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Free Covid-19 PCR testing available

The Town of Lincoln will continue to provide free Covid-19 PCR drive-through testing at the Pierce House on Wednesday, Jan. 19:

• 3:30–4 p.m. — seniors (age 60+). Please call the Council on Aging & Human Services at 781-259-8811 to schedule a time.
• 4– 6 p.m. — all ages. Advance registration is required; registrations can be completed online here.

More testing dates will be added as needed. This testing program is not for those already diagnosed with COVID (even a positive home rapid test). Please follow public health isolation protocols and the guidance of your primary care physician. This program is for Lincoln residents, employees, and school children who: 

• have symptoms concerning for COVID-19 
• have been identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19
• may have been exposed to COVID-19
• have traveled recently

At your scheduled time, please pull up to the main entrance to the Pierce House on the back circular driveway). Clinic volunteers will pass materials through your car window for you to self-swab and package your sample for collection. Results are normally available within 36 hours via email. If you have special needs or require assistance, please email Fire Chief Brian Young at brian.young@lincolntown.org.

Virtual concert/dance party for young kids

Join LincFam (the Lincoln Family Association) and Kat Chapman for a virtual concert and dance party on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. Click here to register for the event. To join LincFam, follow these directions to create a profile on the Tinyhood platform, which offers parenting classes and information. If finances prevent you from joining, please log into your Tinyhood account and click the “Pay as You May” membership option.

Mass Audubon names new regional director

Mass Audubon has named Scott McCue as its new Metro West Regional Director, where he will have oversight of the wildlife sanctuaries Broadmoor in Natick, Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, Habitat Education Center in Belmont, and Waseeka in Hopkinton. He succeeds Renata Pomponi, who has been promoted to Senior Regional Director for the statewide conservation organization’s Metro Boston wildlife sanctuaries and programs.

McCue brings substantial experience in nonprofit management and education leadership to his role with Mass Audubon. He served as Chief Operating Officer and Dean of the Sposato Graduate School of Education until 2020 and, before that, he led a grade 6–12 grade public school in Boston. He’s also worked with New England Forestry Foundation.

“Opera for Everyone” on Saturday

Watch the comic opera “Don Pasquale” by Gaetano Donizetti on Saturday, Jan. 22  at 2 p.m. via Zoom with opera lecturer Erika Reitshamer. Click here to join the Zoom meeting (meeting ID: 859 3645 9225, passcode: 958308). Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

“Red Alert for the Planet”

On Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m., MetroWest Climate Solutions will host a free webinar, “Red Alert for the Planet,” with Phil Giudice, who has 45 years of experience in the energy industry as a geologist, entrepreneur, executive, board director and energy official in state and federal roles. Most recently, Giudice served as Special Assistant to the President for Climate Policy during the startup of the Biden-Harris administration. He’ll synthesize the results of two weeks of intense negotiations, describe why the UN Climate Change Conference (aka COP26) was important, and discuss where the U.S. will go from here. Click here to register.

Corporate sustainability expert Remke van Zadelhoff will serve as the Q&A moderator. As the founder of Good Clout Consulting, she helps small and medium-sized companies drive and scale positive social and environmental impact. She is also co-founder of the Weston Sustainability Action Group (SWAG).

MetroWest Climate Solutions is a local partnership of organizations and congregations including First Parish in Wayland, First Parish Church in Weston, First Parish in Lincoln, the Congregational Church of Weston, SWAG, and a growing list of communities and individuals.

Donate to gift bag drive for domestic violence roundtable

Each February, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable collects items for Valentine’s Day and fills gift bags for women, men and children temporarily living in local domestic violence shelters and transitional housing programs: REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence. The bags are decorated by the children from Sudbury Extended Day. Due to Covid 19 restrictions, we will not be inviting donors to join us this year in assembling the gift bags. Gift cards for CVS, Target, Market Basket, gas etc., are appreciated. Other useful items:

• For mothers and teens — full size bath products, fuzzy socks, cosmetics, nail polish, hair products, journals, etc.
• For children — playing cards, art supplies, small toys, small stuffed animals, model cars, educational items.
• For babies — toys, rattles, baby cups, baby socks, bibs, baby body products.

