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

News acorns

Library reopens by appointment

The Lincoln Public Library is now open to the public by appointment. For appointments for adult services, call 781-259-8465 and press 3. For children’s services, press 4. The first hour of appointments on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are reserved for patrons over 60 or with other high risk factors. Appointments will be for 30 minutes and can be made up to a week in advance. Face coverings are required for all patrons over 2 years old. For details including hours of opening and for contactless pickup of library materials, click here.

L-S to hold virtual pops concert on Friday

The L-S Music Department presents its annual pops concert on Friday, March 12 at 7 p.m. This year’s virtual event will feature live performances by orchestral group cohorts interspersed with video performances from choral, band, and jazz groups. Cohort A will perform “Libertango” and “A Salute to Michael Jackson” Cohort B of Orchestra (shown in this rehearsal photo) will perform “Gabriel’s Oboe” from “The Mission” with guest soloist Superintendent/Principal Bella Wong on clarinet. They will also perform “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The combined student cohorts will perform “We are the World.”

Cohort B of the L-S orchestra in rehearsal.

The video with students from the symphonic and concert band groups will perform “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire as well as the “Theme from Star Wars, The Mandalorian” by Ludwig Göransson. The jazz video will showcase students from the combined symphonic and concert jazz ensembles performing “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima. Chamber Singers will perform “Short People” by Randy Newman. Treble choir will sing “Go the Distance” from the movie “Hercules” and the concert choir will perform “I Want You Back/ABC,” a Jackson Five medley. Valentine Quartets will also perform a capella, sharing the popular songs the groups prepared for their annual Valentine’s Day performances.

The concert will air in both Sudbury and Lincoln on Comcast channel 9 / Verizon channel 32, and will live-stream at this link. To learn more about the LSRHS Music Program, visit L-S Friends of Music at www.lsfom.org.

Drive-in Evensong at St. Anne’s

St. Anne’s in-the-Fields will host its second drive-in Evensong service on Sunday, March 14 at 5 p.m. During the service, which originates from the monastic hours, the choir offers certain portions while the congregation joins in the prayers, hymns, Creed and responses. In the lower parking lot, each singer will sit in their car with a wireless microphone while Music Director Jay Lane conducts from the upper lot. The singing and pre-recorded organ music are mixed in real time and the results are broadcast over an unused FM radio frequency. Parishioner Tom Vollaro is the sound engineer. This 45-minute service will feature Walmisley’s “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis in D minor,” Wesley’s “Lead me, Lord,” and a hymn everyone can sing together. Read about the choir’s first drive-in Evensong in The Boston Globe.

Modernism Week online event offered

Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln is encouraging attendance at Modernism Week in Palm Springs, an online version of its annual celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture online. Programs are for sale until March 15 and stream through March 31. Go to modernismweek.com for tickets and information.

Get ready for Lincoln Youth Soccer

The Lincoln In-Town Soccer program will kick off the spring season in mid-April. All Covid-19 safety measures from the fall season will continue into the spring and the program will follow and adhere to the Massachusetts state regulations to ensure safety for kids and parents. The season for grades K-2 will start on either April 10 or April 17 on Smith Field depending on field conditions, with K-1 at 8 a.m. and Grade 2 at 9 a.m. If you were registered for the Fall 2020 session, you are already enrolled for the spring season.

The program is also looking for more boys in grade 3 even if they were not enrolled in the fall. Register at www.lincolnsoccer.com.

Library programs coming up

The Lincoln Public Library is offering the following programs via Zoom, in addition to others previously announced in the Lincoln Squirrel. See the library’s website at www.lincolnpl.org for details on all programs.

eBook Help
Fridays, March 12, 19 and 26 from 2–3 p.m.
Would you like to read or listen to library books on a Kindle or iPhone? Elizabeth Creighton and Kate Tranquada can show you how to borrow e-books and audiobooks and are available for troubleshooting as well. Contact Kate at ktranquada@minlib.net to get the Zoom link.

What is Racism?
Wednesday, March 17 from 6:30–7:30 p.m.
School-aged children are invited to join us for a discussion about racism led by Wee the People, a Boston-based social justice group. Kids notice skin color and sense that it matters, and they have questions about how and why. Together we will explore how racism isn’t just one thing, but a problem with many parts working together — problems that take more than individual kindness to solve. Breaking down the fundamental concepts of skin color, race, racism, and injustice, kids will learn how they can help to notice and disrupt racist systems. Email dleopold@minlib.net to get a Zoom invite.

