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

conservation

Mass Audubon gets 85 acres of land in Lincoln and Wayland

The 85 acres donated by the Carroll School to Mass Audubon is shown with a dotted outline (click to enlarge).

The Carroll School has donated 85 acres of recently acquired land to Mass Audubon that will become part of the Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary.

An anonymous donor gave the school a total of 103 acres in Wayland and Lincoln that lie south of Old Sudbury Road. (Land records show that the Lincoln portion of the donated land is owned by the Roy S. MacDowell Jr. Trust.) The school is keeping 18 acres in Wayland abutting its upper school, which opened in that location in 2017. Carroll also has a middle school campus on Baker Bridge Road in Lincoln and a lower school on Trapelo Road in Waltham just east of the Cambridge reservoir.

“We will continue to be good neighbors in the towns of Lincoln, Wayland, and Waltham. We look forward to the outdoor education opportunities that access to this property provides,” said Head of School Steve Wilkins.

This version of the map shows the Carroll School’s full 103-acre acquisition outlined in yellow. The school is keeping the darker brown portion in Wayland and has donated the rest to Mass Audubon, which also owns the parcels with red dots. The black dot indicates the Carroll Upper School property. (Map by Lincoln Squirrel using Lincoln and Wayland property maps; click to enlarge.)

The 85 Mass Audubon acres feature a meandering boardwalk passing through wetlands. The Bay Circuit Trail runs through the land, which was already protected by a permanent conservation restriction and is open to the public.

“We’re going to keep it a passive recreation area,” said Michael O’Connor, public relations manager at Mass Audubon. “Perhaps down the road we might think about some nature-related educational programs, but right now it’s just a beautiful place to take a walk.”

“This new addition to the sanctuary will extend the Drumlin Farm conservation corridor through south Lincoln and into Wayland, providing continued protected habitat for wildlife as well as a wonderful mixed forest/wetland environment for visitors to explore on the boardwalk and lesser-known trails beyond,” Drumlin Farm Sanctuary Director Renata Pomponi said. “We’re excited to extend Drumlin Farm’s stewardship to include this important parcel and the opportunities it brings for environmental education and conservation.”

“Carroll School’s Board of Trustees believes that Mass Audubon is the best steward for the 85 acres,” said Amy Dempster, the Carroll School’s director of communications and marketing. As for the other 18 acres, “there are no near-term plans to build on the property, but that potential exists in the future. Our donor saw this as a long term opportunity.”

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Piano concert on Saturday

Lincoln pianist Trevor Berens presents “Long Piano Project 2.0” on Saturday, March 7 from 3–6 p.m. at Bemis Hall. This is a continuation of his “Long Piano Project” with two solo piano pieces, each 75 minutes long. The first half is the U.S. premiere of composer Ian Wilson’s multi-movement piece, “Stations.” The second half of the concert is Morton Feldman’s “For Bunita Marcus.” Tickets are $20 at the door (cash or check).

Talk by author of “The End of Ice”

Join The Walden Woods Project and RESTORE: The North Woods for a Stewardship Lecture with Dahr Jamail on Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m. for a wine and cheese reception with the author) at the Walden Woods Project headquarters (44 Baker Farm Rd.)

Jamail will discuss his award-winning book The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption in which he journeys to locations experiencing the most dramatic impacts of climate disruption, climbing and diving alongside leading experts and front-line scientists. The End of Ice was named one of the Ten Best Science Books of 2019 by Smithsonian and is a finalist for the 2020 Pen/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award for exemplifying literary excellence. The book will be available for purchase at the event, with a book-signing by the author after the talk. This event is free, but registration is required.

L-S students go on Habitat for Humanity trip 

Among the group from L-S on the Habitat for Humanity trip to Balitmore were Lincoln students Anjuli Das (far right in gray sweatshirt), Gabriel Feinberg (back row, third from left), and Emily Griffith (back row, second from right). Other students were Keely Durning, Kares Mack, Gretchen Mills, Anna Cincotta, Jesus Tejeda, Emily Fisher,  Khadija Ceesay, Luca Nicastro,  Eric Wilson, Michael Cruz, Katherine Johnstone, and Anna Haberman, and L-S staff Susan Frommer, Steven Driscoll, and Regina Shopiro. Click image to enlarge.