In past years, the Roundtable has provided as many as 125 bags for families in shelter and transitional housing. If you’re interested in contributing to the Valentine’s Day collection and have questions, please email info@dvrt.org. Donations may be left in the collection baskets provided at Sudbury Wine and Spirits in the Rugged Bear Plaza (410 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury) or at Spirits of Maynard (4 Digital Way, Maynard next to Market Basket). Collections will start on January 22 and end on February 5.

Hello Lincoln neighbors!

Bruno the serval cat is on his way to his forever home in Minnesota after successful surgery to amputate his right hind leg, which was broken in two places when he was rescued in Lincoln earlier this month.

Bruno was captured by workers from the MSPCA/Angell Memorial Hospital on January 4 in the garage of Martin Pierce and Mary Jo Haggerty on Partridge Lane after their Deerhaven Road neighbor, Vic Saleme, called in the alert. The thin, limping cat had been spotted several times in the same neighborhood in previous days.

Because of the pain he was experiencing, surgeons amputated his broken leg on January 12 and also neutered him (cats of all sizes adapt very well to having only three legs, the MSPCA noted). While he was awaiting surgery in his Boston enclosure, he enjoyed playing with balls and other toys (even gathering them into his bed at night), though he slept with his injured leg dangling out of his house because it was painful for him to bend or put weight on it. The MSPCA’s Instagram feed has a dedicated Bruno story with lots of photos, videos, and information based on questions submitted by users about Bruno and servals in general.

Servals are wild animals native to sub-Saharan Africa. The MSPCA has speculated that Bruno was acquired illegally as a pet or to breed Savannah cats (a cross between a serval and a domestic cat), and he either escaped or was abandoned when he became too much to handle. They emphasized that servals do not make good pets and are illegal to own or breed. Savannah cats are also illegal in Massachusetts unless they are at least four generations removed from the serval ancestor.

“Bruno’s story makes us both sad and mad,” says the Bruno page on the website of the Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, MN, which reached out to the MSCPA to offer assistance when they heard Bruno’s story. “As more and more people believe that servals, bobcats and hybrids can be great pets, we’re seeing reports all over the country of ‘escaped’ exotics. These cats can’t survive on their own. Many have been declawed. All see humans as a source of food. Bruno is the poster child of the horrible things that can happen when they escape. We don’t know if he was hit by a car, but the breaks in his rear leg are extensive and could be months old. Can you imagine this poor cat trying to survive a bitter winter with a broken leg?”

Experts from the sanctuary confirmed that Bruno is a full-blood serval and not a hybrid.

“Not only will Bruno live out his live at a sanctuary that offers him a natural and safe habitat with heated, indoor buildings, but is going to a place that shares the MSPCA’s values: that wild animals do not exist for our entertainment,” Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy for the MSPCA, said in a statement.

Bruno, who is about a year old, was very thin when he was captured. Since X-rays revealed his injury was several months old, it’s a bit of a mystery as to how Bruno survived in the New England woods with his painful leg. MSPCA spokesman Rob Halpin speculated that he may have foraged for scraps or handouts or perhaps hunted for small rodents and/or birds “to the extent that he could.”

Handouts were undoubtedly a big reason the serval hung out in the Lincoln neighborhood for a while. Saleme fed him Tyson chicken nuggets — and when Tyson saw the story, they FedExed him a dozen two-pound bags of nuggets packed in dry ice (see photo in gallery below).

After Bruno first came to the MSCPA, the organization set up a fund for donations to defray costs of his veterinary care, and animal lovers opened their wallets. “We’re happy to report that about $12,000 has come in from donors across the state. That’s far more than the $5,000 needed for his surgery so the balance will stay in a restricted account called Pet Care Assistance, which meets the medical needs of homeless animals in our shelters and is never used for things like salaries, building maintenance, etc.,” Halpin said.

The Wildcat Sanctuary also welcomes donations for general purposes or to sponsor a cat (though it’s unclear whether you can choose a specific animal by name). 

