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

My Turn: On the journey towards an antiracist school district

By Becky McFall, Jessica Rose, and Marika Hamilton

Yesterday’s announcement of the verdicts in the Derek Chauvin trial provided validation of the discrimination and injustices that Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in our country have experienced their entire lives. George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police officers was determined to be a crime by our justice system and Derek Chauvin will be held accountable. George Floyd’s murder and the Chauvin trial mark a turning point in our country. These are moments that communicate to the nation that we can never again turn a blind eye to the injustice and discrimination that exists for members of our BIPOC community.

The verdicts handed down yesterday are not an end to a single horrific incident but a beginning of continuing to work to ensure that no more lives are unnecessarily lost due to the inherent racism that exists in so many systems in our country and around the world. They are also a reminder that we cannot afford to be silent or wait until we are comfortable talking about the reality of institutional and systemic racism.

While Chauvin will be held accountable, it is not the same as having justice. In order for justice to occur, our entire country and its many systems — including education, policing, court systems, banking, real estate, medical, employment and so much more — need to transform. As Professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. said, “We must understand that justice is a practice, not an end.” There is so much work ahead of us, and George Floyd and countless others will not be with us as we take our next steps.

Police brutality is an outright reflection that racism still exists in our society. This violence has caused many members of the BIPOC community to suffer deep loss and to consistently be victims of marginalization, oppression, racial profiling, and acts of discrimination. We must unite to oppose and dismantle racism and discrimination in all its forms.

It is not enough to say we stand united; we must follow through in action. Just as Chauvin’s verdict was being announced, a 15-year old girl in Columbus, Ohio was shot and killed by police. During these turbulent times where each day we learn of more young people of color who have died, we must engage in self-reflection, educate ourselves, and deepen our commitment  to antiracism. We must learn to believe and act in ways that demonstrate that an injustice towards one is an injustice toward all and that our freedom, our thriving, and our happiness is intertwined. 

We must prepare our students for an increasingly complex world, and this will take all of us working together. It is critical that we learn from our history and experiences as well as the experiences of those whose cultures, values, beliefs, and views are different from our own. We must strive to become more empathic and more compassionate every day. We each have an important role to play in creating a community, a country, and a world that values and honors each individual for who they are and who they may become.

For too long, discrimination and racism have resulted in the the squandering of human potential and the oppression of many in order to maintain the privilege of a dominant culture. As educators, we have an obligation to continue to learn and reflect on how our school systems and interactions with students perpetuate the status quo.

As a district, we have begun our journey of reflection and learning in order to become an antiracist school district. There is a great deal of important work ahead of us. It will not be easy, and as we move forward, there will certainly be points along the way where we will stumble. But each misstep is a moment that provides great potential for learning. Let us remember to give each other grace as we stumble and learn together.

We are hopeful for the future. The veil has been lifted and it has admitted light that can never be darkened again. We look forward to the actions our district and our community members will take together to make the world a better place for our students and ourselves.

Becky McFall, Lincoln Public School Superintendent
Jessica Rose, Assistant Superintendent
Marika Hamilton, METCO Director

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Swap shed plans to reopen soon, seeks volunteers

A resident peruses items in the swap shed shortly after it opened in January 2020, replacing the old swap table.

Lincoln Mothers Out Front is looking for volunteers to staff the swap shed, which town officials hope to reopen soon with appropriate public health measures.

Management and oversight of the swap shed will be entirely volunteer-driven, as was the case before it was closed due to the pandemic shortly after the expanded facility opened in January 2020 under DPW supervision. The previous volunteer staff was abruptly fired in October 2019. There had been tensions over people snapping up items for resale or personal charities, and DPW staff “had been called on to de-escalate situations involving conflict between residents and volunteers,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said in a letter the day after the firings.

The swap shed will reopen on May 8 if the volunteer roster is large enough to run it going forward. Those interested in signing up are urged to contact Trish O’Hagan at PMOKiwi@comcast.net.  Senior citizens who are interested in helping staff the swap shed as part of the town’s senior property tax work-off program should contact Council on Aging Director Abigail Butt at butta@lincolntown.org. 

“Whether you can commit to once a week or to once every other month, we are excited to bring everyone together to restore Lincoln’s communal volunteer energy and to keep useful ‘treasures’ out of the trash incinerator,” Higgins and Mothers Out Front said in an April 21 LincolnTalk post.

Officials also hope to replace the defunct Recycling Committee by creating a Zero Waste Committee, perhaps as a separate private organization working in collaboration with the town to promote practices and projects that reduce consumption, encourage reuse, and reduce waste.

