News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.
Visit a different area of Lincoln’s open space each week on Wednesday walks led by Conservation Department staff on Wednesdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Walks are typically about 2.5 miles long. Wear sturdy shoes and always dress for the weather (walks are held rain or shine). Meeting places and descriptions are listed below.
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).
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Magic Garden children and their teacher look for birds during the Great Backyard Bird Count. Photo courtesy Magic Garden
Magic Garden preschoolers recently participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count, a nationwide project to count and categorize bird species where “citizen birders” spend a little time in the field (i.e., their own backyards) watching birds during a specific time of year.
Data from the project, which is sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada, will help scientists learn more about the health of the ecosystems and environment by analyzing various bird populations.
Magic Garden children in two classes (ages 3-5) counted birds around the school campus in small groups using tools including field guides, pictures of birds and binoculars. The children spotted five American robins, a bluejay, a northern cardinal, a white-breasted nuthatch, an American crow, and three black-capped chickadees.
“It was a wonderful way to actively use counting and observation skills and a tangible way to show love for our friends the birds,” said Magic Garden director Jill Canelli.
“This experience was a great foray into the science of bird-watching for the children and for all of us as adults,” added Gail Wild, a Magic Garden preschool teacher and science lover.
“As both a nature lover and an early childhood environmental educator, I’ve always been fascinated by birds and have loved finding new and exciting ways to connect children with nature through observing animals. I’m excited to share my love for birds and collaborate with our teachers and pilot this citizen science project,” Canelli said.
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary has plenty of programs to keep you busy through this cold winter season. Check out this sampling of upcoming programs! For more information about our programs or to register, call 781-259-2200 or visit www.massaudubon.org.drumlinfarm.
Winter Wool Craft Series: Knitting II – Building Skills
Saturday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m. to noon
What can you make from wool? Join other teens 13-17 interested in creating amazing projects and developing craft skills. Visit with the sheep and build on your basic knitting skills. $20 for members, $24 for nonmembers.
Chickadee Birders: Eagles and Owls
Sunday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The North Shore is a perfect place to go in search of all our favorite wintering birds, such as ducks, eagles, and owls. We will introduce elementary age children (ages 7-11 or grades 2-5) to the basics of birding, bird life, and seasonal migration. Birding is a lifelong skill that can lead to a greater interest in the outdoors and the environment as a whole. $30 for members, $36 for nonmembers.
Kinglet Birders: Owl Prowl
Sunday, Feb. 9, 1:30-3 p.m.
Share the exciting and fascinating world of birds with your 4-6 year-old child as we search for owls and meet some of Drumlin Farm’s owl residents. Meet some of Drumlin Farm’s birds up close and explore field, forest and wetland looking for the birds that make these habitats their home. Learn activities that you can take home to expand your experience, wherever you live. $10 for members, $12 for nonmembers.
Wondrous Wool
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 1-2:30 p.m.
Visit the soft and fluffy sheep all snug in their barn. After our visit share sheepish stories and make a woolly toy to take home. A great family program! $12 for members, $15 for nonmembers.
Owl Always Love Ewe
Friday, Feb. 14, 3:30-5 p.m.
It’s Valentine’s Day—what would Ewe want? Owl might have a different idea; mice are so very nice. Let’s visit with the sheep and make some wooly valentines. Perhaps Owl could teach us a Love Song to woo someone special. Whoo, whoo, who loves Ewe? A great family program! $12 for members, $15 for nonmembers.
Teen Birders: Eagles and Owls
Saturday, Feb. 15, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Birders aged 12-17 can travel with us to Newburyport and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a full day of searching for eagles, hawks, owls and more! $35 for members, $42 for nonmembers.
Naturalist Walk
Saturday, Feb. 15, 1-3 p.m.
Are you interested in the natural world around you? Join us on these Saturday afternoon excursions that will focus on observing, exploring and appreciating the world around us. We’ll cover wetlands to uplands, exploring all the habitats of the sanctuary, as we look for amphibians, reptiles, mammals, flowering plants, trees, shrubs, lichens, fungi, insects, and birds. We’ll follow the seasonal changes that occur on the sanctuary as the year progresses. Each walk will focus on a particular area or habitat as we build our understanding of ecological communities and our mutual interdependence. This program is open to adults or teens 16-17 accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is not required. $10 for members, $12 for nonmembers.
Ms. G
By Alice Waugh
Ms. G, Drumlin Farm’s resident groundhog, will soon be called on to predict the weather for the rest of the winter—something she hopes to do in future years as the official state groundhog.
Ms. G will make her prognostication on Groundhog Day at Drumlin Farm on Sunday, Feb. 2, when local meteorologists from WBZ-TV, NECN, and the Blue Hill Observatory will be on hand from 10 a.m. to noon to talk with families about the weather wonders of the seasons as part of Drumlin’s weather science fair.
At last year’s event, just days before the Blizzard of ’13, Ms. G saw her shadow, indicating six more weeks of winter.
Sometime this spring, the state House and Senate should vote on House Bill H2864, a measure proposed by Rep. Alice Peisch that would designate Ms. G as the official state groundhog to encourage students to study weather. The move should also put Lincoln on the map as the go-to Groundhog Day site for predicting the course of the remaining winter season. Also, Ms. G is easier to spell than “Punxsutawny Phil.”
