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

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My Turn: Rundell touts importance and accomplishments of Planning Board

Editor’s note: Rundell previously wrote a letter to the editor in February announcing that he was running for reelection, and he was included in a roundup of Planning Board candidates published on March 5.)

By Rick Rundell

Dear Lincoln neighbors,

I’m running for re-election to the Planning Board, which I have been serving on since 2013. I’m joined for the only contested seats in this year’s election by my friends and colleagues, incumbent Lynn DeLisi and former member Bob Domnitz. I have nothing but admiration and deep respect for each.

The Lincoln Squirrel invited each of us to share some thoughts with their readers before the election was postponed back in March. Since then, a lot of things have changed, and I’d like to introduce my candidacy for the June 15 election now.

As I am the only architecture professional on the board or among the candidates, your vote for me brings a uniquely effective and meaningful voice to the important work of that body.

I have four decades of experience in the building industry. I am a member of the American Institute of Architects and hold credentials from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the US Green Building Council. I presently lead innovation programs focused on the architecture, engineering, and construction for a global design software company.

I’m proud of contributing to many important things the Planning Board has accomplished during my tenure. I am most proud, however, of advancing the professionalization of the board and streamlining its operations. Today’s board no longer keeps applicants, abutters and stakeholders into the late hours of the night as we debate minutiae and then ask for return visits to cover simple administrative measures. By empowering our capable professional planning staff, we respect the time and resources of our applicants and the commitment of our volunteer board members. At Town Meeting in 2018, we eliminated the burdensome and procedurally questionable “pre-meeting” requirement which obliged every applicant to attend at least two board meetings and often more before getting anything done.

At that same 2018 Town Meeting, we also limited with a five-year sunset provision the creeping expansion of Site Plan Review. Prior to this, property after property had become permanently encumbered with the obligation to bring even the most trivial improvements before the board. Changes that many residents could make as of right were closed off to properties once they had fallen under Site Plan Review. I am proud to have successfully advocated for the Planning Board to rein back its own authority, which threatened fair processes and a level playing field for citizens of the town.

I am least proud of the number of in-person meetings I had to miss during my last term due to professional obligations. Struggles with attendance are inevitable if the town hopes to attract active, engaged industry professionals to serve on town boards and committees. I am committed to doing a better job of over my next term. Sadly, circumstances related to the pandemic over the coming year will likely make this easier.

These are extraordinary times. We are isolating ourselves and wearing protective gear to engage in the most routine tasks of community life. Our cities are burning with rage and fear. A generation is losing confidence in the shared values on which our democracy has been built. We question what one citizen, one local board, or one small town can do to make a difference.

When we started campaigning in March, the most important question in the world seemed to be what authority our open Town Meeting might be willing to entrust to a group of elected board members. While I do support Town Meeting as a venue for important town planning and development changes, today that seems a discussion for another day. Today the most important questions in the world are overwhelming and seem to change every day. Today, more than ever before, it is important for our town to be led by creative, active, and engaged citizens bringing a broad, professional, and experienced perspective to our local challenges and opportunities.

If you value, as do I, the broad engagement of our citizens and community in public process; objective, respectful and fair treatment of all stakeholders; and the appropriate role of town government in our lives and property, then  I ask for your vote this coming June 15 or whenever you complete your absentee ballot.

With gratitude for your consideration,

Rick Rundell
76 Todd Pond Rd., Lincoln
rick.rundell@gmail.com
rickrundell.com

”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents 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.

My Turn: Robert Domnitz on why he’s running for Planning Board again

(Editor’s note: Following is a statement submitted to the Lincoln Squirrel by Robert Domnitz, who is running in the only contested race in this year’s local election. He was included in a roundup of Planning Board candidates published on March 5. In 2015, he narrowly lost a race for reelection to Gary Taylor.)

By Robert Domnitz
Why I’m running for Planning Board (again!)

I previously served on the Lincoln Planning Board for 12 years, from 2003–15. I’m hoping to come out of “retirement” because I think our current Planning Board is heading in the wrong direction regarding revitalization of the Lincoln Station area. They are developing a complex revision to the town ‘s zoning bylaw which they believe will foster increased business activity and greater housing density.