My Turn: Cancel plans for a new women’s prison

By Laura Berland

Over the past quarter-century, more expansive law enforcement efforts, stiffer drug sentencing laws, and post-conviction barriers has significantly increased the female prison population. The number of incarcerated women in the United States is seven times higher than in 1980, and more than 60% of women in state prisons have a child under the age of 18.

 While Massachusetts has the fewest number of incarcerated women in the country (roughly 300 as reported by the Department of Corrections (DOC) in January 2020), this hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm for prison construction.  As I write, the Massachusetts DOC is proposing the construction of a $50 million dollar women’s prison. And the Massachusetts government is in negotiation with HDR, a global architecture firm, for a $550, 000 design contract.

Not only is it morally wrong — this project represents a grossly irresponsible use of tax dollars. It reeks of lobbying by vested interests who are making money off the prison industrial complex, and, consequently, human suffering.

There are alternatives. In a letter to HDR asking the firm to withdraw, community activists write: “We can build healing centers in our communities to begin addressing mental health and trauma in our own neighborhoods, rather than building yet another prison to incarcerate more mothers and daughters while profiting off Black, Brown and cash-poor communities.”

One of the activists leading the effort is Stacey Borden, founder of the nonprofit New Beginnings Re-Entry Services. Formerly incarcerated herself, Borden has been working in partnership with community agencies to empower and provide supportive services to formerly incarcerated women. Having run a highly successful fund raising campaign, she is currently developing a home called Kimya’s House in Dorchester that will serve as a residential treatment center for 15 women.

“When we picture what different looks like, we see Kimya’s house — a sanctuary for formerly incarcerated women to heal, and a place where women can go instead of jail and prison, run by and for women who have been through it,” she says.

Right now in Massachusetts, we have a chance to take a different approach. We can focus on healing women and families rather than continue the cycle of violence and trauma that are the reality of incarceration.

I am calling on HDR to withdraw from the project and for our legislators to place a moratorium on all new prison construction. I hope you’ll add your voice. If we are serious about addressing over-incarceration, this is an excellent place to start.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Happy 267th birthday to Lincoln!

By Sara Mattes

Did you know… that the Lincoln has been known as “Nip Town” and its birth came only after 20 years of hard labor? Now it’s just celebrated its 267th anniversary as a town.

What we now know as Lincoln was formed from parts of Lexington, Weston, and Concord, all nipped off to create a new town.

1734 — The labor begins. Citing wretched roads and the distance to church, neighbors who are residents of Lexington, Concord, and Weston all petition their own communities to be allowed to create a separate township. But each town says no.

1740 — The same residents again petition, this time not asking for a separate town but only for a second precinct of Concord. Creation of a precinct meant the residents would impose taxes upon themselves to build their own meeting house and pay their own minister. Again, they are met with a flat no.

1744 — Frustrated with rejections by their own towns, 46 of these neighbors instead petition the General Court to allow the creation of a second precinct of Concord.

1745 — Edward Flint donates land for the construction of a meeting house and Ephraim Flint donates land for burials.

The carving-out of Lincoln. From “The Nathan Brown Farm” by Kerry Glass, published by the Lincoln Historical Commission, 1977 (pg. 6, map #2).

1746 — The General Court approves creation of a second precinct.  Concord town records occasionally refer it as “Flint’s Precinct.”

1747 — Construction of the new meeting house is completed and assessors, a collector, a treasurer, clerk, and a precinct committee are elected. But residents’ frustration persists as Concord still refuses to provide funds for constructing roads to the new meeting house.

1753 — Residents once again petition to become a separate town. Once again, Lexington, Weston, and Concord refuse. But the politics of the day and a wealthy and politically connected resident, Chambers Russell, provide an opening.

Russell had previously held a seat representing Concord in the Great and General Court where he was a supporter of the Gov. William Shirley. But he lost his seat in an election and Shirley lost a much-needed ally. Shirley was known for his opposition to the creation of new towns. But if a new town where Russell lived could be created, Russell might be elected to the court in this new town, and Shirley would regain his ally.

1754 — A new town is born. A petition to create the new town was presented to the court on March 28, 1754 and was approved on April 19, 1754. Russell was asked to name this new town. He chose “Lincoln,” a nod to his family’s roots in Lincolnshire, England.

The grit and determination of Lincoln’s residents over 20 years, led by the Flints and the political clout of country gentleman Chambers Russell, gave birth to what we now know as Lincoln. Happy birthday, Lincoln!

For more detail of this bit of Lincoln’s history, please see A Rich Harvest by Lincoln Town Historian Jack MacLean, available from the Lincoln Library or the Lincoln Historical Society.

