The Lincoln Squirrel

News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

health and science

News acorns

Police warn residents of chimney repair scammers

A number of Lincoln residents have received calls or visits from the Lysco Chimney Maintenance and Repair Co. saying they’re in the area and asking if homeowners would like their chimneys cleaned. The Lincoln Police warn that this company has a long list of complaints against them for being very aggressive on the telephone and then, if the homeowner agrees to have them clean the chimney, wanting to perform other costly repairs that do not need to be done and are not done properly. The workers are using a white van with the word Lysco on it. If you have concerns or have had Lysco come to your home, please call Lincoln Police Officer Surette at 781-259-8113.

Drumlin Farm hosts Strawberry Day

Madeline in field Celebrate the strawberry harvest by heading to Drumlin Farm on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dig in the dirt with our farm staff, meet some berry-loving animals, and pick your own strawberries to take home. Drumlin’s strawberries, like all of its produce, are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.

All activities except strawberry picking are free with admission ($8 for adults, $6 for seniors and children 2-12, free for Mass Audubon members). Pick-your-own strawberries will be available for purchase from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting and while supplies last, with a limit of one quart per person picking.

Special programs during the day:

  • 10:30 a.m. — Garden Guests: Wonder who may be nibbling in your garden? Meet one of our animals and find out!
  • 11:30 a.m. — Wild Wetlands: Get an up-close look at what’s going on in our local ponds
  • 12:30 p.m. — Fields for Food: Visit with some of the wild birds and mammals that make fields their habitat
  • 2 p.m. — Foxes Love Strawberries: Learn more about our fascinating foxes as our wildlife care staff feed and care for them
  • 2:30 p.m — A Taste of Drumlin: Sample the first fruits (and veggies!) of the season
  • 3:30 p.m. — Seeing Seeds: Explore the magic of how a seed turns into a new plant
  • 3:45 p.m. — Turtles Love Strawberries Too: Meet one of New England’s turtles up close

Below are some of the other programs coming up at Drumlin. See the Drumlin schedule website for details on events, costs and ages.

  • Fairies and Fireflies — Wednesday, June 11 from 7:30-9 p.m.
  • Evening Hayride and Campfire — Friday, June 13 at 4:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.
  • Morning Chores — Saturday, June 14 from 8-10 .a.m
  • The Bird Next Door Field Trip II — Saturday, June 14 from 3-9:30 p.m.
  • Great Blue Heron Rookery — Sunday, June 15 from 8-10:30 a.m.
  • Fungi Field Walk — Sunday, June 15 from 1-3:30 p.m.
Monthly book sale this Saturday

The Friends of the Lincoln Library’s monthly used book sale is on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to noon in the basement of Bemis Hall. You can fill a paper grocery bag with adult and children’s books for only $10 (tax included). We also have a good selection of individually priced special books, as well as some CDs, DVDs and audio books.

We always need more books, so donations may be left in the wooden boxes in the Bemis Hall entrance on Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. No textbooks, no magazines or books that are musty or have been written in, please.

Berryfield Farm offers therapeutic programs

Berryfield Farm in Lincoln is offering Hooves, Paws & Claws (HPC) and Pony Partners. HPC is a  six-week program for young adults age 18-22 years with a focus on teaching adult social skills and accountability to the group and the horses. Appropriate students for this program are able-bodied, have receptive and expressive language, can follow directions, and are able to do simple tasks with minimal support. The six-student  program meets on Friday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m. starting Friday, June 13 and costs $235 (limited scholarship aid is available) Fore more information, contact Director of Programming and Instructor Allie Richardson at friendsfortomorrow@gmail.com or 617-823-5271.

The Pony Partner Program is an experiential empowerment group for able-bodied girls age 8-10 who have a love of animals and are struggling socially, personally and/or academically. PonyPartners is not about learning to ride; it’s a chance to explore and develop knowledge of horses, the herd (both two- and four-legged) and the power of body language. The six-student program will meet on Friday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for 10 weeks starting September 5 and costs $550. Limited scholarship aid is available for both programs. Interested parents should contact instructor and program coordinator Lucy Cornish at lucyfcornish@gmail.com or 781-538-6769.

Scholarship application deadline is June 16

Reminder: students who are already attending higher education institutions have until Monday, June 16 to apply for a need-based scholarship. These awards are available only to Lincoln residents who are currently attending a college, university, vocational school or community college. n institution of higher education. Application instructions and forms are available on the Lincoln town website.  Funding for this program has been provided by the Ogden Codman Trust. 

Drumlin Farm honored for science education work

Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm has been honored for its dedication to science education and their commitment to collaborative partnerships at this year’s Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) annual meeting. MITS is an umbrella organization that brings together museums, nature centers, and other science and cultural organizations to provide professional development programs for educators with the goal of improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. The event spotlighted the role of informal science organizations like Drumlin Farm in increasing scientific literacy among both students and teachers.