Bruno will join 15 other servals and many more big cats at the sanctuary (go to this page and click on “Serval” to see photos). On January 16, the organization posted on its Facebook page about Bruno’s journey to Minnesota. “We will definitely do a more comprehensive video all about his surgery, his journey home, and how he was doing when he’s safe at his forever home at the Wildcat Sanctuary,” they wrote. “For now, all focus is on getting that little boy home safely.”

• The headline on the January 9 story, “New rules say Lincoln must allow 750 housing units in South Lincoln,” was misleading. The town is not required to change its zoning. The explanatory document on the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development’s web page titled “Multi-Family Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities” says that towns that do not comply will be “ineligible” for three types of state grants, as specified in the last paragraph of the Lincoln Squirrel story. The headline has been corrected.

• The headline on a “My Turn” piece by Ruth Ann Hendrickson published on January 9 misspelled her last name. The original post has been corrected.

In the January 5 story headlined “Exotic cat captured in Lincoln is the talk of the town,” we’ve added a link to the story about the serval on boston.com that includes Vic Saleme’s video.

The serval first spotted by Martin Pierce and Mary Jo Haggerty outside their door (note the domestic cat in the foreground who is not feeling welcoming). See more photos below.

(Editor’s note: see an update on Bruno here.)

Lincoln has some interesting animals on its farms and in its woods, but none so exotic as the serval cat that was captured with the help of the MSPCA and several Lincoln residents.

The saga began on December 28 when Partridge Lane resident Martin Pierce posted a photo on LincolnTalk of an unusual-looking stray cat that he and his wife Mary Jo Haggerty saw outside their front door, “looking all over the place like he wanted to come in,” Haggerty told CBSN-Boston. They called the MSPCA, which advised them to feed the car or leave food at the same time every day and call when he returned.

In the ensuring days, there was much speculation by more than a dozen residents on LincolnTalk as to the species of the animal; bobcat was ruled out early and Pierce’s neighbor Vic Saleme speculated tongue in cheek that “perhaps someone threw the ocelot out.” Eventually there was agreement that the animal was a serval — a wild animal native to sub-Saharan Africa. In North America, they can be seen only in zoos and wildlife rescue facilities (Animal Adventures in Bolton, Mass., has had one in the past, though it’s not clear whether the serval is still living there).

Nothing more was heard for a few days until January 3, when Saleme wrote the cat was back and he left some food for it (“he loves Tyson chicken nuggets,”) he wrote. More than a dozen residents pitched in on LincolnTalk with referrals and suggestions for how to trap the animal.

The next day, he was spotted again by Saleme and Deerhaven Road resident Khinlei Myint-U, and two MSPCA staff members with a humane trap rushed out to Lincoln. Earlier that day, Saleme captured a video of the animal that’s now on the MSPCA-Angell’s Memorial Hospital’s Facebook page (the organization also posted the story of his capture on Instagram).

“I drove up and he was just sitting in the driveway. I couldn’t believe how lucky we got,” Alyssa Krieger, Community Outreach Manager at MSPCA Boston, told NBC 10 Boston. She and a helper were able to catch the serval after attracting him with a little bowl of Meow Mix (which she held in a hand gloved in a bite-proof gauntlet). He bolted into Pierce’s garage and she was able to grab him using a thick blanket before putting him into a cage and loading him into their van.

“I think he was just, like, ‘I’m so cold! I’m from Africa!’” Krieger told NBC 10. The cat, which has been nicknamed Bruno, was quite the media star — he was also the subject of a piece on WCVB-TV , WJAR-NBC 10 in Providence, R.I., and articles in the MetroWest Daily News and its associated papers as well as Boston.com, which also has Saleme’s video.

After Bruno was taken to Angell Memorial in Boston, veterinarians found he was about a year old and was quite thin, weighing only 19 pounds (healthy adult servals weigh 20-40 pounds. One of his back legs had been broken in two places some time ago, possibly from being hit by a car. Staff will evaluate his quality of life and pain level to to see if he can continue to manage as is, or if he would be more comfortable if the leg were amputated.