My Turn: Get rain barrels and pollinator kits at wholesale prices

By Bryn Gingrich and Ruth Ann Hendrickson

This spring, the LLCT (Lincoln Land Conservation Trust) and the Water Department are offering wholesale rain barrels through the Great American Rain Barrel Company. Through this community purchasing program, they can offer the barrels at wholesale prices, saving nearly $50 for each barrel and $15–$20 per diverter. (Other diverter styles can be purchase independently of this program; contact Ruth Ann Hendrickson at raandbob@earthlink.net for recommendations.)

Using rain barrels to water gardens reduces the strain on Lincoln’s drinking water supply and saves you money. During a rainstorm, roofs can collect enormous quantities of water. A quarter-inch of rain on a 25 x 25 ft. peaked-roof garage draining to a gutter downspout or “rain chain” generates 45 gallons. Multiple barrels can be linked together to provide more storage. The barrels on offer are repurposed shipping drums that will last for years when properly drained and stored for winter. 

Lincoln continues to draw more water from the Charles River watershed than allowed by our state permit. Moreover, as we see continued drought in the region, water conservation remains a critical collective responsibility. Most summers and into fall, Lincoln residents have seen restrictions on outdoor water use to protect watershed levels. Private well owners draw from the same aquifer and are advised to curtail use also.

Purchase a rain barrel through this program to be automatically entered into a raffle for a $100 gift card to Something Special in Lincoln, provided by the Lincoln Water Department. The winner will be randomly selected after orders close on April 30.

Click here for more information about rain barrels and water conservation.

Pollinator planting kits are available to 2021 LLCT members only (join now!). These plants were all selected for their high value to native pollinators, including at-risk bumblebees and many species of butterflies. The plants are offered at wholesale prices, with a small fee incorporated to support planting efforts on conservation land.

Shop now for rain barrels and plants. Advance orders are required by Friday, April 30. Pickup is on May 22 from 8–11 a..m. at the DPW on Lewis Street.

Gingrich is outreach director for the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and Hendrickson is a member of the Water Commission.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

News acorns

Zoom talk on Dallin’s Paul Revere monument

On Tuesday, April 20 at 11 a.m., learn about the origins of the Paul Revere Monument in Boston created by Cyrus Dallin, who also created “The Boy and His Dog” at the entrance to the Lincoln Cemetery. Nancy Blanton of the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum will outline how Dallin persevered on a commission that took 57 years, seven versions of the same statue, and countless twists and turns before it was erected in the North End’s Prado, where it stands today. RSVP by Friday, April 16 to GagneA@Lincolntown.org and you’ll be sent the Zoom link.

Talk by expert on old apple varieties

In honor of Earth Day, the First Parish will host a talk and Q&A with Concord native John Bunker, who has devoted much of his life to seeking out, identifying, and saving as many old apple varieties in Maine as possible. “Changed Forever by an Apple Tree” takes place on Sunday, April 25 at 10 a.m. Click here to join the Zoom meeting (passcode: 749004). Bunker has been farming and homesteading in Maine at the Maine Heritage Orchard for almost half a century and is author of Apples and the Art of Detection: Tracking Down, Identifying, and Preserving Rare Apples.

Annual plant sale benefits Garden Club and others

The Lincoln Garden Club will hold a virtual Mother’s Day plant sale from May 8–15. Visit the online garden shop starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 8 to purchase and schedule a contactless pickup time at 18 Cerulean Way in Lincoln (all purchases must be made in advance). Items on offer include plants, bushes, trees, seeds, Mother’s Day Otter feather wreaths, and a custom-made-in-Lincoln live-edge garden bench, and many statuary urns and clay pots donated by the former owner of a gardening store. Proceeds from the annual plant sale go towards the following:

  • Upkeep of Station Park, Morningside Park, and the library intersection
  • $1,000 contribution to Lincoln Public Schools tree project this year
  • Partnership with PTO for the K-1 enrichment education program (pre-Covid)
  • Council on Aging senior dining
  • “On Belonging in Outdoor Spaces” (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion lecture series)
  • The Baker Bridge roadside tree project 
  • Mission for Cheer
  • Library flowers
  • Council on Aging and control of invasive species

If you have plants to donate, please drop them off in the front circle of 18 Cerulean Way in the marked, designated space on Wednesday, May 5. If you need assistance, please contact Belinda Gingrich at 781-577-7004.

New Pierce House newsletter

The Pierce House has just published its inaugural newsletter including a profile of facility manager Victoria Otis. The Pierce House Committee expects to publish future editions about four times a year.

New restaurant not opening this month after all

Lincolnites who were eagerly anticipating a new restaurant in town this spring will be disappointed, as plans to open Turenne have fallen though.

Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann announced in February that they would be operating “Turenne in Lincoln” in South Lincoln, opening this month to succeed Real in space owned by the Rural Land Foundation (RLF).

