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

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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.

Why did the salamander cross the road?

To get to the vernal pool! Incidentally, if this fellow’s yellow spots were intended to be protective coloration, it wasn’t very effective despite his proximity to a patch of yellow ground, since that ground happened to be the center line of Silver Hill Road. Photo by Tricia Deck—click image to enlarge.

Another sure sign of spring can be heard rather than seen. These invisible creatures were recorded by Heather Silvestro near Flint Field (click here to play).

Online trail walks and spring activities on offer from LLCT

Now that spring is more or less here, stir-crazy Lincolnites and visitors are turning their thoughts to walks in the woods — but where to begin? Try one of the 10 suggested walks on the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust’s redesigned website.

With the help of LLCT staff and volunteers, Lewis Trails created the suggested walks using the town’s GIS map and Google Maps. Users can click on a trail name to get a description of the trail and surrounding property plus parking directions. Then they can carry the map with them on their smartphone, zooming and scrolling as they walk. The one- to two-mile walks are loops so walkers can return to where they parked without retracing their steps.

“If you’re new to Lincoln or its trails, it’s a great resource. Then on the next visit, you can start to explore a little more,” said Bryn Gingrich, assistant to the executive director at the LLCT.

The website also includes a town-wide map of all of Lincoln’s trails as well as 10 subsections for downloading and printing. “We thought it would be nice to offer those two options and decide what works best for them,” Gingrich said. Large paper trail maps, a paperback trail guide, and other items are also available in the LLCT’s online shop.

Upcoming LLCT events

Stewardship work day
Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Lincoln School’s Smith parking lot)
The LLCT and the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) are partnering to provide trail maintenance on part of a Bay Circuit Trail connection in Lincoln, as well as to provide invasive plant removal at the People for Pollinators meadow site. Some of the work will include removing debris, filling holes, clearing the tread of the trail, and cutting back bittersweet and other invasive plants. For more information and to register, click here.

Turtle Time with the Turtle Rescue League
Saturday, April 27 at 4 p.m. (St. Anne’s Church)
Turtles are amazing reptiles that have been around for more than 200 million years, longer than crocodiles and snakes. Meet a snapping turtle, box turtle, painted turtle and more at this family-friendly program. Representatives from the Turtle Rescue League will share information on what to do when you find a turtle in your backyard or in the road. We will also learn what steps to take when faced with an injured turtle, baby turtle, or turtle nest that’s imperiled.

Spring Birding in Lincoln
Sundays, April 28, May 5, May 12, and May 19 at 7:30 a.m.
Click here for meeting locations and details.

History and Nature Walk
Saturday, May 4 at 3 p.m. (Food Project parking lot on Rt. 126)
Gwyn Loud, LLCT trustee, and Rob Todd will lead us on an exploration of the past and present landscape in Adams Woods, through the woods and fields that inspired Thoreau and past the railroad tracks that brought economic growth in the area. Along the way, we will also note the sights and sounds of nature that have reclaimed this space. An important site for agriculture, commerce, transportation, and the development of American philosophy, Adams Woods is now a haven for wildlife and is an integral part of Lincoln’s network of conservation land. Co-sponsored by LLCT and the Lincoln Historical Society.

Spring Mindfulness Walks with John Calabria
Tuesdays, April 2, May 7, and June 4 beginning at 1 p.m. (click here for meeting locations)
Sponsored with Lincoln’s Council on Aging, join walks where you can unplug, disconnect from the world for a while, and let your senses come alive in nature. Walk with naturalist John Calabria in some of Lincoln’s most beautiful places.

Meeting locations will be determined by trail conditions and posted to our website two weeks ahead of each walk. Walks are organized for those who are 55+, but all are welcome. Choose footwear and clothing appropriate for weather conditions. Walking sticks or walking poles can help for stability, if you have them. In case of inclement weather, call the LLCT at 781-259-9251 after 10 a.m. the morning of the walk for direction.

LLCT Annual Meeting
Tuesday, May 14 at 7 p.m. (St. Anne’s Church)
The annual meeting will feature a keynote address by Matt Burne, Conservation Director at the Walden Woods Project and Vice President of the Vernal Pool Association. Burne will bring the captivating and ephemeral nature of vernal pools into focus as he explores their biological diversity and ecology. Learn about spotted salamanders, wood frogs, fairy shrimp, and other wildlife species that rely on these amazing ponds.

A reception, including light refreshments and drinks, begins at 7 p.m.; the LLCT business meeting begins at 7:30 p.m., and the keynote address will follow. All are welcome.

I heart birds (Lincoln Through the Lens)

A bluebird seems to keep watch while some goldfinches grab a bite. Photo by Tricia Deck.

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.