Although this goal deserves town-wide consideration and debate, a key feature of their proposal is that they — and they alone — will have authority to approve large-scale development proposals without review by our Town Meeting. This is a dramatic departure from our traditional reliance on Town Meeting for major decisions. It will allow a five member Planning Board to make unreviewable decisions about changes to one of Lincoln’s most important and diverse neighborhoods.

As a member of the Planning Board, I will work to ensure that our Town Meeting continues to play the central role in Lincoln’s decisions about land use. I believe that the Planning Board’s current effort to foster revitalization of Lincoln Station without meaningful participation of Town Meeting is needlessly divisive. Conversely, with Town Meeting’s participation, we have the opportunity to welcome projects that appeal to neighbors, business owners, and the Town at large.

My core values: preserve the town’s character, strengthen our community

Our Zoning Bylaw is an expression of these same core values, allowing us to manage growth and change responsibly while respecting our historic and rural heritage. We benefit in Lincoln from the farsighted, altruistic actions of residents who conserved large tracts of land and adopted strategic preservation-oriented zoning. We are all stewards of this precious legacy.

My background
  • Public sector (municipal): Lincoln Planning Board; Lexington Planning Board; Hanscom Field Advisory Commission; Route 2 Oversight Committee; Battle Road Scenic Byway Committee.
  • Private Sector: president (retired), Technical Collaborative, Inc., an electronics R&D firm.
  • Education: B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT,  J.D. from Boston College Law School,
  • Contact: 781 259-1080, electbobpb@outlook.com

”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents 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.

Letter to the editor: new voting processes being mulled statewide

To the editor:

2020 stands to be the most important election year in our lifetimes. The news media, television, and Internet are full of policy and advocacy differences, occasionally extreme and inaccurate. Opinions and expectations of Lincoln voters also vary widely. Lincoln voters highly value having their ballots counted and believe that this civic duty is the foundation of our elective democracy.

But in this era of the coronavirus pandemic, voters and poll volunteers share concern for their personal safety on Election Day. Bad weather on that day used to be just an inconvenience, but now the potential to catch a deadly disease is totally new and threatening. Brave citizens around the country have waited for hours in long lines, sometimes in bad weather, to cast their vote in their designated polling places. In several cases, the number of poll places has been reduced and located out of reach for many voters. 

The Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives and the Secretary of State recognize the threat to voting in this environment and have drafted new processes and considered new statewide legislation to apply to the September 1, 2020 primary election and the November 3, 2020 general election. Some of those processes include expansion of absentee voting, addition of vote-by-mail, longer early voting periods, and secure outdoor dropboxes to deposit completed ballots. Lincoln now allows for early voting by mail and has expanded absentee voting eligibility; residents can apply for these provisions with the Town Clerk’s Office.

Absentee voting has been used frequently in Lincoln. States began absentee voting in the 1800s, and by 2018, 27 states have adopted “no-excuse” absentee ballot laws, something now proposed for Lincoln and Massachusetts. Nationally, vote-by-mail and absentee voting have occasionally been criticized as being open to fraud. However, a review of voter fraud studies done between 2009 and 2017 found such cases to be rare or nonexistent.

The current legislative bills focused on vote-by-mail include Senate Bill S2653 (An Act Relative To Voting by Mail and Early Voting) endorsed by Sen. Michael Barrett, Senate Bill S2654 (An Act Establishing Vote By Mail in 2020), and House Bill HD5026 (An Act Establishing Vote By Mail in 2020) as endorsed by Rep. Tom Stanley. The Election Laws Committee can amend any of these bills or return them to the appropriate Senate or House committee for consideration and possible further amendment. Timing is critical in order to finalize these bills in time for election implementation.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis
20R Indian Camp Lane, Lincoln

Town Meeting plans announced

It’s a go for Annual Town Meeting on June 13 — but (happily for some, perhaps) it will be a lot shorter than usual.

The meeting has been stripped down to 22 warrant articles, with 19 of them voted on as a bloc on the consent calendar.  Residents will be asked to vote on only three other items: a $828,945 supplemental funding request from the School Building Committee, capital items for the Water Department, and the allocation for free cash. Votes on the rest of the articles that were planned before the Covid-19 pandemic, including the citizens’ petitions, will be postponed to a Special Town Meeting in the fall.