Lincoln vets socialize at COA lunch
Lincoln veterans and their spouses enjoyed a special barbecue lunch at the Council on Aging on May 30. Photo collage by Howard McAleer.

Lincoln veterans and their spouses enjoyed a special barbecue lunch at the Council on Aging on May 30 (click to enlarge). Photo collage by Howard McAleer

June events at the Council on Aging

bemisBelow are June events sponsored by the Lincoln Council on Aging. For more information, call the COA at 781-259-8811.

Coffee with artist Ellen Milan
June 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Indulge your senses in the grace and liveliness of paintings on silk, prints, pastels, and scratch board engravings by Ellen Milan in the Bemis Hall Artists Gallery this month. You are also invited to meet Ellen at the “Coffee with the Artist” on June 5 at 2:30 p.m.Ellen’s work has been included in public and private collections and shows in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New York, Israel and Europe. Locally, her work has been part of group shows at the Danforth Museum, Concord Art Association and elsewhere. Last year she had exhibitions at the Lincoln Library and the Harvey Wheeler Community Center. You can see the full scope of her work in various media, including wearable art, at www.ellenmilan.com.

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News acorns

acornOutdoor water use restrictions in effect

Under the annual mandatory restriction on outdoor water public water use, which runs from May 1 through September 30, outdoor water use is allowed only twice a week depending on your house number. Even-numbered houses may use outdoor water on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, while odd-numbered houses may do so on Wednesdays and/or Fridays. All water use must take place between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Drip irrigation is allowed only on the specified days but may be done at any hour of the day. Restricted activities included:

  • Irrigating of lawns via sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems;
  • Washing vehicles except in a commercial car wash or for operator safety;
  • Washing exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, stain, or stucco.

Exceptions include irrigation to establish a new lawn and plantings during the months of May and September and watering lawns, gardens, flowers and ornamental plants by means of a hand-held hose. For complete details, see this Lincoln Water Department web page.

Last LOMA open mike night of the year is June 9

The Creek River String Band (CRSB) will perform at LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) on Monday, June 9 from 7-10 p.m. in Bemis Hall. CRSB has been making waves in the New England music scene with a mix of bluegrass,Tex-Mex, folk, pop and blues tunes! Band members are Stroker Rogovin (accordion, vocals), Jeremy Majewski (banjo), Doug Turnbull (mando, guitar, vocals), Fred Kosak (guitar, mando, vocals), Kim Patch (fiddle) and Eric Smalley (Bass). CRSB performs regularly at local venues, such as Sally O’Briens and Precinct. They recently released their first EP, Creek River String Band.

LOMA is a monthly event. Perform or just come listen to acoustic music and spoken word. Admission is free and refreshments are provided. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com before noon of the open-mike day for a slot. Names of those who are signed up by 7:15 will be drawn at random. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style. Brad Meyer and Brent Clark ably handle the sound. We expect everyone will have a chance to perform, but in case of overflow, the first 20 performers to sign up will be given priority.

The fall lineup for LOMA will include Julie Dougherty on September 8, the Wednesdays on October 20, the Rafters on November 10, and Glenn Pettit on December 8.

Codman barbecue and campout coming up

Join other Codman Community Farms members for a fun family overnight to support the farm. Pitch your tent at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 14. Dinner catered by Blue Ribbon Barbecue, plus s’mores, games and an old-fashioned singalong around the campfire. There will be breakfast on Sunday with coffee, orange juice and bagels. A tent site is $30 and includes breakfast for all campers in the tent. Tickets ($25 for adults, $15 for children under 12) need to be purchased by all campers and are also available to those just wishing to come for the evening. Reserve online at www.codmanfarm.org, call 781-259-0456 or email info@codmanfarm.org.

Summer wellness clinics

Lincoln residents of all ages are invited to meet with a nurse through a free town service. Come to get your blood pressure and/or body mass index checked, ask questions, or learn about wellness resources. Clinics will be held at the Community Building at Lincoln Woods (50 Wells Rd.) from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, June 13 and Friday, July 11. These clinics are funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care. For more information, please call the Council on Aging at (781-259-8811.

See “Snakes of New England” up close and personal

Rick Roth, snake expert and director of the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team, will talk about the lives and habits of his favorite snakes from New England and around the world on Saturday, June 14 from 3-4 p.m. in Hartwell Pod B. This show-and-tell will allow the audience to see these creatures up close… or at a safe distance. Co-sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and the Parks and Recreation Department. Suggested donation of $5, or $15 for a family of three or more.