Fifteen students from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, including three from Lincoln, took part in the L-S MLK Action Project’s annual Baltimore Habitat for Humanity trip over February break. For many years, Habitat of the Chesapeake (HHC) has selected entire neighborhoods in which to buy abandoned property and construct new homes. During their three days on site, HHC estimated that the L-S group completed $10,000 worth of work, which included picking up trash, shoveling and transporting dirt and debris, destroying and constructing fences, and smashing a concrete driveway to pieces as well as painting and some framing. Manual labor in place of down payments by HHC workers, volunteers, and future homeowners turn drug-infested, run-down neighborhoods with up to 95% home vacancies into safe communities. 

Wine and beer tasting to benefit Domestic Violence Roundtable

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites the public to a free wine and beer tasting to support its annual Shower for Shelters at Sudbury Wine and Spirits (Rugged Bear Plaza, 410 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury) on Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided by the Roundtable. A domestic violence survivor is also scheduled to speak.

Please bring a new, unwrapped housewarming gift to the event for families transitioning from shelters. Donations will benefit clients of Reach Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence as well as the transitional housing and shelter programs of these agencies. 

Requested items include twin size linens of all types, unscented cleaning products and laundry detergent, laundry baskets, kitchen utensils, flatware, dishes, drinking glasses, and small kitchen appliances. Gift cards are also welcome. If you’re unable to attend, there will be collection baskets at the Sudbury Police Department, the Wayland Public Safety Building, and the Lincoln Police Department from March 28 to April 13.

This year’s event will also include raffles of gift baskets and donations from members of the Sudbury Art Association. Winners do not need to be present at the drawing to win. Proceeds from the raffle will be used to purchase additional gift cards as part of the Shower for Shelters.

Used electronics fundraiser

The L-S girls’ softball team and Friends of Lincoln-Sudbury Softball (FOLSS) is sponsoring an electronics recycling fundraiser on Saturday, March 28 from 9 a.m.–noon at Feeley Field (200 Raymond Rd., Sudbury). Dispose of unwanted office and computer equipment as well as small appliances. Monetary donations will also be collected to safely dispose of electronics. Large appliances and items containing chemicals/hazardous waste materials cannot be accepted. Tax receipts will be provided. Click here for more information or email FriendsofLSSoftball@gmail.com.

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Civil disobedience training, climate film at St. Anne’s

St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church is offering nonviolent civil disobedience training on Saturday, Feb. 29 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The fight to reduce carbon emissions is “heating up,” and some citizens have realized that conventional forms of advocacy and political activism to combat climate change are not bringing about the urgent responses they’d like to see from elected leaders. A time-honored alternative to conventional activism has been nonviolent civil disobedience (CD) in the tradition of Thoreau, Gandhi, and King. 

Trainer Cathy Hoffman will offer legal and practical information about CD as well as experiential practice about CD and supporting others to engage. There will also be background on the local efforts to stop the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. Please register for the event by clicking here. After you register, you’ll receive a confirmation email with further explanation of what will happen at the training. Anyone with questions may call Alex Chatfield at 781-697-0140.

Also at St. Anne’s, there will be a free screening of the documentary film “Racing to Zero” on Sunday, March 1. A light vegetarian soup and bread supper will be served at 6:15 p.m. followed by the film at 7 p.m. and a discussion of waste reduction initiatives with Mothers Out Front at 8:15 p.m. “Racing To Zero” presents new solutions to the global problem of waste and the efforts of the city of San Francisco to achieve zero waste by 2020. The event is part of St. Anne’s Climate Justice Film Series. Everyone is also welcome to attend the 5 p.m. worship service prior to the event. For more information contact Alex Chatfield at adchat@aol.com or 781-697-0140.

LWV stages Civics Bee with teams from four towns

The League of Women Voters of Sudbury, Wayland, Weston and Concord-Carlisle will stage the 12th annual LMV Civics Bee featuring intergenerational town teams on Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m. in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School auditorium. Teams from the middle schools, high schools, and adults from the four towns will test their knowledge of government at the federal, state, and local levels. The event is free and open to the public. 

Friends of Lincoln Library seek volunteers

The Friends of the Lincoln Public Library (FOLL) are seeking volunteers to serve on their board of directors. FOLL provides funding for all of the library’s special programs, staff enrichment programs and training, and various other projects such as the soon-to-be-installed audiovisual system in the Tarbell Room (funding also provided by the Ogden Codman Trust). Volunteers are welcome to help organize fundraisers, organize the monthly book sales at Bemis Hall, deliver library materials to housebound residents and more.