The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 13 in the Hartwell parking lot under a tent (allowing social distancing and handicapped accessibility), with outside seating also available. Other details:

  • Check-in will begin at 8:15 a.m.
  • Masks are mandatory for all workers and attendees; gloves are strongly encouraged. Social distancing guidelines will be enforced.
  • There will be a voting card system.
  • Presentations about warrant articles will be available ahead of time online on the town’s 2020 Annual Town Meeting web page.
  • In case of rain, the meeting may be convened and then quickly postponed until later in the day if the weather forecast is favorable. Any last-minute changes will be communicated through a reverse 911 call to Lincoln households.

The Finance Committee has revised the budget it approved earlier this year, when Town Meeting was scheduled for March 25. Among the changes:

  • Estimate revenue from a projected 3.4% increase to a decrease of about 16%, representing a projected decline of approximately $500,000.
  • The appropriation to the reserve fund has been increased by $200,000 to a new amount of $753,111.
  • The appropriation to the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liability fund for retirees was reduced by $200,000 to $350,000. This proposed change from the original recommendation remains within the committee’s OPEB policy given the latest revenue and expense projections.
  • After adjusting some of the component items, the total capital request from the Water Department is now $270,000, up from $250,000. This motion may be amended at Town Meeting but will involve either transfers or bonding, which would require a two-thirds majority vote.

The Finance Committee will hold a town budget question-and-answer meeting on Zoom about a week before the June 13 town meeting, with date/time and login details to be announced.

The following information is available on the 2020 Annual Town Meeting web page:

The town election will also be held outdoors at the same location on Monday, June 15 for the legally required minimum of four hours (noon–4 p.m.). Early voting and absentee voting are encouraged.

Deadline is Friday to apply for agricultural water rates

The deadline for applying for agricultural water rates is Friday, May 15, but many eligible customers in town still haven’t applied.Under a new Water Commission policy, Lincoln farming and agricultural operations are eligible for Tier 1 water rates of $6.52 per 1,000 gallons of water, but they must apply to the commission in order to qualify.

The new requirement came after the commission ended an informal policy of charging the lowest rate for farms regardless of how much water they used. But the sudden rate hike late last year resulted in protests from farmers and a second attempt to craft a new policy.

The original application deadline was April 1, but because of the pandemic, “many of the farmers lost sight of the fact that the deadline was coming up. We are doing our best to reach out to everyone we know of who is farming, but we can’t be sure that we know about everyone who might benefit from this lower rate,” commission member Ruth Ann Hendrickson said.

Click here to download the agricultural-rate policy and application form. Anyone who has not filed before May 15 will revert to the regular tiered residential rates.

SBC to make reduced request for school items at June Town Meeting

Back before the coronavirus hit, the School Building Committee was planning to ask voters at a Special Town Meeting in March for up to $2.08 million to partially offset items it had to cut from the school project. Now it plans to ask for less than half of that amount at a stripped-down Annual Town Meeting now scheduled for June 13. However, depending on economic conditions, the SBC will almost certainly seek more additional funding at a Special Town Meeting in the fall.

The SBC settled on a list of cuts in February after construction bids totaled $3.5 million more than the project’s budget. The hope then was that $1.5 million in free cash that was originally recommended for a new public safety radio system could be used to restore the first two “buckets” of items the SBC prioritized. But now, with all the financial uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, the SBC was unsure about how much to ask for in this new environment.

After meeting with the Finance Committee, the SBC voted on May 13 to make a two-part funding request totaling $828,945. The first question will ask for $628,945 for seven items. If approved, they’ll then ask for the other $200,000 to pay for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E).

The first appropriation would fund the following items:

  • Restore the glass wall between the K-4 Science area and hallway ($26,666)
  • Interior lite and built-in bench at K-4 Art Room ($11,291)
  • Sun shades on the building’s exterior ($285,709)
  • A new auditorium divider ($279,400)
  • Concrete pavement in front of Reed/Brooks ($9,435)
  • A concrete walkway up to the main entrance ($13,799)
  • Concrete on the CASE (special education) driveway ($2,645)

The “first priority” list identified in February mostly matches these seven items but does not include $451,000 for FF&E, which includes crucial technology hardware and systems as well as some furniture. If approved, the second $200,000 request would restore some of that.

