Open Space and Recreation Plan being updated

The Conservation Commission is spearheading the effort to update the Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) and is planning a pair of public forums and an upcoming online survey.

The commission is working with a residents’ advisory group and a environmental consultant on the OSRP, which was last updated in March 2008. AS explained in the introduction, the document “re-affirms Lincoln’s core natural resource, agricultural and recreational values. It provides a guiding framework that can be used to maintain and enhance the ‘green infrastructure’ of the community, and it identifies pressures and opportunities that may influence the future character of Lincoln.”

The OSRP includes an environmental and open-space inventory and outlines how the Conservation Commission and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) work together to manage Lincoln’s 2,000+ acres of conservation land, as well as the community’s vision and statement of needs.

The community survey and public forums aim to gather input on residents’ priorities for open space and recreation in town. They are also an opportunity to share maps and information on Lincoln’s history of creative land development and protection. The forums will be on the following dates:

• September 14 at 7:30 p.m. — Recreation Department
• November 16 at 7:30 p.m. — Town Office Building

The survey is being developed and will be distributed online and at various locations around town from August 1 to September 30.

Advisory Group meetings take place in the Conservation Department in the Town Office Building on Thursday mornings at 7:30 a.m. See the Conservation Department web page for dates (under the heading “Open Space Planning”). Also on that page is a link to the Advisory Group’s timeline and tasks. Members (all of whom are Lincoln residents except Pomponi) are:

• James Craig (Board of Selectmen)
• Jordan McCarron, Richard Selden (Conservation Commission)
• Patty Donahue (Parks and Recreation Commission)
• Lynne Bower (Agricultural Commission)
• Ellen Meadors (Board of Accessors, LLCT)
• Buzz Constable, Gwyn Loud (LLCT/Rural Land Foundation)
• Renata Pomponi (Mass. Audubon Society)
• Jennifer Hashley (Codman Community Farms)
• Michele Grzenda (Weston Conservation Agent