horses and dogs on Lincoln’s trails,” and “I know we’re not going to make all of your happy tonight,” ConCom chair Susan Hall Mygatt said at the start of the July 13 meeting where the panel finally approved the changes. The approval was made final when the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust’s gave its parallel OK on July 15.

Conservation Department staff will make quarterly assessments of trail conditions and gather user feedback over the next year and report to the ConCom, which can make further changes at any time.

“If we see something dramatic happen, we’re not going to wait a year” to seek more adjustments to the rules, Conservation Director Michelle Grzenda said. Staff work year-round to monitor and maintain the trails, and they can close tails with signs and yellow caution tape when necessary, she noted.

Temporarily withheld from the array of trails newly open to bikes are those in the Adams Woods area straddling the Lincoln/Concord town line just west of the railroad tracks. An 87-acre parcel was transferred in the 1980s from Lincoln to Concord as conservation land, but Lincoln retained sole land management responsibility. Nonetheless, Concord conservation officials want a chance to weigh in.

Several residents who’ve been involved in offering feedback to the ConCom were not pleased with the outcome last week. 

“By opening up half the trails at Mt. Misery to biking officially, I think you’re going to get groups of people on bikes without a permit,” Barbara Peskin said. “The [parking] lot is already maxed out… I just think this is such a wrong thing to do, especially at Mt. Misery.” 

“I think you’re pushing boundaries. The strength and number of pushback [comments] you’re getting on this should be a signal to all of us that the town needs a lot more conversation about this issue of changing policies, and it needs to take place in a variety of arenas,” said Diana Beaudoin. Among her suggestions: studying policies in neighboring towns and allowing the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory committee to “broaden its work” on road safety before changing trail regulations.

Conservation Department staff will put up new signs over the summer, and town rangers will also be on hand to explain and enforce the rules. The department recently hired full-time Land Steward/Ranger William Leona, who will work some weekend hours, and he and Land Manager Ryan Brown will install the signs and help trail visitors understand trail expectations and rules.

“Although William and Ryan will be monitoring all of Lincoln’s conservation lands, specific emphasis and greater ranger presence will be focused on Flint’s Pond and Mt. Misery,” Grzenda said. In addition, the LLCT has funded a part-time seasonal ranger for the first time.

“I am excited that we are now going to be able to articulate our expectations of how we can enjoy these trails together,” Mygatt said after the vote. “And I am confident that we will be very satisfied by how this works out — not perfectly satisfied, but very satisfied.”

ConCom proposes adjustments to new trail use guidelines

Maps showing the trails currently open to bikes, the proposed expansion, and the compromise presented on June 1 (the area outlined in yellow would not be open to bikes). Click to enlarge.

After getting pushback on a number of proposed changes to conservation trail use regulations, the Conservation Commission revised some of its recommendations and postponed a vote until at least June 22.

In recent weeks, dozens of residents submitted comments on the proposals and attended a May 18 public forum, while more than 70 people attended the June 1 ConCom meeting via Zoom. Many were against allowing some expansions in trail use as outlined in the panel’s April 25 draft regulations. The discussion focused on four aspects of the proposed revisions:

  • A leash requirement for more trails, particularly those around Flint’s Pond
  • Opening more of Mt. Misery’s trails to bicyclists
  • A requirement that dogs must be leashed when another trail user approaches 
  • A requirement that five or more bikers must get a group use permit in advance

ConCom chair Susan Hall Mygatt presented suggestions for adjusting the proposed rules in each case. She agreed it would be “more realistic” to require dogs to be at the owners side and under voice control rather than require the owners to put them on leashes every time they encounter another walker. 

Under the current rules, groups of 10 or more individuals are required to obtain a Group Use Permit ahead of time to use the trails. Section 9 of the proposed regulations makes that more specific, requiring a permit for 10 or more people (pedestrians), five or more bikers, and five or more horseback riders.  The amended suggestion includes a provision that rive or more “unrelated” bikers or horseback riders will need a permit, though some commenters at the June 1 meeting suggested tightening the biker group limit even further. ConCom members agreed that there should be some “wiggle room” for groups of children on a school outing.