After reviewing the town’s budget situation, the Finance Committee this week recommended that the SBC “think of an outer limit of about $840,000 in free cash” that could be available for the school project, FinCom Chair Andy Payne said at the SBC meeting. Current estimates show a town budget deficit of about $800,000 over two fiscal years due to a drop in state and federal revue and added expenses from the pandemic. In a bit of good news, the mild winter resulted in savings on snow removal that can be applied to offset this year’s shortfall.

Payne emphasized that the FinCom was not recommending spending $840,000 from free cash on the school — rather, it’s the maximum amount that the board felt comfortable making available for discussion and voting.

Other sources that could be tapped include some of the stabilization fund, which currently stands at $2.2 million, or deferring some or all of the town’s planned $550,000 contribution to its OPEB (other post-employment benefits) fund. OPEB covers non-pension costs for retired town employees such as healthcare premiums. Dipping into the stabilization fund would require a two-thirds majority of votes at Town Meeting.

Given the uncertainty of getting voter approval for more money now or in the fall, SBC member Peter Sugar suggested using part of the construction contingency fund for some of the trimmed items instead. “We don’t know what people’s financial situation is,” he said. “I don’t want to have animosity build up in this town for this project, even from a minority. I think that would be a mistake.”

But others didn’t support that idea. If the contingency fund runs dry later on, “we’ll have to go back to the town [anyway] and tell them they have no choice” but to appropriate more money, SBC member Tim Christenfeld said.

“I’m concerned about eating into our contingency too much even before we’ve technically broken ground,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said. “Let’s put the information before the town so the town can make the best-informed choice about how the project will unfold.”

Some SBC members worried that residents would not be receptive to another “ask” in the fall and that the June request should therefore be larger. But the FinCom encouraged the SBC to keep their request lower for now and defer seeking money for items that don’t need to be committed to at this early stage of the project.

“I’m not trying to discourage you from coming back in the fall,” FinCom member Jim Hutchinson said. “It’s obvious to me that some of the FF&E is needed in this project, but it also doesn’t need to be decided right now.”

“If the SBC is heading down a path of a phased-request approach, I would encourage the SBC to share as much visibility as possible into these future requests with the FinCom and ultimately the residents,” Payne said.

Asking for less than the full amount suggested by the FinCom now might be more politically palatable. “I’m not sure we would get support for [all of] the $840,000. My sense is more like $500,000 to $600,000,” School Committee member Tara Mitchell said.

“My sense is that the more we ask for, the thinner the support might be,” agreed FinCom member Gina Halsted.

Town Meeting plans

The current plan is to hold the June 13 Town Meeting outdoors under a large tent and lawn seating in the central ballfield on the school campus. This location provides easy access to electricity from the portable classrooms and the temporarily paved areas offer better footing than the grass in Codman Field, which was also considered as a site.

The Town Meeting will feature an expanded consent calendar of financial items that can be voted on in a bloc (though residents have the right to “hold out” any items for separate discussion and voting). There will also be separate votes for the school funding question and a Water Commission capital request. The commission voted in January to seek another $250,000 to replace aging equipment in the town’s water system.

If the Town Meeting still can’t happen on June 13 for public health reasons, the town (and the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School district) will open the new fiscal year on July 1 using monthly budgets based on 1/12 of their fiscal 2020 budgets for as long as necessary.

Letter to the editor: Candidate DeLisi encourages all to vote in town election

Editor’s note: The Lincoln Squirrel collected and had begun publishing statements by the candidates for town office before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. A roundup for Planning Board candidates ran on March 5 and Water Commission candidates on March 8. The Squirrel will publish statements we received from other candidates in the coming weeks. The town election is now scheduled for Monday, June 15. See the penultimate paragraph of DeLisi’s letter for details on early voting and absentee ballots (the accuracy of this information has been verified by Town Clerk Valerie Fox).

To the editor:

It was just two short months ago that I was enthusiastically printing off flyers with my picture, creating posters to display at intersections, and sitting in the Twisted Tree speaking to residents — all to campaign for reelection to my seat on the Lincoln Planning Board.