The monthly FOLL book sale will take place on Saturday, March 14 from 9 a.m.–noon in the Bemis Hall basement. Purchase gently used (and some new) books, CDs and DVDs while supporting the library’s programs. There’s also an FOLL book sale cart in the library with new books added each week. All books are $2.00.

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Dancers to read, perform “The Secret Garden”

The Commonwealth Ballet will offer a reading of The Secret Garden geared to younger children accompanied by dancers from the ballet company acting out some of the parts on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 10:30 a.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. For all ages; no registration necessary.

HeatSmart events coming up

The Heatsmart Alliance, of which Lincoln is a member, is holding information sessions on environmentally friendly home heat pumps on the dates below. Meet installers to learn which systems might work for your heating and/or cooling your home. Talk with neighbors who have installed systems. Meet community heating/cooling coaches who can help you sort it all out. Find out about available financial incentives.

  • Saturday, Feb. 29 from 1–3 p.m. — Harvey Wheeler Community Center, 1276 Main St., West Concord
  • Wednesday, March 4 from 7–9 p.m. — Wayland Town Building, Large Hearing Room, 41 Cochituate Rd., Wayland

FELS invites L-s alumni to submit essays on high school’s impact

FELS, the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury, is seeking essays of 500–700 words in preparation for its annual FELS Talk on March 26. This year, in honor of the 20th anniversary of FELS, the topic of the event will be “Warrior Letters: How L-S Influenced My Life.”

L-S alumni and current and retired faculty and staff are invited to submit essays by noon on Sunday, March 1 that tell a good story and explore questions including: What impact has L-S had on the lives of the L-S community? How was L-S a positive, formative influence on who you are today, or the path you chose to pursue? Organizers want a snapshot of a place in time, an event, or a person at L-S that had a profound impact on you. Your story can involve a challenge, a relationship, a gift, a class you took, or some other aspect of your experience at L-S .   

FELS will choose up to 12 essays to be read at the annual FELS Talk on Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m. in the lecture hall at L-S by a panel of selected readers. Organizers are also collecting L-S trivia, so whether you want to write an essay or submit a short sentence or two of L-S trivia to be collated for the program, your contribution of interesting/unusual/funny bits of L-S history are welcome. You’re also welcome submissions of up to five photos from your days at L-S.

All submissions should be emailed to Admin@FELSGrant.org. With your essay, please provide your name, phone number, profession and where you live, and a brief biographical paragraph. Questions? Email admin@FELSGrant.org.

Josie Toney headlines next LOMA night

Josie Toney

Josie Toney is the featured performer at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) night on Monday, March 9 in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. The event runs from 7–10 p.m., and Toney will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30. Toney combines virtuoso fiddle play and guitar work with forceful vocals. She graduated from the Berklee College of Music, where she received the Sam Eisenson Award for Country Music. Here’s her band on YouTube playing her original song “Cryin’ Lonesome.” 

Admission is free and refreshments are provided. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com for a slot. There is a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups.

Test-drive an electric vehicle

There will be a test drive of electric vehicles hosted by the Lincoln Green Energy Committee (GEC) and the Green Energy Consumers Alliance at the Mall at Lincoln Station parking lot on Saturday, March 21 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (rain date: March 22). Find volume-discount EV pricing and government-sponsored incentives at Greenenergyconsumers.org/drivegreen. For other questions about electric vehicles, email Peter Watkinson at pjwatkinson@mac.com. The event is part of the EV 2020 campaign, a GEC initiative to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in Lincoln.

Climate science is focus of Groundhog Day at Drumlin Farm

Drumlin Farm’s resident groundhog, Ms. G.

The Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary is set to host its annual Groundhog Day event on Sunday, Feb. 2, with a focus on climate science and weather.

Climate Action Day will feature activities centered on what children and adults can do to learn about and respond to the effects of climate change. The event will again feature Ms. G, the official state groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as she emerges from her winter hibernation and determines whether or not spring will come early this year.

