The Lincoln Squirrel

News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

nature

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Great Walden BioBlitz at Minute Man NHP

Join the National Park Service, Walden Woods Project, and naturalist Peter Alden in a mega-bio-blitz on Saturday, July 6 from 2–4 p.m. at the Hartwell Tavern lot area, 106 North Great Rd., Lincoln. Observe and identify plants, birds, insects, amphibians, and other living organisms, and learn to use the iNaturalist app and contribute to our goal of recording 2,000 species in a day. Naturalist-led tours in the park depart at 2 p.m. from the Hartwell lot. For more information, visit www.waldenbioblitz.org.

Watch the GearTicks robot in action

The Lincoln GearTicks “Rover Ruckus” machine.

There’s now video available of the Lincoln GearTicks robot that recently competed at the FIRST World Championship in Detroit. Students from teams all over the world had to design robots that could deliver “minerals” (gold cubes and whiffle balls) from a “crater” into the “lander” (an elevated box with separate containers). Click here to watch on YouTube (the GearTicks segment begins at 1:23:00 and the GearTicks “Rover Ruckus” robot is labeled 6055), or click here to download a 30-second video. The original story has been updated to include these link.

Summer hours at the library

The Lincoln Public Library will be open on Saturdays during July from 10 a.m.—1 p.m. (weekday hours remain the same), and the library will be closed on Saturdays during August. Regular Saturday hours (10 a.m.—5 p.m.) will begin on September 7.

Mass Audubon photo contest under way

Picture This: Your Great Outdoors, the Lincoln-based Mass Audubon’s annual statewide photo contest, invites shutterbugs of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience to share the natural beauty of the Bay State through their photography. The competition, which continues through September 30, has two age divisions (18 and older, and under 18) and six subject areas: people in nature, birds, mammals, other animals, landscapes, and plants and fungi.

Contestants may submit up to 10 images apiece. Photographs must have been taken any time prior to or during the 2019 contest period, but must have been shot in Massachusetts or at Mass Audubon’s Wildwood Camp in Rindge, N.H. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded a $250 gift card and will be featured in Mass Audubon’s member newsletter, Explore. Eleven winners will receive $100 gift cards, and at least six honorable mentions will receive $50 gift cards. Additional honorable mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the judges. To enter and to review contest information, including rules and how to submit photos online, visit massaudubon.org/picturethis.

News acorns

Israeli-Palestinian film series this summer

The GRALTA Foundation offers its third annual Israel/Palestine summer film series on Thursdays evenings and Sunday afternoons starting on Thursday, June 20. All films will be shown in the downstairs screening room in Bemis Hall. There is no charge, and light refreshments will be served. There will be an opportunity for discussion following each film. The first film will be “A Borrowed Identity,” a 2014 film by Jewish-Israeli director Eran Riklis written by Israeli-Palestinian humorist Sayed Kashua that was nominated for four Israeli Oscar awards. This coming-of-age story explores the realities faced by a gifted Palestinian teen who has been given the opportunity to study in a prestigious, almost entirely Jewish boarding school. Screenings are June 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 23 at 2 p.m.

Other films in the series:

  • “Wajib” on Thursday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 30 at 2 p.m.
  • “The Settlers” on Sunday, July 7 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m.
  • “Naila and the Uprising” on Thursday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 28 at 2 p.m.

A “Junebug” evening at Farrington Nature Linc

Farrington Nature Linc invites residents to Junebug, a night of adults-only outdoor festivities in celebration of the solstice and their newly renovated barn (ready to host even more of their youth programs) on Saturday, June 22 from 6:30–9:30 p.m. There will be food, drinks, and activities including flower crowns to a luminaria labyrinth to a photo booth with baby goats and bunnies. Buy tickets online for $75 each (or $50 if purchased before 8 a.m. on Monday, June 17) and $40 for those under age 40.

Farmer’s market opens this weekend

The Lincoln farmer’s market opens on Saturday, June 22 at Codman Community Farm from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and continues every Saturday until October. The event features food, crafts ad other products sold by registered vendors as well as the farm’s store, as well as music from local musicians. To register for vendor space or as a performing musicians, email Moira of Lindentree Farm at lindentreecsa@gmail.com.