“Stunning Spring Perennials” with Joan Butler
Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m.
Whether you garden in sun or shade, learn about how to combine them for best effect in the garden from Joan Butler of Enchanted Gardens. Her gardens have been included in several garden tours and feature a combination of native plants. For a Zoom invitation, please email Lisa Rothenberg at lrothenberg@minlib.net or call the library at 781-259-8465 ext. 202. This program is made possible with funding by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

The Friends of the Lincoln Library offers home delivery of books and other materials to Lincoln residents who are unable to come to the library in person. Patrons may order up to six library items at one time (including DVDs, CDs, spoken-word CDs, and two-week new releases). Patrons may use the Minuteman online catalog to request materials, or they can call the library to request specific items or general selections (e.g., “please send me five mysteries by women authors”). A volunteer from the Friends delivers requested items on need more information about home delivery, contact the Reference Department at 781-259-8465 ext. 204 or email lincoln@minlib.net.

Correction

In the March 7 story headlined “Repaving and more are planned for Route 2A,” the western end of the Route 2A segment under study is Crosby’s Corner, not Meriam’s Corner. Also, the date of the stakeholders’ meeting was October 2020, not 2000. the original post has been updated.

Repaving and more are planned for Route 2A

Plans are being finalized for repaving and making other improvements to Route 2A between I-95 on Lexington and Crosby’s Corner in Concord, but work won’t start for another 18 months or so. Meanwhile, Minute Man National Historical Park (MMNHP) is also looking into a bus shuttle service serving the three towns.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is designing the project based on a study by Toole Design Group. At a stakeholders’ meeting in October 2020, the company presented ideas for improving safety along the stretch of road, including crosswalks, traffic islands, and possible even a small rotary at the intersection with Old Massachusetts Avenue. Widening the road to provide dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian shoulders was considered, though this would increase vehicle speeds and damage historic stone walls.

Traffic-calming elements at intersections will be installed as part of the repaving project that is expected to start in fall 2022 and run until spring 2024. More involved changes to the roadway, including construction for pedestrian accommodations at the proposed roadway crossings, are being contemplated as part of a second phase, according to Kristen Pennucci, Communications Director for MassDOT. That work, which will require more detailed design development and additional stakeholder input, would not take place until after 2025 to avoid conflicting with MMNHP’s Battle Road 250th anniversary celebration events.

Eighty percent of the costs will be funded by the Federal Highway Administration, with the remaining 20 percent coming from the state.

“We have been in close communication with stakeholder groups as the design has progressed and we welcome their input,” said Pennucci. From Lincoln, those groups include the Roadway and Traffic Committee and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. MMNHP and the regional Battle Road Scenic Byway Committee will also offer input, and the general public will be able to comment at a meeting to be scheduled after the first design submission for the repaving project in fall 2020.

The project does not include finishing the sidewalk on Bedford Road from its current end in the vicinity of 190 Bedford Road up to its intersection with Route 2A. “Since Bedford Road falls under local jurisdiction, MassDOT anticipates that this sidewalk construction work would be undertaken by the Town of Lincoln as a separate action,” Pennucci said.

The Route 2A bridge over I-95 is also due for replacement and that work will likely be federally funded, but there’s no timeline for that project yet, she said.

Shuttle study

Within a month or so, consultants are expected to finish a feasibility study on creating a shuttle service that would jointly serve the park and towns that the park runs through. The goal is to alleviate traffic and parking congestion along Route 2A and in downtown Concord especially during commute times, while improving the park visitor experience. Congestion is only expected to increase as development in the area continues and park visitation goes up around the time of the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard ’round the world.”

Concord and Lexington already have town-sponsored shuttle services to MMNHP. The towns have indicated interest in jointly sponsoring a service, inspiring the feasibility study by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Volpe will develop up to three shuttle service scenarios that will include estimates on parking capacities, costs and ridership as well as possible routes.

In an unrelated development, the Battle Road Scenic Byway portion of Route 2A was recently designated as an All-American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Both designations recognize roads with archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and/or scenic qualities and are intended to promote tourism and local business, but they do not offer any federal funding or special protections.