However, “Lindsey Parker just informed us that her partnership with Turenne ended,” Geoff McGean, executive director of the RLF, told the Lincoln Squirrel on April 18. “We do not know any details, but from what she shared with us, Bronwyn and Tim from Turenne were brought in as potential operators of the restaurant but ultimately they could not reach an arrangement that worked for both parties.”

Real was owned jointly by Lindsay Parker of Concord and Tom Fosnot and Ruth-Anne Adams of Sudbury but closed in November 2020 after less than two years. Fosnot and Adams left the partnership and Parker became sole owner of a restaurant that now had no chef or operations staff.

McGean said that Parker, who holds the lease as Lincoln Station Partners, is looking for a new operator but has also listed the business and its assets for sale for $275,000, according to a listing sheet from the Boston Restaurant Group, Inc.

Requests for comment from Parker and the Wiechmanns were not immediately returned on Sunday.

My Turn: COA needs donations to keep up with pandemic needs

By Rhonda Swain

Over the past year, the Lincoln Council on Aging (COA) has been faced with many new challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the COA’s regular programs and activities had to be cancelled, but others were adapted and moved online. In spite of the difficulties of working remotely,  the COA staff have stepped up and continued to serve the town’s most vulnerable residents of all ages by helping people find the resources — food, counseling, medical care, etc. — they need in these unprecedented times.

Especially now, the needs of those served by the COA have been increasing faster than the town’s ability to cover the cost of meeting those needs. Fortunately, the Friends of the Lincoln COA, a nonprofit organization formed to provide financial assistance to the COA, is able to supplement the COA budget.

Since last April, the Friends were able to contribute $20,000 to COA programs and services, including funding for increased mental health services, which have been particularly important in helping vulnerable individuals stay connected during the pandemic.

Donations from individuals in Lincoln are the Friends’ principal source of income. We hope that you will support the COA and its work with your tax-deductible contribution. If you can, please contribute by sending your check to Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging, P.O. Box 143, Lincoln, MA 01773. We appreciate your support.

    *     *     *

Swain is president of the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

New app means happy trails for Lincoln woods walkers

By Maureen Belt

Few things are as embarrassing. You’re in the midst of a peaceful walk along one of the town’s 80-plus miles of trails and suddenly you find yourself turned around. Each tree and trail looks like the last, and the GPS on your phone (if you even get a signal) offers no guidance back to civilization.

You’re lost.

Eventually, you try your luck on different paths — any path — and it works. You see something up ahead. As you draw nearer, you discover it’s a stranger’s backyard. You could turn back, but you’ll probably end up walking in circles again. Plus it’s getting dark. So you saunter through the private property as if this was part of your original plan. If you’re lucky, no one will notice. If not, you’ll just have to apologetically explain what happened and rightfully assume you’re not their first trespasser. Either way, the solace you sought on your walk has eluded you. 

Good news — getting lost in the woods is becoming a plight of the past thanks to the folks at the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. Earlier this year, the LLCT partnered with Outerspatial, a cloud-based platform that allows parks and recreation agencies and similar nonprofits to digitize their trails, maps, and other outdoor activities so users can access them from mobile devices.

The LLCT not only funded the map digitization of Lincoln’s trails, parklands and open spaces — its members did the heavy lifting. Stewardship Director Sara Lupkas pored over reams of data from the Assessor’s Office and tweezed out the details that were needed to populate the free, user-friendly app to help anyone navigate and enjoy Lincoln’s great outdoors. 

Besides directions, photographs, and a brief history of the town’s trails and open spaces, the app tells you which trails are best for dog walkers, strollers, and wheelchairs as well cyclists and off-roading. Anglers and hunters have not been forgotten. The app even includes directions to gas stations, crosswalks and where to get a pizza.

More importantly, you won’t get lost. “The app tells you exactly where you are on the trail,” Lupkas said.

The app (which is free for Apple and Android phones) only works while you’re in Lincoln or one of the  other Outerspatial partners, so it won’t pinpoint your exact location if you wander into Wayland or Weston, though officials from Weston officials are currently in talks with the company. Other nearby organizations already in the network include The Nature Conservancy, Mass Audubon, The Trustees of Reservations, and several towns on Martha’s Vineyard.

“Our hope is that there is more connectivity,” said Lupkas. 

Scores of Lincolnites downloaded the app to post photos of themselves on social media during the scavenger hunt portion of February’s Winter Carnival. Lupkas said similar community events are in the pipeline. 

Meanwhile, the LLCT will upload articles, such as Gwyn Loud’s popular monthly wildlife column, and upcoming events. 

“There are a few kinks that need to be ironed out,” Lupkas said, adding the app allows for real-time edits, which are impossible for printed maps. “But it’s been very well received.”

Click on images for larger versions and captions:

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