There had also been disagreement about an earlier proposal to open up more trails to bikers. Mygatt and Conservation Director Michelle Grzenda presented a compromise whereby some of the trails on the northern side of the popular Mt. Misery area would remain closed to bikers.

“The erosion and wear and tear on Mt. Misery has increased significantly,” said resident Elizabeth Orgel.

However, resident Margaret Olson argued for more trail connectivity to help people get around town by bike as much as possible. “Reserving some areas for contemplative use makes sense but I’d like to work over time to open more of the trails to bikes,” she said. Another resident wondered whether the prohibition on motorized vehicles applied to e-bikes, which are growing in popularity.

Requiring dogs to be leashed around Flint’s Pond was proposed to protect the town water supply from contamination by dog feces, though there was some debate as to whether town water quality is currently suffering from the lack of such restraints. In recent years and especially since the Covid-19 endemic, more dogs and swimmers have been seen in the pond despite signs prohibiting anyone from getting closer than 20 feet from the water, as per state DEP regulations.

“We’ve just gotten lucky that the DEP hasn’t forced us to put a fence around all of it already,” said Water Commissioner Michelle Barnes, who is also chair of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust/Rural Land Foundation.

“I think a lot of us question their effectiveness,” Barnes said about the signs listing prohibited activities. “Also, I think historically we haven’t had strong enforcement from the Police Department.”

Some years ago, there was a ranger program funded jointly by the Conservation and Water Departments, and that as a result, the DEP did not impose stricter Flint’s Pond and watershed water protection measures on the town. At an August 2020 Water Commission meeting, Barnes said she had discussed stepped-up enforcement and possible installation of video cameras to tackle the problem, though it’s unclear if any new measures were subsequently put in place. She also acknowledged that it’s difficult for police to catch people or dogs while they’re in the water.

The Conservation Commission will resume its discussion of trail regulations on Wednesday, June 22 at 8 p.m.

News acorns

Trail use forum on May 18

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 new phone books are here!

The long-awaited 2022 Lincoln directory produced by the Friends of the Lincoln Library will be delivered to all households in Lincoln this week. If you do not want a printed phone book, please bring your copy to either the main post office or the library.

Clarification

The headline for the May 15 News Acorns item “Bench honoring Beaver Pond land donor is dedicated” was misleading. The stone seat given by the Garden Club was to honor all people who have been active in conservation in Lincoln over the years, not just land donor Jean Preston. The original headline has been updated.

My Turn: Vote yes on fossil fuels measure at Town Meeting

To the editor:

Twenty-five years ago, Emily and I made the great decision to raise our family in Lincoln. We chose a town that celebrated its history and made bold commitments to the community’s future. We have loved the trails and open spaces. We have appreciated the commitments to educating children and supporting our elders. We are excited to grow old here.

I am excited to support Article 31 at town meeting this Saturday. This article follows through on town commitments: to our collective health, the well-being of our planet, and the values we have already embraced. This article will help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for heating and cooking. New construction (home building and major renovations) that shifts us from natural gas and oil to electric power will help us to reduce carbon emissions.

Our town, our Commonwealth, and our country have made commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our public health officials have warned us about the risks of exposure to fossil fuels and the compounds that result from combusting these fuels. Having enjoyed the benefits of electric heat pumps for the last three years — I can say with confidence that moving into a 21st-century mode of heating is a good idea!

In the last 25 years we haven’t suffered wildfires and catastrophic weather. While so many parts of the world have suffered from the ravages of climate change, we haven’t faced hardship. For our collective health in Lincoln and for all the people whose lives will be improved by reducing demand for fossil fuels, I hope you can make it to Town Meeting to vote for Article 31. Lincoln’s future was bright 25 years ago; let’s take some bold steps to ensure the next 25 years are bright too.

With thanks,

Tom Haslett
26 Baker Bridge Rd.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Group scales back proposal to ban fossil fuels in new construction

(Editor’s note: This story was amended on March 22 to include updated links to the original and revised versions of Article 31.)

A citizens’ petition on the warrant at Town Meeting asks residents to support the first step in a process that would allow Lincoln to restrict the use of fossil fuels in new buildings and major modifications, though the motion was later trimmed after getting pushback from the Select Board.