Talk on investing by Lincoln’s Finn

“Smart Women Love Money” with Lincoln author Alice Finn takes place on Thursday, June 27 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. Finn is a wealth management expert who was named “The Giant” by Barron’s in its inaugural list of the Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors. Her book Smart Women Love Money: 5 Simple Life-Changing Rules of Investing was featured by Oprah.com and included along with the best sellers such as Lean In as #5 of the “23 Incredible Books Every Woman Should Read As an Adult to See The World in a Different Way.” Free and open to all.

News acorns

Magic Garden open house this weekend

The Magic Garden Infant & Toddler Center at 14 Bedford Rd. (the stone church) is holding an open house on Saturday, May 18 from 9–11 a.m. The event is geared towards answering parents’ questions, but children are welcome to attend and play in our classrooms, and activities for infants and toddlers will be provided. Call with questions and RSVPs to 781-259-8161 (walk-ins are also welcome). Magic Garden offers year-round care and education to children ages 2 months to 5 years old with flexible schedules.

Adjustments in library hours

The Lincoln Public Library will be closed on Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day and will open late (1 p.m.) on Tuesday, June 4 due to staff training.

Movie group to show “Tabu”

The Lincoln Library Film Society will screen “Tabu” (2012, not rated) on Thursday, June 6 at 6 p.m. A restless retired woman teams up with her deceased neighbor’s maid to seek out a man who has a secret connection to her past life as a farm owner at the foothill of Mount Tabu in Africa.

Birding walk at Minute Man HNP

Look for nests of orioles, tanagers and others, and watch for adult birds feeding and raising their young on “Nesting Birds of Minute Man National Historical Park” on Saturday, June 8 from 8-10 a.m. Meet at Hartwell Tavern lot (106 North Great Rd., Lincoln). Recommended for ages 10 to adult. In case of inclement weather call the park at 617-620-2942 or Kathy Dia 617-480-5103 for walk status.

Garden Club hosts tree and sculpture tour, photo exhibit

The Lincoln Garden Club will hold its annual fundraiser — a tree and sculpture tour at deCordova Sculpture Park followed by a champagne reception at the Pierce House — on Sunday, June 9. The tour runs from 1–5 p.m. The reception from 5–7 p.m. will feature a photo exhibit where attendees can vote on their favorite photos submitted in the club’s photo contest. Entries must be submitted by May 21; click here for contest rules. There will also be an auction of items including stone wall repair services, a helicopter ride over Boston, customized invitations and more. Click here to buy tickets online.

News acorns

French cartoon to be screened at high school

Come see “Astérix et les Vikings,” a family-friendly movie organized by L-S students in a fifth-year French Cinema class, on Friday, May 17 at 7 p. m. in the L-S auditorium. The 79-minute movie based on a French comic strip follows Asterix and Obelix as they set off in hot pursuit to rescue Chief Vitalstatistix’s lazy nephew, Justforkix, from the Viking Olaf after the chief asks them to toughen up his nephew.

Talk at St. Anne’s on Nicaragua efforts

Sarah Junkin Woodard from the Center for Development in Central America (CDCA), a nonprofit, faith-based organization, will speak at St. Anne’s Church on Sunday, May 19 at 11:15 a.m. Woodard, who has worked in Nicaragua for 25 years, will explain how the CDCA responds to human needs created by natural disasters and poverty in the second-poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Joining her is Grace Sweetser, a former Lincoln resident and St. Anne’s parishioner who served for six months as a volunteer at the rural medical clinic run by the CDCA Jubilee House after college. 

Have coffee with an L-S School Committee member

Carole Kasper of the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee will host listening sessions on the following dates:

  • Friday May 10: 9–10 a.m. at the deCordova Café, and 11 a.m.–noon at Sudbury Coffee Works (15 Union Ave., Sudbury)
  • Tuesday, June 4: 9–10 a.m. at the deCordova Café, and 11 a.m.–noon at Karma Coffee (100 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury)

Talk on attracting birds and butterflies

Naturalist John Root will present a program on “Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Beneficials to Your Garden” on Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. This is one of the activities listed in the “Hidden Treasures” booklet published by Freedom’s Way, a nonprofit that works in partnership with the National Park Service to help people explore (natural, cultural or historical treasures hidden in plain sight through family-friendly community organized programs in greater Boston. Pick up a copy of the brochure at the library.