“The impact of climate change on people and wildlife in New England is already evident, but that doesn’t mean that there ‘s nothing that we can do about it,” said Drumlin Farm Sanctuary Director Renata Pomponi. “Climate Action Day is intended to be a way for families to engage with a serious issue in a positive way, focusing on the small but meaningful actions that they can take in their own lives to help meet this challenge. As the Commonwealth’s most prominent wildlife ambassador, Ms. G serves as a symbol of the animals and their habitat that we all can help to protect by working together in our communities.”

The traditional Groundhog Day ceremony and forecast start at 10 a.m. (encore at 11:15 a.m.), followed by winter activities such as meeting resident wildlife and exploring wilderness trails. There will be live music starting at 10:30 a.m., and hot cocoa and warm beverages will be provided throughout the day. Visitors can also purchase produce grown at Drumlin Farm.

The Groundhog Day/Climate Action Day events take place from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and is free with paid admission ($9 adults and teens, $6 children 2–12 and seniors), and free for Mass Audubon members. Drumlin Farm is open that day from 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Featured Programs:

  • Learn the forecast for spring’s arrival from our woodchuck weather expert (six more weeks of winter if she sees her shadow; an early spring if she doesn’t).
  • Visit with more of our resident wildlife and farm animals, learn about winter tracking, and explore the wildlife sanctuary’s trails
  • Listen to live music performed by the local band Sweet Wednesday starting at 10:30 am
  • Make winter crafts to take home
  • Investigate our local climate with Don McCasland of Blue Hill Observatory Science Center
  • Purchase produce grown at Drumlin Farm
  • Learn how climate change impacts hibernating species in New England

Ms. G was declared the Official State Groundhog by then-Governor Deval Patrick on July 31, 2014, when he signed the bill submitted by Wellesley’s Hunnewell Elementary School students. The measure also had its origins at Drumlin Farm (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Jan. 30, 2013).

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Art sale, climate film at St. Anne’s

St. Anne’s Episcopal Church will host a Haiti Art Sale on Sunday, Jan. 26 after morning worship (8 a.m. spoken Eucharist, 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist with choir). Items made by artisans from Haiti will be for sale, and all proceeds benefit the artists who are helping support their families. That evening at 5 p.m., St. Anne’s is hosting a four-parish Evensong — St. Anne’s choir will be joined by choirs from Church of the Good Shepherd in Acton, Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord, and St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church in Sudbury. A reception will follow. All are welcome.

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, St. Anne’s will host a free screening of the 2019 documentary “Necessity: Oil, Water and Climate Resistance” on There will be a light supper at 6:30 p.m. The film will start at 7 p.m. and there will be a discussion via video link with filmmaker Jan Haaken at 8:15 p.m. This is the fifth season of the church’s Climate Justice Film Series. For more information, contact Alex Chatfield at adchat@aol.com or 781-697-0140.

Domestic Violence Roundtable collecting Valentine’s Day donations

Area residents are invited to donate items and help fill Valentine’s Day bags for those temporarily living in local domestic violence shelters and transitional housing programs on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 3 p.m. in the Wayland Public Safety Building.

Each February, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable collects gift bag  items for women, children and men who are being assisted by REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence. The bags were decorated by the children from the Sudbury Extended Day program. Small gestures like the gift bags let families know they are supported in their decision to leave an abusive situation and brighten their day.

Items needed for the bags include gift cards for CVS, Target, grocery stores, etc.; personal items such as full-size bath products, socks, cosmetics, nail polish, hair products, phone cards, journals, postage stamps etc.; and items for children such as crayons, coloring books, small stuffed animals, nonviolent toys, and stickers, as well as bath and hair products, books, diaries, movie passes, iTunes cards and candy for older kids.

Anyone interested in contributing to the collection may contact the Roundtable at info@dvrt.org. There will be a collection basket in the lobby of the Wayland Public Safety Building (38 Cochituate Rd.) from February 6-11. In past years the Roundtable has provided as many as 125 bags for families in shelter and transitional housing.

Minute Man NHP offers internship

Minute Man National Historical Park has a one-year full-time internship opening for a Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) starting in February. Applicants must be U.S. citizen between the ages of 18 and 30. See this CVA web page for more information or email Margie Coffin Brown at margie_coffin_brown@nps.gov.