Lincoln’s motion would not generally require retrofitting existing buildings, although the new bylaw could be applied to “major modifications,” which some other towns have defined to mean gut renovations that redo at least 75% of the building floor area, according to a GEC blog post. The exact wording of the local measure would be discussed later and voted on at a future Town Meeting.

Green Energy Committee chair Paul Shorb outlined the proposal at the March 7 Select Board meeting. Brookline, Acton, Arlington, Lexington, and Concord have filed similar home rule petitions but the legislature has not acted on any of them yet, he said. If approved by Lincoln voters on March 26, the measure would authorize the town to file a home rule petition with the state legislature, which is required for a town to exercise such authority.

The original motion under discussion (Article 31) proposed a vote on both the home-rule petition and specific bylaw language (“Act Authorizing the Town of Lincoln to Adopt and Enforce Local Regulations Restricting New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure in Certain Construction”) that the town could adopt if the legislature approved the petition. Ideally, Shorb said, the legislature would pass a bill requiring these limits on fossil fuel equipment in all new Massachusetts buildings, and such a bill is pending, “but we think it’s appropriate for us to jump in line as well,” either to win home-rule approval or show town support for the bill. “We chose the more aggressive approach, ‘get to the nitty gritty right now’ approach.”

“I fundamentally have a problem with this sort of method,” Select Board member James Craig said. “I’m not arguing against the cause in any way — it’s more the process.” He added that he might have been more receptive “if this were something that had been in the works for a longer period and had outreach done earlier” to show that the measure had been “really discussed and vetted.”

Arlington has taken a more “vanilla” approach by approving only a home rule petition that lets the town draw up its own bylaw at a later date, bard member Jennifer Glass observed.

Shorb responded that the more specific version including the bylaw would “send a strong political signal” for the state to approve certain updates to the 2009 “stretch code” that lays out energy-efficiency requirements in the building code. The Department of Energy Resources is in the process of updating the stretch code and writing a new “Municipal Opt-in Specialized Stretch Energy Code” in the wake of the Climate Act of 2021. Environmentalists are hoping that the “stretchier” code will allow towns to ban fossil fuel hookups (which they currently may not do), though the initial draft does not include that option for towns.

Debating and amending wording of motions such as the proposed bylaw language on the floor of Town Meeting “is really something we ought to avoid trying to do,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. “The Arlington approach may [allow us to] be able to thread that needle to create the pressure you’re looking for but give us more time to work up a bylaw.”

After getting similar feedback from the Planning Board, the GEC subsequently removed the proposed bylaw language from the Article 13 motion (the updated wording is here).

Town restarting project to install solar array at landfill

The plan to install a solar array atop the old town landfill has lain fallow for a while, but it will “go near the top of our priority list to restart that process” once the Annual Town Meeting is over, said Town Administrator Tim Higgins.

Almost five years ago, voters approved a land swap in conjunction with the Wang property purchase that allowed the town to move several acres of the landfill parcel out of conservation so a solar array could be installed there. The area was deemed the best spot out of 25 potential sites for a municipal solar array that were studied earlier by a consultant hired by the now-defunct Solar PV Working group. Higgins said this week that the site could generate 1 MW of electricity, or enough to power all of the town-owned buildings except the school, which will have its own solar array.

But the project stalled due to factors including the pandemic and the complexity of the process. Minute Man National Historical Park owns the right of way on either side of Route 2A, so the town would need their approval to install power lines from the landfill out to the road. It’s unclear whether who would need to grant that approval — the park superintendent, a regional director or someone at the federal level.

Also yet to be determined is where that line will go (alongside or under the transfer station driveway, or via Mill Street), and whether it will be above ground or underground. If Mill Street is seen as the better option, town officials will discuss the matter with residents there, although Higgins said the line would not have to cross any private property. Any underground work will probably also require an archeological survey, he said. 

Finally, the town will have to identify a solar developer and get estimates for up-front costs for that company and the town. The goal is to “generate income for the community or [have it be] a break-even proposition at least,” Higgins said. He and other officials are working with Beth Greenblatt of Beacon Integrated Solutions, the firm that was involved in creating the power purchase agreement for the school’s solar installation. He estimated that all the planning and permitting could be completed by the end of 2022.