Donate bicycles to Bikes Not Bombs

The Lincoln Recycling Committee is holding its third annual bike drive for Bikes Not Bombs on Saturday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Hartwell parking lot. All types of bikes, adult or children’s, in any condition, parts, and/or condition are appreciated. The committee will partner with Bikes Not Bombs, which ships about 5,000 donated bikes to economic development projects in Ghana, Tanzania, Guatemala and Nevis Island each year. The remaining collected bikes are used in the organization’s Jamaica Plain location for the youth Earn-a-Bike programs, and others are repaired by teenage mechanics as part of their vocational training programs. Bikes Not Bombs requests a $10 per bike donation to defray storage, processing and shipping costs. The organization can provide a signed, dated receipt for the cash donation and the value of each donated bicycle. To learn more, contact Laura Berland at 781-259-8149 or lauraberland@comcast.net, or Bernadette Quirk at 781-259-3186 or quirkx4@msn.com.

Crafts workshops for kids and parents

The Old Town Hall Exchange is offering four intergenerational crafts workshops at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange. The workshops are for middle or high school students and adults. Each workshop costs $15 per person. Please sign up by calling the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

  • Precious Metal Clay Jewelry—Join Hilary Taylor of Merlin’s Silver Star Studio on Wednesday, July 2 from 1- 2:30 p.m. to make a pendant or pair of earrings using clay embedded with fine silver. After firing, the clay burns off, leaving the piece in silver. Bring items with texture (bits of nature, lace fabric, a piece of metal with a texture) to use in your piece. No experience is needed and we are sure you will enjoy your finished piece! You’ll receive your piece 10 days later.
  • Mixed media collage—Learn to make a mixed media collage with artist Laurie Bogdan on Wednesday, July 9 from 1-2:30 p.m. Laurie will show you how to take everyday objects—game set pieces, magazine and catalog pictures, fabric, photos, and more — and combine them into a beautiful, sometimes whimsical collage using glue, paint, markers, and anything else you can imagine.
  • Chain Maille Jewelry—On Wednesday, July 16 at 1 p.m., Shing Hsieh will show you how to create chain maille jewelry by weaving together metal jump rings in a 2.5-hour workshop. She will demonstrate two different techniques: the byzantine and mobius weaves. Participants will leave class with a pair of earrings and, time permitting, the option to start a bracelet.  Participants should bring two pairs of flat nose or needle nose pliers, preferably without teeth, but bring what you have and we can modify at workshop.
  • Instant Books—Learn how to make a book out of one piece of paper in a matter of minutes with Suzette Durso on Wednesday, July 23 from 1-2:30 p.m. Each page of this book will have a pocket where small photographs or business cards can be stored. This book is small enough to fit in a pocketbook or a back pocket. Books can be decorated with flowers and ribbon.

These workshops are supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Bitten by a tick? Free testing available

deertickIf you were bitten by a tick, the Tick-Borne Disease Network will test 100 Lincoln ticks  free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis and let you know if the tick carried a disease.

Ticks will be tested for three common pathogens: Borrelia burgdorferi (which causes Lyme disease), Anaplasma phagocytophilium, and Babesia microti, and the results will be provided to residents to share with their medical providers. The test results are anonymous and will help local and state agencies build a stronger surveillance database for informing public health disease prevention programs and tracking tick-borne disease.

If you’re bitten by a tick, carefully remove it using tweezers and place it in a sealable plastic bag (the lab can analyze a tick submitted in almost any condition). Go to TickReport.com, complete an online submittal form, write the order number provided on the plastic bag, and send it in an envelope with the tick to the address indicated on the website. After 100 ticks from Lincoln have been submitted for testing, residents may obtain testing for a significantly reduced fee. Call the Lincoln Board of Health at 78-259-2613 for more information.

Tick experts will also discuss tick control and tick-borne disease prevention on April 30 at 7 p.m. in Brooks auditorium (see the Lincoln Squirrel, April 15).

The testing program is funded by a $111,300 grant from the Patrick administration’s Community Innovation Challenge (CIC) grant program. The CIC’s goal is to help towns and regions across Massachusetts  form new partnerships and develop strategies to further common goals—in this case, identifying the prevalence of tick bites and the presence of pathogens that cause tick-borne disease. The grant funds testing and analysis by the Laboratory of Medical Zoology at UMass-Amherst. The partner communities are Acton, Barnstable, Bedford, Bourne, Brewster, Buckland, Carlisle, Charlemont, Chatham, Concord, Conway, Deerfield, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Gill, Harwich, Hawley, Heath, Leyden, Lincoln, Mashpee, Monroe, Nantucket, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Shelburne, Truro, Wellfleet, Winchester, and Yarmouth.