Legislators got an in-person pitch from lobbyists (most of whom were not of legal voting age) during a public hearing on January 8 in Wellesley, where students from the Hunnewell School and staff from Mass Audubon, which oversees Drumlin Farm, testified in support of the bill. They’ve had help over the past year or two from Wellesley resident Mish Michaels, a former TV meteorologist. State residents of all ages can express their support online at MAStateGroundhog.com/vote.
On Groundhog Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ms. G spectators can also visit with other resident wildlife and farm animals, explore the trails, attend special nature and farm programs, warm up by the fire with a story and cocoa, and make some winter crafts to take home. The Drumlin Farm event is free with paid admission of $8 for adults and teens or $6 for children 2-12 (free for seniors and Mass Audubon members).
Here are films and other events sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust in the coming weeks.
Wednesday, January 15
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will show The Legend of Pale Male as a part of its winter environmental film series at 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust Office (above the post office at the mall). The Legend of Pale Male is the story of a red- tailed hawk that lived overlooking Central Park in New York City and became a celebrity. This heartwarming tale chronicles how this wild creature captured the curiosity of thousands. Come find out if that can save him from harmful intent of others.
Sunday, January 26
Joan Walsh from Mass Audubon will give an illustrated talk about the recently released “State of the Birds 2013” and the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas II. Come learn about which of our bird species are thriving, which are not, and what we can do about it.
Thursday, February 27
Lincoln resident Julie Dobrow and students from her 2013 Tufts University course “Producing Films for Social Change.” will discuss two of their films, Turning the Tide and USDA Incorporated, as part of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust’s winter environmental film series.
Turning the Tide looks at how climate change threatens East Boston with the risk of severe flooding. This imminent crisis is overlooked due to apathetic and otherwise preoccupied residents. Chris Marchi is an East Boston resident who aims to raise awareness of this issue. Through his own dedication and the help of local volunteers, Chris develops a project that he hopes will spark discussion in the fight against climate change.
USDA Incorporated shows how the miraculous possibilities of genetic engineering are being methodically ignored, as the argument spurred by the organic food movement, under the banner of health concerns, seeks to undermine some of the world’s largest corporations. The corporations remain unperturbed as they continue their greedy practices. The small farmer, who tries to maintain sustainable practices amidst these conflicting opinions, has to keep one foot in each world in order to survive.
Here are the Lincoln Council on Aging’s events and activities for the month of December.
[Read more…] about December activities at the Council on Aging
Walking on two of Lincoln’s conservation trails just got a little easier, thanks to efforts by local residents and Conservation Department staff.
A group of neighbors recently repaired and improved the trail that leads from the Conrad/Bradshaw driveway opposite Boyce Farm Road off Old Sudbury Road into the Weston Woods. The residents also purchased the materials used in the work.
Meanwhile, Tom Gumbart and Dave McKinnon of the Conservation Department built a bridge over a wet part of a trail from Garland Road to Flints Pond. The trail has existed for many years but was only usable as a dry fall trail. The new bridge (which was designed to accommodate cross-country skiers as well as walkers) should make it usable year round. A trail link is also being completed from the Commons to Garland Road. When the Route 2 overpass and construction is complete, it will connect to trails in Concord.
Before-and-after photos of the bridge and trail repairs off Old Sudbury Road.
Left to right: Stuart Rose, Steve Kutenplon, Peter Conrad, Libby Bradshaw, Dea Angiolillo and Peter von Mertens.
Left photo: Tom Gumbart and Dave McKinnon carry timbers to the trail from Garland Road to Flints Pond. Right photo: the new bridge.
Residents are invited to “Lincoln by the Land,” a talk hosted by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust about Lincoln’s landscapes with Sue Klem, an LLCT board member and local author of The Nature of Lincoln. Her talk, which begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20 in the Lincoln Public Library, will explore Lincoln’s rugged landscape of hills, ponds, streams, fields, swamp, and woods, and consider what forces created them. Copies of The Nature of Lincoln will be for sale.
Also on Wednesday, the town’s Leaf Blower Study Committee invites residents to meet Dan Mabe, president of the Greenstation, a West Coast sustainable landscape equipment and consulting company. Mabe will discuss steps other communities are taking to reduce noise and air pollution from industrialized landscape practices, describe “green zones” and demonstrate innovative equipment.
Mabe will speak in the Donaldson Room in the Town Office Building at two different times—from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and again from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Lincoln Conservation Director Thomas Gumbart (781-259-2612 or gumbartt@lincolntown.org) to indicate which session you’d like to attend.
Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary is once again hosting “Tales of the Night,” a special Halloween-themed celebration with tricks and treats appropriate for the whole family. Tales of the Night will take place on October 24 and 25 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.
Tales of the Night activities target everyone from young toddlers to teens. “Parents love our ‘Tales of the Night’ event because it provides something for everyone,” said Drumlin Farm Sanctuary Director Christy Foote-Smith. “We offer fun activities that provide the thrills older kids are looking for and a Nursery Rhyme trail for little ones on the lower end of the “fright-o-meter” as well.”
Visitors can enjoy a special haunted hayride, get up close to insects in the Creepy Critter Mansion, or meet their favorite storybook characters on the Nursery Rhyme Trail. Witches’ brew, spider cider, and tasty treats can be purchased and enjoyed while perusing a display of more than 100 jack-o’-lanterns or learning about nocturnal wildlife from Drumlin Farm teacher naturalists.
Tickets are $11 if purchased on or before October 23. Tickets purchased on the days of the event are $13 and may be bought online at massaudubon.org/drumlin or by calling (781) 259-2218.