As I now look back on those days and how life was filled with such “usual” daily activity and joys, the competition that I was about to enter seems so long past. We all struggle to make sense of how quickly life changed. Since that day in mid-March when I obtained special permission from my hospital to work remotely by seeing patients on Google Meets daily and taking care of all kinds of medical emergencies from the safety of my home office, I have had no time until now to reflect on past priorities. I now helplessly watch friends of relatives, some colleagues, and my own 97-year-old mother’s companions at The Commons pass away suddenly of  this new nightmarish illness called Covid-19, and I am trying to put it all in perspective.

Despite all that is happening around me, I still find happiness living in Lincoln. It is a beautiful, peaceful town with stars in night skies and wildlife, from birds to red foxes, roaming in open spaces. I have wonderful friends and neighbors here. We have great schools that we all care about, a historical center dating back further than the Revolutionary War, a national park, an art museum, well-marked nature trails, a nature center, several farms, and much more. Surely this viral epidemic will subside, although it will take time and leave behind many mental health sequelae for us all. Regardless, we will still have this unique town to live in and maintain.

This is all to say that I would truly like to remain on the Planning Board of Lincoln for another term in order to continue to contribute to the town in the best way I can. While I am not an architect by training nor a civil engineer, I do understand people and neighbors and neighborhoods. I believe the Planning Board needs people such as myself who will represent the interests of neighborhoods in whatever new developments are proposed and not simply be a proponent for his or her own preferences. I can promise you, if re-elected, I will support your interests above my own.

Please do vote in the upcoming Lincoln local election. You can vote early by mail using a two-step process. First, apply by downloading and completing this early voting application and send it to Town Clerk Valerie Fox at at 16 Lincoln Rd. or foxv@lincolntown.org. She will then mail you a ballot which you should complete and seal in the enclosed envelope provided, sign the affidavit on the envelope, and mail it back so that it’s received by the June 15 deadline. You can return it by U.S. mail, or put it in the mailbox outside the front door of Town Offices. You can also apply for an absentee ballot here and follow the same procedure for completing and returning it. Ballots will be counted on Election Day if they’re received by the time the polls close. 

If you have questions about any of my views or would like to discuss your concerns, I am available at delisi76@aol.com or 516-528-5366. Stay safe and healthy during these difficult days ahead and remember that times will be better.

Sincerely,

Lynn DeLisi
125 South Great Rd., Lincoln

Flush water pipes if your building has been vacant

The Lincoln Water Department is advising occupants of small businesses and homes that have been closed or vacant for several weeks due to the Covid-19 pandemic to flush their pipes when they return.

Non-essential businesses such as hair salons, dental offices, and consulting businesses have been closed by state order, and some people in the region have decamped to second homes. When buildings are unused for more than three weeks, water quality may become degraded due to stagnation, which can lead to elevated lead, copper, and Legionella bacteria levels as well as discolored water. The department’s May 6 advisory details steps that property owners should take to flush lines when returning after an extended absence, including regular vacations lasting three weeks or more.

The Water Department office is closed, but office are working remotely and can be contacted at kacprzykm@lincolntown.org or 781-259-2669 (press option #3). Operators are maintaining the water treatment plant and other facilities and can respond to emergencies, though non-essential customer appointments will be scheduled for a later date. A second May 6 memo describes precautions for staff and residents if a home visit is necessary during the state of emergency.

June 13 is the new target date for Town Meeting

Officials are now hoping to have a bare-bones Town Meeting outdoors on June 13 and the local election on June 15.

“The goal is to have it be as stripped-down as possible,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said at the board’s meeting on May 4. As previously discussed, Town Meeting will include only votes on budget matters that require a decision before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, with votes on less time-sensitive items shelved until the fall. The meeting this spring will incorporate what was originally planned as a separate Special Town Meeting — a vote on restoring items to the school building project.

Presentations and other information that are normally part of the Town Meeting will occur online ahead of time, “so when we get to Town Meeting, it’s about the voting, not about the presentation,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said. Some presentations may be given live using Zoom  so residents can ask questions in real time.

June 13 is the earliest date that the meeting could be held while still satisfying the 30-day public notice requirement after the end of the Massachusetts state of emergency banning gatherings, which is set to expire on May 18.