Lincoln’s new Americans in 1920

By Donald L. Hafner

Imagine doing your errands on a Saturday in 1920, at the bustling center of business in South Lincoln near the railroad station. Perhaps you brought a tool to be mended at the blacksmith shop of Daniel MacAskill, an immigrant from Nova Scotia. Ahead of you in line, picking up an iron brake shoe for a wagon, is Manuel Silva from Portugal. Behind him with a harrow blade to be repaired is Paul Rickert from Germany.

Then off you go to get groceries at Henry Grimwood’s (England). Martin Sharkan (Russia) has just delivered fresh milk from his small dairy farm in north Lincoln. You chat a bit with Grace Danner (England), whose husband John (Estonia) is a U.S. Navy officer and away at sea. Outside, two horsemen from Henry Higginson’s estate are having a good-humored argument — except that Peter Nelsen (Denmark) occasionally has a puzzled look as he tries to understand Joseph Ragske (Poland). Nearby, three servant women—Bertha Dahlstrom (Sweden), Anna Poulson (Norway), and Felisata Margenelli (Italy) — are swapping gossip about their wealthy employers.

You used to hear Philip Harris’s wonderful Jamaican accent as he waited for the train to Boston. But Philip and his wife Ida Tyler moved away after all their children died in that horrible house fire. You miss chatting with Michael and Amelia Carraso (Italy), but with the anti-Italian prejudices stirred up by the Sacco-Vanzetti trial in Bridgewater, the Carrasos now keep to themselves.

Your last errand is at Marion L. Snelling’s Coal and Wood “near the Depot,” to schedule a delivery of fuel for your stove. Marion (England) doesn’t have the best prices, which is why the town buys from the Waltham Coal Company. But her shop is convenient. No need to get lamp oil from Marion, however, now that Lincoln has finally joined the 20th century, and Edison Electric is stringing wires for electricity in homes.

On your shopping trip, you might have heard the languages and accents of Lincoln residents from eighteen different countries. In 1920, foreign-born residents made up a third of Lincoln’s adult population. The largest number were from England, Scotland, and Ireland. But among them were also immigrants from places as remote as Chile, Croatia, and Lithuania. Add in the children of these immigrants, and the number of bilingual residents of Lincoln was impressive — all mingling and working together. The language rainbow was even more colorful on the days when immigrant craftsmen and laborers flowed into town for jobs at R.D. Donaldson’s construction firm or to work the fields and milk the cows on Lincoln’s farms.

Each of these new Americans had found a place in the economic life of Lincoln. Their children seemed to do well academically in school, although the school superintendent repeatedly expressed alarm that so many of Lincoln’s elementary students “had teeth in need of a dentist’s attention.” Yet in other ways, these new Americans lived lives apart in Lincoln. They had arrived in two waves of immigration around the turn of the century. Half of them arrived in the 1880s and 1890s, mostly from the British Isles. If they wished, they could become naturalized U.S. citizens within five years, yet almost half of them never applied.

The hundred-plus immigrants who arrived in Lincoln after 1900 were mainly from Central and Eastern Europe, and they were even less likely to become citizens. By 1920, virtually all of them had been in the country long enough to qualify for citizenship, yet only one in five had applied. One reason may be clear: alarmed by this wave of non-Anglo immigrants, Congress had tightened the citizenship requirements. Applicants had to be able to answer questions in English about U.S. history, culture, and government. But there were no standard questions they could study in advance. It fell to the whim of whatever the examining judge decided to ask.

Lincoln’s newest Americans in 1920 brought economic and cultural vitality to the town, yet many failed to find a comparable place in Lincoln’s civic life. Year after year, those elected to Lincoln’ multitude of public offices—from Selectman to The Measurer of Wood and Bark—all had family names drawn from the British Isles. Finally, in 1921, Fritz Cunnert was elected to the Cemetery Commission. Cunnert was a first-generation American, with parents born in Germany. There would not be another non-Anglo name in the list of Lincoln’s elected town officers until Albert Amiel Schaal (born in Wisconsin to American parents) became a Selectman in 1943.

Civic participation is not a natural instinct. Like any good habit, civic participation grows strong when it is rewarded. The best reward, of course, is being offered a chair at the table by those who already hold civic authority. Recall that when Lincoln’s women were first allowed to vote for President in 1920, a third of them stayed home. It took half a century before Lincoln elected the first woman to the town’s Select Board. Perhaps it was not coincidence that it was also half a century before the portion of women who voted matched that of men.

