Sean Collier
By Alice C. Waugh
Several members of the Lincoln Police Department were directly involved in the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect—and they had extra motivation to find him, because slain MIT Police officer Sean Collier had worked with Lincoln police.
[Read more…] about Slain MIT police officer Collier had worked in Lincoln
A female cardinal in her nest. (Photo courtesy WIkimedia Commons)
First of all, a clarification on our earlier nature walks article: they take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
And now for nesting… Drumlin Farm is looking for volunteers to train in the fine art of nest-watching. The farm is a chapter of the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch, a citizen science project that collects data on the breeding activities of birds across the country. Scientists use this data to track bird population trends and subsequently decide what conservation measures are most needed.
Volunteer training, which takes less than two hours, will teach residents how to look for bird nests, how to approach them and when to leave them alone, and how tor cord their findings in the NestWatch database, said Drumlin Farm volunteer coordinator Pam Sowizral. Nest-watchers don’t need to venture into the forest or scale trees; they can monitor nests that species including catbirds, cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and phoebes that build their nests close to houses and sometimes even on porches and other parts of buildings.
The collected information is useful for seeing how bird habitats and populations are altering over time, particularly in this era of climate change, Sowizral said.
“By recruiting volunteers all over the country in large numbers, we can do something that individual scientists can’t,” Sowizral said.
Anyone interested (even empty-nesters!) should contact Sowizral at 781-259-2205 or psowizral@massaudubon.org.
What do you know about MassHealth, and why should you care? Lincoln residents of all ages are invited to a special program at Bemis Hall on Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m. to learn more about MassHealth (Massachusetts’ Medicaid program). You might not think you need the information, but that could change if you have an unforeseen financial crisis or need to be in a nursing home for an extended period.
The Lincoln Council in Aging program will feature Don Milan, Elizabeth Killeen and Arthur Budnik, all of Minuteman Senior Services’ SHINE health benefits counseling program, explaining what MassHealth currently covers, who’s eligible, how it coordinates with Medicare, and more. Carolyn Bottum, director of the COA, interviewed Milan, who is Lincoln’s SHINE counselor.
[Read more…] about MassHealth: Learn more, even if you think you won’t need it
(Editor’s note: The Lincoln Squirrel was on vacation during the last week in March but will post stories in the coming days about the March 23 Town Meeting.)
By Alice Waugh
Residents approved spending $17,700 from the town’s stabilization fund for architectural and engineering work in hopes of submitting a second school building project feasibility study to the state—though not after several residents argued that the town should pursue its own path toward a modernized school building.
[Read more…] about Town meeting approves funding for school project planning
Do you have household chemicals or environmental poisons you need to get rid of? While the Lincoln transfer station does not accept hazardous waste, Lincoln residents may drop off materials on one of eight days this year at the Minuteman Hazardous Products Facility at 60 Hartwell Ave. in Lexington—but they must first pre-register and to fill out a form with the Lincoln Board of Health in person or by calling 781-259-2613.
Lincoln items will be accepted in Lexington from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following dates (almost all on Saturdays): [Read more…] about Dates set for dropping off household hazardous waste
Greening Lincoln invites residents to take a survey that will help the group learn what measures people in town now use to save energy and protect the environment and what additional sustainability information and services they’d like to see. Click here to take the online survey.
Greening Lincoln also offers information about Water Department rebates for residents who buy water-saving toilets and washing machines, as well as other topics including solar panels and household energy assessments. The program, which started in January, offers rebates of $75 for WaterSense-labeled toilets and $200 for WaterSense washers. According to the Greening Lincoln website, which also has details on the terms of the rebates, WaterSense toilets use about 4.8 gallons per person per day vs. 18.2 gallons for old-style toilets, while WaterSense washers use 15.4 gallons per person per day vs. 7.7 gallons per day.
Residents can see the terms and conditions for the rebates on the Greening Lincoln website. To obtain a rebate form, call the Water Department 781-259-8997.
The south side of Route 2 near Old Cambridge Turnpike looking towards Concord. (Photo / Alice Waugh)
Workers have demolished several houses along Route 2 in Lincoln and removed trees and brush as work on the state project to make the area around Crosby’s Corner—for which planning began in 1994—has finally begun.
The state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) awarded the project in June 2012 to D.W. White Construction, Inc. of Acushnet. This town web page offers contact information, weekly construction updates, and a public information presentation from October 2012 that includes photos of the work area and a history of the project.
For the first time, school officials have published an annual report with information on demographics, spending, MCAS scores, educational programs and more, as well as data comparing Lincoln schools to others in the area on various measures.
The report is available on the Lincoln Schools website in two forms: a series of slides with charts and graphs, and a three-page executive summary. The report by the School Committee and Lincoln Public Schools administration is the result of an initiative by the Finance Committee to provide the town with information about the operations and performance of town agencies.
[Read more…] about Schools offer data snapshots in first annual report
Editor’s note: This is one of several Lincoln Squirrel articles about an agenda item (a “warrant piece,” with apologies to Leo Tolstoy) to be considered at the March 23 Town Meeting.
By Alice Waugh
Should Lincoln’s public water supply continue to be fluoridated? Residents will have a chance to say yay or nay at the March 23 Town Meeting, thanks to a citizen’s petition by a group opposed to the water additive.