“Whether or not there is an extension of the state of emergency, we should pick a date and start putting the engine of local government into operation to get that done,” with the option of further postponing until the fall if conditions warrant, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. Officials are reluctant to schedule an Annual Town Meeting over the summer when many residents are away, and a fall date (in addition to complicating town accounting and budgeting procedures) could be jeopardized if the pandemic makes a comeback just as the next flu season approaches.

The tentative plan is to have Town Meeting outdoors to maximize social distancing — probably in the field next to Codman Pool, with as many people as possible under a large tent (overflow attendees could sit outside the tent if necessary). In case of rain, the meeting could be quickly convened and postponed for a day or two, which may require holding it on a weekday evening.

The election will happen on June 15 regardless of when Town Meeting takes place. Residents can vote by mail, or return sealed ballots to the Town Clerk’s office or leave them in the mailbox outside Town Hall.

Early voting is normally not allowed for municipal elections, but the state legislature has relaxed that rule. Early and absentee voting are both allowed this spring without having to provide a reason (other than the Covid-19 pandemic). All ballots must be received by the time the polls close. By law, polls must be open and staffed on Election Day for at least four hours, but “we hope everyone votes absentee,” Higgins said.

News acorns

Discussion on surviving domestic violence

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will host an online discussion of “Covid-19’s Impact on Survivors of Domestic Violence” on Tuesday, May 12 at 3 p.m. on Zoom. To register, go to domesticviolenceroundtable.org.

Social distancing is a necessary strategy for keeping the community safe during this pandemic, but isolation in one’s home is having a profound effect on survivors of domestic violence and their families. This forum will feature representatives of local domestic violence agencies who will address several different situations that survivors might be in right now, including those who may be in controlling or abusive relationships and those who may have left a controlling and abusive partner. Panelists will look at the emotional, psychological, and economic implications of this complex time for survivors of domestic abuse and will answer questions from the online audience..

If you or someone that you care about is a survivor of domestic abuse and would like help or support, all of the local domestic abuse programs in the area are responding to phone calls and emails:

Two online programs from the COA

The Council on Aging invites you to two virtual programs. In “Making Decisions When It Matters Most: Conversations About Health Care Proxy, Five Wishes, and More!” on Wednesday, May 13 at 10 a.m. Mary Crowe and Joan Sullivan of Care Dimensions will discuss the importance of advance care planning and making one’s health care wishes known through the use of Five Wishes and other planning tools. Click here to register and attend.

Residents of all ages are invited to a “Conversation with a Select(man)” on Friday, May 15 at 2 p.m. via Zoom. Join Board of Selectmen Chair Jennifer Glass to get the latest updates, ask your questions, and offer ideas. For information on how to join in, please email her at selectmen@lincolntown.org prior to the meeting.

A stay-at-home Bird-a-thon

Mass Audubon’s Bird-a-thon, which typically sends teams of birders rambling throughout the Commonwealth in a friendly competition to identify the most species in a 24-hour period, is staying at home this year to respect social distancing and will take place Friday to Saturday, May 15–16.

Mass Audubon’s biggest single fundraising event is again expected to attract hundreds of competitors of all abilities, but will be carbon-free, safety-focused, and family-oriented. Participants will select bird observation  spots—a window, backyard, or a green space within short walking or biking distance from their homes. From 6 p.m. on Friday the 15th through 6 p.m. on the 16th, they’ll spend time observing and identifying species from their birding positions, solo or with other household members.

Competitors join teams representing different Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries and programs. Their pledges can be directed to specific wildlife sanctuaries and programs or to the overall organization, the state’s largest nature conservation nonprofit. Participants can also earn points for their team by completing other fun, nature-based activities or as “Bird-a-thon Boosters,” who raise money while birding for fun (or not birding at all).

Last year’s event raised $240,000 and recorded 273 species, with Drumlin Farm garnering $30,850 for its work through the event. Sponsors this year include presenting sponsors Ream Design of Ayer and Camosse Masonry Supply of Worcester, and media sponsor WBUR.

To participate, donate, and to learn more about Bird-a-thon, visit www.massaudubon.org/birdathon.