Throughout its history, Lincoln’s vitality has depended upon its ability to absorb new participants into its economic, cultural, and civic life. There is much to be pondered and learned from that history.

For more on Lincoln’s rich immigrant history, turn to Jack MacLean’s A Rich Harvest, especially chapter 16, and to the charming reminiscences of Lincoln in the early 20th century in Ruth Moulton Ragan’s Voiceprints of Lincoln: Memories of an Old Massachusetts Town. Both books are available from the Lincoln Historical Society.

“Lincoln’s History” is a biweekly column about aspects of Lincoln’s past by members of the Lincoln Historical Society.

Police log for Feb. 20-27, 2021

February 20

Codman Community Farms (12:21 p.m.) — A wallet found at the farm was turned into the police station.

North Great Road (8:23 p.m.) — Caller reported hitting a deer. No injuries; vehicle was towed from the scene.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (10:39 p.m.) — Police received 911 calls reporting an erratic driver. A vehicle was stopped on Route 2 and Jessica Giannino, 29, of Revere was arrested for OUI–liquor.

February 21

Hanscom Drive (4:40 p.m.) — Report of a drone flying in the area above 1,200ft. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate.

February 22

Paul Revere lot, North Great Road (1:38 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle parked in the lot. Party was fine and on their way.

February 23

Wells Road (1:18 a.m.) — Caller reported she believes her delivery package was stolen.

North Commons (11:30 a.m.) — Caller reported receiving a scam phone call regarding their Social Security number. Caller was advised it was indeed a scam; no personal was given to the scammer.

Indian Camp Lane (1:01 p.m.) — Caller reported they gave out their personal information to someone over the phone. They were advised to place a fraud alert on their personal data with the credit bureaus.

Bedford Road (1:07 p.m.) — A bag of trash was found dumped on the side of the road. The DPW was contacted to remove it.

Lincoln Road (1:48 p.m.) — One-car crash into a snowbank. No injuries; vehicle towed,

Concord Road (3:42 p.m.) — Caller reported that he observed a male party on their property near a construction vehicle. A yellow van was parked in the driveway and he saw the party run from the construction vehicle and get into the van and leave the area. Officers checked the area for the yellow van but were unable to locate.

Vandenberg gate, Hanscom Air Force Base (5:30 p.m.) — Party attempting to get onto the base had an arrest warrant. James Shorts, 32, of East Providence, R.I. was arrested on the warrant and was later bailed.

Lincoln MBTA station (8:46 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle in the lot. The owner was visiting a friend on Wells Road.

February 24

Old Town Hall Exchange (1:03 p.m.) — The crossing guard reported that a vehicle went through the crosswalk as he was stopping traffic. An officer spoke to the driver of the vehicle.

February 25

Lexington Road (2:11 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled over to the side of the roadway. who was subsequently found to have a suspended license. A summons was issued to the driver.

Lincoln Road (10:44 a.m.) — Vehicle crash at Wells Road; no injuries.

Trapelo Road (6:51 p.m.) — Caller reported someone had called looking for their Social Security information but did nor divulge it. They were advised by police that it was a scam.

Russett Court (9:12 p.m.) — Caller reported that their loved one had not returned home from running an errand. Information was given to area police departments. Concord police located the party, who was reunited with her family.

February 26

North Commons (3:44 p.m.) — Caller reported his bicycle was stolen from his porch. Report taken.

Boyce Farm Road (4:40 p.m.) — A party came to the station to speak to an officer about an ongoing civil matter.

Indian Camp Lane (4:50 p.m.) — Caller reported he had accidentally locked his kids in his vehicle. Fire Department responded to assist along with a police officer. Access gained; kids were fine.

February 27

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (1:24 a.m.) — During a vehicle stop, Shedricke Mulbah, 22, of Worcester was arrested on an outstanding warrant and later bailed.

The Commons in Lincoln (9:39 p.m.) — A party called reporting that she couldn’t find her son. The woman was found to be inside the memory care unit; everything was fine.

10:55 p.m. — The DPW was called out to treat the roadways.