Krieger speculated that Bruno was an escapee from a home where someone was keeping him illegally as a pet to breed Savannah cats. It’s therefore highly unlikely that the owner will be identified.

The MSPCA will work with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to find Bruno a permanent home in a zoo or sanctuary once he’s ready. in the meantime, since the organization is nonprofit, they set up an online fund for people to donate toward his medical care. Anything raised beyond the cost of his care will be used to treat homeless animals or to support financial aid for those who need it at Angell Memorial.

New restaurant opening is several weeks off

The Tack Room, the latest iteration of the restaurant in South Lincoln, is “still about 4-6 weeks away from opening,” according to owner Michael Culpo, who originally hoped to open by Christmas. “We are very excited to open and to serve the Lincoln area and beyond!” he added.

Town notary service suspended temporarily

Effective Thursday, Jan. 6, notary services at Town Hall and Bemis Hall will be temporarily suspended in response to changing public health conditions and efforts to protect employees and their families. Notary services will resume when public health conditions allow. The town referred residents to these other public notaries:

• Middlesex Mobile Notary (781-929-8129)
• UPS Store, Lexington (781-861-7770)
• Ellen Adams (781-801-7820, lincolnnotary@outlook.com)

Click here for more information about notary locations and services.

Library offerings

Several upcoming events are being offered via Zoom by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

Lily Geismer

“The Road to Segregation: Lincoln, Route 128, Suburban Liberals & the Long Roots of Inequality”
Thursday, Jan. 13 from 7–9 p.m.
How did Boston’s western suburbs become the largely white and affluent communities they are today? Lily Geismer, Associate Professor of History at Claremont McKenna College, examines the results of post-war federal policies and local suburbanization and their impacts on race and class in residential patterns in Lincoln and surrounding towns. Geismer is author of Don’t Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party and Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality. Elise Lemire, author of Black Walden, writes in the introduction to Don’t Blame Us: “This is local history at its finest, both particular in its questions and far reaching with its answers. I will never see my hometown of Lincoln, Massachusetts, in quite the same way again.”

Co-sponsored by First Parish Lincoln’s Racial Justice Advocates, Lincoln WIDE (Welcome, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity), an organization of Lincoln residents, and the Lincoln Historical Society. Click here for the Zoom link (meeting ID: 943 6533 7243, passcode: 392036)

“Opera for Everyone”
Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m.
Travel to Salzburg, the city of Mozart and “The Sound of Music” without leaving your home with “Opera for Everyone” with Erika Reitshamer. The Zoom link will be posted closer to lecture date at www.lincolnpl.org.

“Artists’ Gardens in New England”
Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.
Some of our most beloved painters, sculptors and authors were inspired by the gardens they created. Visit the private havens of Edith Wharton, Julian Alden Weir, Childe Hassam, Daniel Chester French, Emily Dickinson, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Celia Thaxter, and others. Jana Milbocker, principal of Enchanted Gardens, combines horticulture, design, and travel tips to educate, inspire and delight both new and seasoned gardeners. To receive Zoom link, please register at Lincoln Public Library events calendar.

Baby Sign Language Class
Four workshops starting on Friday, Feb. 11
Caregivers and their babies (two months or older and pre-verbal) are invited to this four-week workshop with Sheryl White. Sheryl will show you how to teach your baby sign language as well as explore benefits and research for caregivers. Each week participants will “bring” props to class to help bring the virtual program to life with signing directly to the babies. Participants are encouraged to sign up for all four sessions, which will take place over Zoom on Fridays from 10:30- 11:15 (other dates are February 18, February 25, and March 11). Email dleopold@minlib.net to register and receive a Zoom invite. 

Meet members of the White Ribbon Group

In 2019, a group of men joined together in hopes of engaging men and boys to be a part of the solution in ending gender-based violence. Since its creation, this group has met monthly, led local discussions, and hosted events large and small to engage our community in moving towards a world free of abuse in all its forms. Join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable as they share more about their work, why they chose to get involved, and how you can join in this important work. The discussion will take place via Zoom on Friday, Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required and can be completed here or at www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org. Click here to make a donation to support this work.