Ceramics and photography classes, collage tour at deCordova

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum offers “Ceramic Sculpture Workshop: Expressive Vessels, Forms, and Environments” on Wednesdays, February 26 to April 1, and Thursdays, February 27 to April 2 (both from 10 a.m.–1 p.m.) This is a ceramic sculpture course for the unrealized or developing artist, homeowner, or design aficionado looking to enhance indoor or outdoor spaces with one’s own ceramic installations or art, or anyone striving for an ideal in sculptural expression through one-of-a-kind vessels and sculpture. Techniques for building with clay, and thematic analysis of decoration will be explored, drawing inspiration from deCordova’s concurrent exhibition All the Marvelous Surfaces. Click on one of the days above to register.

The deCordova is offering “The Art of Photographing Nature,” a hands-on digital photography class designed for photographers interested in exploring the natural world with their cameras. With the sculpture park’s picturesque grounds as our backdrop, we will explore techniques, tips, and sensibilities common to landscape photography. The 10-week class starts on Thursday, March 5 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (no class on March 19 or March 26) and costs $300 for members or $375 for nonmembers. Click here for details and registration.

Join Koch Curatorial Fellow Sam Adams and Curatorial Assistant Elizabeth Upenieks for an in-depth tour of some of the museum’s most elaborate and dense collages on view on Thursday, March 12 from 6:30–7:30 p.m. Click here to register.

New reading circle, performance at Walden Woods Project

The Walden Woods Project (44 Baker Farm Rd.) invites you to join our new Reading Circle. We will read and explore works by Thoreau as well as authors whose work contributes to an even deeper examination of Thoreau’s ideas. At the first session on Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 7–8:30 p.m., we will begin discussing Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, Slavery in Massachusetts by Thoreau, and Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Click here to register.

The Aurea Ensemble will perform “Of Nature Composed,” which explores the intersection of nature, science, the arts and humanities, and the sanctity of our environment, on Thursday, March 5 from 7–9 p.m. at the Walden Woods Project (doors open at 6:30 p.m.; wine and cheese reception to follow). “Of Nature Composed” includes the words and music of 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner John Luther Adams; American composers, Charles Griffes, John Cage, Lou Harrison, and Charles Ives; and words of naturalist Henry David Thoreau, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Galway Kinnell, and Ted Kooser. Click here to register.

LLCT hosts events tied to pollinator corridor action plan

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust is creating a corridor of biodiversity and climate resilience throughout the town of Lincoln by rebuilding functionally diverse native ecosystems through pollinator habitat installations based on scientific study. The following events are free and open to all. For more information, visit lincolnconservation.org.

Threatened Ecosystems: The People-Plant-Pollinator Solution
Sunday, Jan. 26 from 1–2:30 p.m., Bemis Hall
Robert Gegear, professor of biology at UMass-Dartmouth and director of the Beecology Project, will give a foundational talk discussing the critical need to protect and restore native pollinator systems — native pollinators and native plants — for biodiversity and climate change resiliency. Dr. Gegear will discuss his plans for three years of scientific study of pollinator populations in Lincoln.

“Hometown Habitat: Stories of Bringing Nature Home” (film)
Thursday, Feb. 13 from 7:30–9 p.m., LLCT office (145 Lincoln Rd., Suite 102A)
This Valentine’s Day, send flowers to the ones you love, pollinators included This film highlights Hometown Habitat heroes who are reversing detrimental impacts on the land, one garden at a time. The stories illustrate the benefits of native plants and conservation landscaping. Narrated by renowned entomologist and author Douglas Tallamy (Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants).

“Designing Biodiversity: Toolkits to Create Pollinator Habitat and Connectivity”
Sunday, March 1 from 1–2:30 p.m., Bemis Hall
Evan Abramson, principal at LandscapeInteractions and architect of Lincoln’s pollinator corridor action plan, will discuss how to create and maintain functionally diverse native pollinator habitat, increase biodiversity, and improve the resiliency of landscapes. There will be plenty of time for questions.

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Join the Christmas Bird Count

The annual Christmas Bird Count, a nationwide event sponsored by National Audubon, will take place in Lincoln on Sunday, Dec. 29 when participants record the visitors to their bird feeders. If you have established feeders (meaning they are already up and being used), can watch them for at least an hour, and are confident in identifying the species of birds you see, email Gwyn Loud at gwynloud555@gmail.com and she will send you a checklist and other information.