My Turn: Cowap asks for your vote for L-S School Committee

By Heather Cowap

I am excited to announce my candidacy for the Lincoln Sudbury Regional School Committee. I hope to replace Carole Kasper (who is stepping down) as one of the Lincoln representatives on this committee.

I have been on all sides of this table. I’m currently a curriculum consultant working with an international STEM company, but I have both taught, and raised kids, in two different regional school districts. I spent 15 years as a high school science teacher in Groton-Dunstable and raised two daughters through the Acton Boxborough schools before the K-12 regionalization. 

I have a deep commitment to community service, and like many of you have served as a volunteer. When my kids were younger, I volunteered with the Boxborough Library, both the elementary and regional school PTAs, and as a coach for community basketball and lacrosse. I also served as a board member of A-B Girls Youth Lacrosse.

I am a passionate about public education, and my desire to participate in the L-S Regional School Committee is driven by my desire to give back to public education. I loved my years in the classroom that provided me with extensive experience in the complex needs of high schools. I have also participated in multiple NEASC site visits, exposing me to many of the shared challenges public schools are expected to meet and the creative ways many schools are addressing these challenges. As a parent I am aware of the need for respectful ongoing communication between schools and community. I plan to establish regular opportunities for the community by hosting zoom gatherings throughout the year.

I look forward to supporting many of the ongoing initiatives of the regional school committee, in particular the transition programs for Lincoln students entering the high school developed by Carole Kasper in collaboration with the Lincoln Public Schools. The school committee’s ongoing work on equity, in ensuring that all student needs are being met, and supporting the success of every L-S student are further areas of interest for me.

I will be hosting drop-in Zoom coffee chats for members of the community to come meet with me (see below for dates, times and Zoom links). I look forward to having the opportunity to listen and learn about parents’ and students’ experiences with the high school, both wins and challenges, as well as hearing your hopes for the school district as we move ahead.

  • Wednesday, March 10 at 10 a.m. — Zoom link (Meeting ID: 856 2643 0759, Passcode: 759563)
  • Wednesday, March 17 at 10 a.m. — Zoom link (Meeting ID: 840 8037 2413, Passcode: 558395)
  • Wednesday, March 24 at 10 a.m. — Zoom link (Meeting ID: 868 1721 0216, Passcode: 767171)

”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.

Correction

A subhead in the March 2 News acorns mistakenly implied that Jessica Downing is Lincoln’s new Conservation Director, when in fact she is the new Parks and Recreation Department director. The item about the “On Belonging in Outdoors Spaces” speaker series was also missing a subhead. The post has been updated to reflect these corrections.

News acorns

New Parks & Rec Director among recent town additions

Jessica Downing

Lincoln has a new Director of Parks and Recreation — Jessica Downing, who held the same position in Andover. She succeeds Dan Pereira, who became Assistant Town Administrator in last summer.

Downing was in her Andover role for two years after being promoted from recreation coordinator from 2014–2018 and program assistant before that. She holds a master’s degree in recreation and sports management from Lasell University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire.

Downing was officially appointed last month by the Board of Selectmen, which also named Jennifer Curtin as the new Assistant Director of Land Use and Planning. She succeeds Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie, who held that position until she was named director in December.

Another new face in town is Conservation Director Michele Grzenda, who started on February 1 (see story).

LSB Players presents “What Happens at the End”

LSB Players, the theater production company of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, presents its virtual winter production, “What Happens at the End.” This original song cycle, devised by cast members through improvisation and writing activities, features music and lyrics by L-S alumni Kenter Davies ’15 and Caleb Martin-Rosenthal ’17, who also directed the cast of 26 students with LSB Players Director Carly Evans.  It is recommended for ages 12+ and will run for about 75 minutes.

Performances will be available to live-stream on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for individuals and $40 for families (plus service fee)/ Please use this link to purchase and obtain your unique access code for one of the performances. Also on March 6 from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sudbury Pizza Place will donate a portion of its sales to the LSB Players.  Order by phone (978-443-8957) or online at www.sudburypizza.net.

Register for youth baseball this spring

Teams are being formed and uniforms are being ordered for youth baseball in Lincoln and Sudbury with appropriate Covid-19 safety protocols. Register your child now at LSBaseball.org (registration closes for some grades on Friday, March 5).  Click on the appropriate grade range, and then look for “Register Online.”  Additional information is on the Parents tab of the website. Youth baseball in Lincoln starts with T-ball for boys and girls currently in kindergarten, or those entering kindergarten in the fall. Please contact Chris Andrysiak (chris.andrysiak@gmail.com) with questions.  