Experts to speak on tick control, disease prevention

deertickThe Middlesex Tick Task Force will present experts on tick-borne diseases and landscaping ideas to reduce tick exposure at “Let’s Talk About Ticks: One Bite Can Change Your Life” on Wednesday, April 30 from 7-9 p.m. in Brooks auditorium.

Dr. Alfred de Maria, an epidemiologist with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, who will answer questions about awareness and prevention of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease as well as babesiosis and anaplasmosis, two other preventable tick-borne illnesses. Kurt Upham, president of ohDeer Inc., which offers safe spraying for deer, tick and mosquito control, will discuss ways to landscape your yard to cut down on tick exposure.

Also at the event, Dr. Stephen Rich of the UMass Laboratory of Medical Zoology will discuss a new tick-testing program for some Massachusetts residents. Depending on what town you live in, if you’ve been bitten by a tick, you can submit the tick for free or low-cost testing to see if it carries the pathogens that cause Lyme disease, babesiosis or anaplasmosis. For more information, call the health department at 781-259-2614 or Lincoln Public Health Nurse Maureen Richichi at 781-259-9407.

The Middlesex Tick Task Force formed in 2012 with representatives from Acton, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham, Wayland, and Weston. The  group’s goals are to increase awareness of tick-borne diseases in our towns, to educate residents about effective prevention measures, and to promote inter-town collaboration  about these diseases in Middlesex County. The Task Force recognizes that tick-borne  diseases are now endemic in our towns and that residents need information about effective prevention measures they can take to protect themselves, including knowing the signs and  symptoms of disease, the life-cycle of the deer tick, how to do a “tick check” after being  outside and to safely remove an embedded tick, and the importance of self-advocacy and early medical treatment for tick-borne diseases.

Why did the amphibians cross the road?

The rainy early-spring nights last weekend this week brought out the annual migration of spotted salamanders and wood frogs from the uplands across the woods and fields (and roads) to vernal pools to breed. As in past years, the amphibians chose the night after Lincoln’s Annual Town Meeting to make their move, noted Tom Gumbart, Lincoln’s conservation director, who took these photos.

The salamander is about eight inches long and the wood frog is about 3.5 inches. Both species lay eggs in water that hatch into larvae with gills, which eventually grow lungs and legs. (In contrast, the Mexican axolotl, which is the subject of this entertaining song and video, is neotenic, meaning it does  not undergo metamorphosis but keeps its fins and gills through adulthood—and no, drinking salamander goo will not change its developmental fate).

A female tree frog plump with eggs.
A female tree frog plump with eggs.
A potted salamander.
A spotted salamander.

Letter to the editor: Health effects of air traffic

letterEditor’s note: The Conservation Commission continued its hearing on Jet Aviation’s Hanscom Field proposal to April 2.

To the editor:

Approving the Hanscom airport expansion plans at this time is concerning, not only because of wetlands considerations, but because a critical examination of the potential human health impacts does not appear to have been conducted. As director of a nonprofit organization, Quiet Communities, and chair of the Lincoln Leaf Blower Study Committee, I have had the opportunity to examine the adverse health impacts of related noise and air pollution.

Extensive evidence in the scientific and medical literature indicates that airport noise is a serious public health hazard. Decades of research show that chronic exposure to environmental noise causes sleep disturbance, heart disease, psychological problems, and hearing loss. For example, in a recent study of more than 6 million older people (65+ yrs) living near U.S. airports, Harvard and Boston University Schools of Public Health scientists found that airport noise increases hospitalization risk for heart attack and stroke (BMJ, October 8, 2013). In a February 2014 Environmental Health Perspectives article, University of Michigan scientists call for a U.S. noise policy, estimating tens of millions of Americans are at risk for heart disease and other noise-related adverse effects—with air traffic identified as a major source. In Europe, the World Health Organization’s 2011 Burden of Environmental Noise report documents the extensive loss of healthy life years from environmental noise.

While Jet Aviation claims the new jets are less noisy and more efficient than smaller aircraft, this benefit may be outweighed by the future increase in jet traffic forecasted by Massport.

I urge residents to attend the upcoming meeting on April 2 and ask the Conservation Commission to postpone a decision until the potential adverse health effects of noise/pollution are examined with the help of the Board of Health and/or other environmental health experts.

Sincerely,

Jamie Banks
154 Lincoln Rd.

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

Hospice proposal goes before ZBA on Thursday

Hospice of the North Shore and Greater Boston purchased 12 acres of land in Lincoln and Waltham in hopes of building an inpatient hospice facility.

Property in Lincoln and Waltham being proposed for a hospice facility is outlined in red.

A proposal for a two-story hospice facility on Winter Street property in Lincoln and Waltham, which calls for a 42,000-square-foot building and parking for 87 cars, will be the subject of a Lincoln Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) hearing on Thursday, March 6.

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