My Turn: Lincoln needs a Climate Action Plan

(Editor’s note: Climate Action Lincoln gave a presentation at the State of the Town meeting on Nov. 2, 2021).

To the editor:

The global climate crisis has us all wondering what we can do now and for the next generation. The great news is that, as a town, we are not powerless. Lincoln is going to develop a Climate Action Plan that will address climate change on many levels.

Massachusetts is legally committed to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 and a 50% reduction from 1990 levels by 2030. That means we in Massachusetts must cut our use of fossil fuels by about one-third in eight years — a drastic reduction in the use of natural gas, oil and propane to heat and cool houses, to run our cars, trucks, and buses, and to generate electricity.

For the last year, volunteers from Climate Action Lincoln, a subcommittee of the Green Energy Committee, have been learning about climate plans from our neighboring towns. Lexington, Concord, Carlisle, Weston, Arlington, Cambridge, and Acton have comprehensive plans, and most have Sustainability Managers. We have also met with 12 town boards and committees to hear about their efforts.

While Lincoln has done a lot to protect the environment, become more energy-efficient, and reduce GHG emissions, there is more we can do together as a community.

We are pleased to announce that Jennifer Curtin, Assistant Director of Planning and Land Use, will support our efforts. She is working to secure grant funding for a consultant to lead Lincoln through development of a Climate Action Plan, which will address the interconnected issues of the climate crisis:

  • Electrification with renewable energy to reduce GHG emissions
  • Mitigation and adaptation to climate impacts
  • Ensuring environmental justice and supporting vulnerable populations
  • Safeguarding public health
  • Creating sustainable and resilient infrastructure
  • Protecting and regenerating ecological systems, including back yards, forests, open space, farms, and wetlands

A Climate Action Plan will also coordinate and recommend municipal, commercial, and residential actions. It will address the built environment, transportation, energy production, waste, and land use in Lincoln.

Town-wide participation is critical to developing a Climate Action Plan that will achieve results, not just sit on a shelf or a website. In Lincoln, actions by residents will be crucial to the success of a plan as Lincoln has very small commercial and municipal sectors. The process of developing a plan will include:

  • Visioning — Engagement of all residents and stakeholders in town
  • Data — Energy use, GHG emissions, carbon storage
  • Analysis — Vulnerable populations, housing, infrastructure, transportation
  • Goals — Align with state and federal goals; interpret for residents
  • Implementation — Timelines, accountable parties, measurement
  • Financial implications for the town budget

As the town works to secure funding for the plan, Climate Action Lincoln would like to engage residents. To join our group, receive updates on our progress, or arrange a presentation for your organization, please email ClimateAction@lincolntown.org or reach out to one of our members listed below.

Sincerely,

Climate Action Lincoln
Sue Klem (chair), Roy Harvey, Emily Haslett, Staci Montori, and Lynne Smith

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

One-burner induction cooktop available for loan

If you’re thinking about buying an induction stove, you can test-drive the technology beforehand by borrowing a one-burner countertop cooktop from the Lincoln Public Library.

Mothers Out Front and the library collaborated to provide the induction cooktop and offer it for loan from the Library of Things. Induction stoves look like a smooth-top electric stove but have a large coil of wire underneath each burner that creates a magnetic field to heat up the iron in a cast iron or stainless steel pan.

Lincoln’s Green Energy Committee recommends induction stoves because they don’t burn fossil fuels and are more energy efficient because they only heat up the pan and not the air around the pan. Cleanup is easier because spilled food doesn’t get cooked onto the smooth glass surface.

The library will also loan a large stainless steel pasta pot if desired. Some may need this if their cookware is not iron or stainless steel; induction stoves will not work with copper, glass, aluminum, etc.

Borrowers should note that portable induction cooktops draw much less power than a built-in cooktop, which requires a 240V outlet as opposed to a countertop 120V outlet, so a full-size kitchen cooktop will heat pans much faster. Like smartphones, induction stovetops give off electromagnetic signals, so if you have a pacemaker, consult a physician about your options.

Library of Things items are not on the open shelves so borrowers need to ask for the item or call ahead at 259-8465. The loan period is one week and can be two times if nobody is waiting for the item.

For more information, see the GEC’s induction cooktop web page or flyer, or this Consumer Reports article.