Speaker series on connecting nature and communities of color

“On Belonging in Outdoors Spaces” is a free virtual speaker series running until June featuring prominent speakers whose are advancing efforts to strengthen belonging and connection between communities of color and the benefits of time in nature. The series is organized by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Farrington Nature Linc, The Food Project, Mass Audubon, and The Walden Woods Project.

First up in the series is “Meaningful Nature Engagement in Stressed Populations” with Akiima Price on Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. Her innovative programming strategies feature nature as a powerful medium to connect stressed youth, adults, and families in meaningful and positive experiences. She is a former National Park Service Interpretation Ranger and has worked for national work with environmental and social service organizations. Other speakers in the series will be Evelyn Rydz, Dr. Monica White, and Dr. J. Drew Lanham.

To register for any or all of the presentations, visit www.onbelongingoutdoors.org. Additional support is provided by the Ogden Codman Trust, the Lincoln Garden Club, and the Bemis Free Lecture Series.

The route and stop for the Lincoln MBTA shuttle bus. The routing is in lavender and the bus stop location is in blue. Keolis will have a member of staff directing customers to the bus stop from the other car park to the south for the duration of the closure. (Click to enlarge)

Shuttle bus schedule for commuter rail

The Fitchburg commuter rail line that includes Lincoln is closed for installation of Positive Train Control technology until May 2 and will be replaced by shuttle buses. The MBTA bas released this shuttle schedule.

New Lincoln Conservation Director takes the reins

By Maureen Belt

Lincoln’s new Conservation Director, Michele Grzenda, is an outdoor enthusiast who, by her own account, “pretty much eats, sleeps, and breathes nature.”

If she’s not kayaking, identifying bird calls for tourists, or hiking trails, Grzenda is backpacking through the great outdoors on snowshoes. Last March, she chose Lincoln’s vast green spaces as the ambiance for an important life event: her wedding day.  

Just as Covid-19 restrictions were beginning, Grzenda married her “forever soulmate,” Josh, a like-minded nature lover she met through her work with the Appalachian Mountain Club. Weston Town Clerk Deborah Davenport, her then-colleague, officiated the March 20, 2020 nuptials. The rocking horses of Lincoln’s Ponyhenge, some donning wedding finery, bore witness. 

“It was a spontaneous wedding,” Grzenda said via a Zoom call with the Lincoln Squirrel last week. “It was absolutely perfect.”

Michele Grzenda and her husband Josh on their wedding day at Lincoln’s Ponyhenge in March 2020. (Photo by Emily Schadler)

Grzenda was speaking from inside (a rare setting indeed) in her new Lincoln office. Plaques touting her many academic and professional achievements leaned against the wall behind her, waiting to be hung. Anyway, office beautification is not Grzenda’s top priority — instead, it’s protecting Lincoln’s wetlands, open spaces, and native species.

Grzenda (pronounced Gris-END-a), started on February 1 and succeeded Tom Gumbart, who held the position for nearly 21 years. Her background includes lots of experience in wetlands protection, both as the state and local levels, outreach and education programs, bird surveys, plant and wildlife protection, and even the evolution of New England landscapes since colonization. 

Lincoln’s conservation concerns (much like those in Weston, where Grzenda served as the Conservation Administrator for 12 years, and Framingham, where she served for five), have their own unique features and challenges, so she wants to know the lay of the land before taking action. “I still need to do a lot of learning,”  she said.

Lincoln is not foreign to Grzenda. Before moving to Newton last year, she lived here for 13 years and could cross-country ski to work in Weston. She also served nine years on Lincoln’s Open Space & Recreation Plan Committee. 

Grzenda is excited to meet and work alongside the members of the many partnerships and the residents who voluntarily share their passions and expertise with the department. She wants to set up educational programs to teach residents about the trails, woodlands, open spaces, farmlands, and the importance of land stewardship — not just for public land, but for their own properties.

Ideally, she said, more residents would become “pollinators,” meaning they would learn how to replace the invasive plants species on their own properties with indigenous flora that attract native insects, birds and animals. “Pollinating benefits the nature of Lincoln as a whole,” she said.