This free program is supported by in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Additional funding was also provided by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

Celebrate L-S grads with balloons

Do you know someone in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Class of 2019? If so, congratulate him or her with a graduation balloon in a fundraiser for the Class of 2021. Large

blue foil balloons imprinted with “Congratulations L-S Grad” are being sold for $6 each and will be delivered to graduates’ homes a few days before graduation, accompanied by a good luck card. All proceeds go to the Class of 2021 Steering Committee. Order from this LSPO web page by May 20.

Community sessions on heating and cooling with heat pumps

Learn about cold-climate air-source heat pumps, geothermal systems, and heat pump water heaters at events hosted by HeatSmart Carlisle/Concord/Lincoln and EnergizeWayland. Perfect for those who:

  • want to learn why electricity for heating/cooling is environmentally friendly
  • don’t have air conditioning but want it before summer temperatures arrive
  • have an old heating system (e.g.,more than 15 years) and want to know about replacement options to oil, propane or gas

Meet installers to learn what systems might work for your home. Find out about the financial incentives available to you. Hear from neighbors who have installed systems and local installers. Meet your community coach who can help you sort it all out.

The events are on Saturday, June 8 from 1:30–3:30 p.m. in the Concord-Carlisle High School Learning Commons (500 Walden St., Concord, 2nd floor) and Tuesday, June 11 from 7–8:30 pm. in the Wayland Public Library (5 Concord Rd., Wayland).

Spring jackets (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Sarah Cannon Holden photographed these flowers eagerly bursting through the forest floor.

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

Council on Aging activities in May

Musical jazz lunch
May 3 at 12:30 p.m.
Celebrate the end of the week 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 to share. The COA provides beverages and dessert.

Watercolor class with Jane
May 6 and 20 at 9 a.m.
Rediscover your joyful soul through art and nature in Jane Cooper’s watercolor class. Two classes of four sessions each will be offered on Mondays and Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m. beginning Mondays, May 6 and 20. The cost is $30 for each class of four sessions, materials included. Call the COA at 781-259-8811 to sign up.

Lincoln Academy with Timothy Johnson, MD: The future of medicine
May 6 at 12:30 p.m.
Dr. Johnson will review current problems with American health care and propose possible solutions for each. He will also predict what will happen in the next ten years. Johnson was the chief medical correspondent for ABC News, giving medical information to millions of Americans in a way that was accurate yet accessible. 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 with John Calabria
May 7 at 1 p.m.
Location: TBD
Enjoy a gently paced walk through nature guided by John Calabria on May 7 from 1–2:30 p.m. at a location posted at lincolnconservation.org. Bring walking sticks or walking poles if you like. Another walk will be held June 4. 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. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in May

Sailor’s delight (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Harold McAleer captured this dramatic sunset recently.

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

Lincoln Cultural Council awards grants

Ms. G, official groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, makes her annual prediction at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the Climate Action Day festivities sponsored by the Lincoln Cultural Council.

The Lincoln Cultural Council has announced ten grants totaling $4,700 to support cultural programs in Lincoln, Acton, Concord, and Sudbury.

The Lincoln Cultural Council (LCC) is part of a network of 329 local cultural councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth that will distribute more than $3.3 million in 2019. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

This year’s grant awardees are:

Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of town-appointed volunteers. Lincoln Cultural Council members are Melinda Bruno-Smith, Catherine Coleman, Patrick Greene, Wendy Hubbard, Chris Loschen, Renata Pomponi, Diana Rich-Sheahan, and Meg Ramsey.

Applications and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at Applications for the next round of grants are due in October; go to www.mass-culture.org for details, or contact LCC Chair Meg Ramsey at meg.ramsey@verizon.net. The LCC strongly encourages anyone interested in supporting and promoting cultural events in Lincoln to volunteer to serve as a member of the LCC, and they welcome input and ideas.