Library offering automatic renewals

Automatic renewals are coming to the Lincoln Public Library and the Minuteman Library Network. Eligible library materials (books, DVDs, CDs) will be automatically renewed two days prior to their due dates. Items that are automatically renewed must meet the following criteria:

  • There are no holds on that title
  • Your library allows this type of item to renew
  • The item has not reached its maximum allowed renewals
  • Your library card is not blocked or expired

Patrons will receive a courtesy reminder two days before due date if an item cannot be renewed. If you do not have an email address associated with your library account, items will still be automatically renewed. You can check due dates by logging into My Account at the MLN website at www.minlib.net or by calling the circulation desk at 781-259-8465.

Film: “Ayiti Mon Amour”

The Lincoln Film Society will show “Ayiti Mon Amour (Haiti My Love)” on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. In the film (in French with English subtitles), a magical fable weaves together the lives of three different people in Haiti five years after the devastating earthquake.

Lincoln-Sudbury recognized for German program

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School has been chosen as one of the few recipients of the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) School of Distinction school plaque award, in recognition of its exceptional partnership in fostering long-term youth exchange between the U.S. and Germany.  

Since 2003, the high school’s GAPP coordinator, Joan Campbell, has been organizing exchanges with the Gymnasium Vilshofen in Vilshofen, Germany, bringing students together with host families in their respective countries and building lasting relationships between teachers, administrators, schools and participating communities. GAPP program is supported by the German government, the U.S. Department of State, and the Goethe-Institut.

“With this recognition, we highlight and celebrate the school’s dedication to student growth and inclusion of global perspectives, and we celebrate the work of everyone involved in the GAPP exchange,” said GAPP Executive Director Molly Rowland.

Council on Aging activities in December

Lincoln Academy with Craig Donaldson — A holiday story: Massachusetts and the 1917 Halifax explosion
December 2 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Dec. 2 at 12:30 p.m. when Craig Donaldson discusses “A Holiday Story: Massachusetts and the 1917 Halifax Explosion.” On December 6, 1917 the Norwegian vessel SS Imo and French cargo shop SS Mont-Blanc, which was full of high explosives, collided close to Halifax Harbor. The resulting explosion, the largest man-made explosion at the time, destroyed much of the city of Halifax, killing 2000 people and injuring 9000 others. Boston, which had a relationship with Halifax dating back to its earliest days in 1749 as a shipping and fishing settlement, immediately sent people and supplies to help. Learn the story of Boston’s Herculean rescue efforts and the holiday gift given by Halifax in gratitude that we still enjoy today. The COA provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. All ages welcome.

Noticing walks in nature
December 3 at 1 p.m.
Come on a gently paced walk through nature with John Calabria on December 3 from 1–2:30 p.m. at a location posted at lincolnconservation.org. Bring walking sticks or walking poles if you like. If the weather is bad, call 781-259-9251 after 10 a.m. the morning of the walk for an update. Co-sponsored by the COA and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.

Musical jazz lunch
December 6 at 12 p.m.
Celebrate the holidays by grabbing a table at Bemis while the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Band serenades you with familiar good old tunes. Bring a bag lunch and, if you like, food purchased already prepared at the store to share. The COA provides beverages and dessert. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in December

Letter to the editor: Gearticks urge better home insulation

The fifth-grade Purple Gearticks include (left to right) William Mendelson, Evie Packineau, Jasper Clark, Lucy Reiner, and Quinn Clark. (Photo courtesy Ginger Reiner)

To the editor:

We are the Purple Gearticks (a Lincoln First Lego League robotics team). We are working on a project to decrease energy wasted in houses and making energy greener. These days we’re all worried about climate change, and you can do your part by reading this letter and taking some of the advice at the bottom of the page.

One of the important things we learned is that two-thirds of the energy you use is heat loss: one-third goes through the walls despite insulation and one-third is leakage from windows and doors through cracks. Some ways to improve on this are window seals or door seals. You could also install more insulation or attic caps. Most people do not have enough insulation in their houses.

We hope you will contribute to this effort by sealing your windows and doors. You can consider getting a free energy audit with MassSave. They will come to your house and give you ideas on how to lose less energy.

Sincerely,

The Purple Gearticks, 5th grade: William Mendelson, Quinn Clark, Jasper Holleran Clark, Evie Packineau, and Lucy Reiner

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.