Educational programs also include teaching about the benefits of the natural world and Grzenda looks forward to continuing Gumbart’s spring and fall nature walks for all ages and accessibilities.

Her position in Weston allowed her to work with the public schools, something she hopes to do in Lincoln as well. And just like iconic naturalist Henry David Thoreau, Grzenda wants learning to take place beyond the brick and mortar (and Zoom and Google Classroom.)

“I want to utilize the open spaces as nature’s classroom,” she said. 

She especially wants to reach adults who have never experienced the joy of hiking trials, identifying birds, or just sitting by a river. “If they didn’t have an awareness of nature as kids, they may have received conflicting messages as adults,” she said. For example, instead of seeing a pond as a picturesque habitat, some may only see the threat of drowning. They may not understand how certain animals and insects — particularly the less cuddly ones — are invaluable to the ecosystem. Grzenda wants to ensure everyone has a healthy perspective. 

Being out and about in the natural world has always been Grzenda’s passion, but it was an elective course in environmental science during her junior year in high school in Wrentham that steered her toward her professional path. 

“It really opened my eyes to pursuing a career in environmental sciences,” she said. “I always loved nature as a kid. The woods were my sanctuary. That was the place I always wanted to be, and I just wanted to learn more.”

Grzenda earned degrees in environmental science and wildlife management at the University of New Hampshire. She then interned with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and held positions with the society and the Sudbury Valley Trustees before working for municipalities. She has published papers and teaches community education courses, and she’s led more than 200 hikes for the Appalachian Mountain Club. 

“Lincoln is a community with strong wetland protection bylaws and organizations that promote green spaces, and that understands how important it is to have the resources to maintain these things,” Grzenda said. “It’s a wonderful example of a community that clearly values open space and provides an opportunity for residents to get outside and find a patchwork of nature within walking distance, so they can feel connected to the plants and animals among us.” 

My Turn: The latest on Lincoln’s twisted tree

By Cathy Moritz

The Lincoln Garden Club and the Friends of the Lincoln Library are jointly sponsoring efforts to preserve the Library’s twisted Catalpa tree. The Garden Club and FOLL retained certified arborist Jonathan Bransfield of Bransfield Tree Co. to perform a significant preservation project on the tree in December 2020.  We send our thanks to Jonathan for this and prior work he has done on our iconic tree. 

Here is Jonathan’s description of the project:

“The Twisted Catalpa tree at the Lincoln Library was likely installed somewhere in the 1910s and its age is really starting to show, especially the condition of that curiously twisted stem… it’s as hollow as a soda straw and highly vulnerable to breaking apart in a storm. An analogy I like to use to help think about the structural issues of trees is that of an antique home: imagine renovating an old house with new insulation, plumbing, windows etc., it also has an old fieldstone foundation that is caving in and needs to be rebuilt. Similarly, a very old tree can have all its roots, soil, foliage, and cambium tuned up and working just great, but where a house can be jacked up to have a new foundation built under it, trees have no such therapy to rebuild a decayed core. All the old-school methods of cavity filling with concrete or other materials have been thoroughly debunked.  

An aerial view of the cabling work that was done in December.

“Maybe someday we will have the technology to reconstruct decayed heartwood, but until that time there are two arrows in our quiver to preserve decaying trees years into the future, and both were applied to our beloved catalpa. First was cabling. Cables work really well to add structural integrity to a spreading tree canopy, and in this case we used a noninvasive type that doesn’t require drilling into the wood. By cabling opposing limbs to each other with a hub and spoke formation, the forces of wind or ice pulling on a limb are distributed throughout the whole tree. For the second step we did some judicious pruning out on the tips of limbs. By shortening long and reaching limbs we reduce the potential weather forces that can bear down on that limb. It’s a lot harder to hold a weight with your arm fully outstretched than with it tucked in even a few inches. Our special lift equipment makes it possible to do this tip pruning surgically with full control of the cut. 

“There are few guarantees with big, old decaying trees in this age of increasing storm intensity and damage. I have been enjoying the sight of this highly unique plant for 30 years, and I hope we will get at least another 30 together. How did this tree get its shape? My vote is with human manipulation, and I will be working on growing reproductions of it from its very own progeny. Hopefully we will have grown something equally as wonderful when this specimen finally passes on.”

Moritz is the coordinator for the Lincoln Catalpa Committee.

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