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

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masksMiddle schoolers perform Baghdad Zoo on Friday

On Friday, April 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium, students will perform a short play, Baghdad Zoo, before performing it at the day-long Massachusetts Middle School Drama Festival in Fall River on Saturday. Drama teacher Kristin Hall has been working with students in grades 6-8 since September on the play, and the cast and crew would love an audience at their dress rehearsal on Friday. Baghdad Zoo by Kevin Dyer is a moving one-act play that tells the story of seven frightened children who protect the animals of the Baghdad Zoo during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Due to its serious themes, this play is appropriate for grades 4 and up. Free admission.

“40 Years of Community” fair is on Saturday

The whole town will celebrate the 40th anniversary of three Lincoln institutions at the “40 Years of Community” fair on Saturday, April 30 in Pierce Park from 1-4 p.m. (rain date: May 1). Among the participants will be the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee, which will welcome two special guests: state Rep. Katherine Clark  and state Sen. Michael Barrett, who will meet and greet residents from 1-2 p.m. Visitors to the Lincoln Housing Commission table can make an origami house and help decorate a dollhouse while learning about the group’s 47-year history of creating affordable housing and the new Affordable Accessory Apartment Program. See the fair’s website for a list of participating organizations, exhibits and more.

Urban farming talk in May

Join a discussion on the urban farming movement and the agricultural connections between Lincoln, Boston, the U.S. and the world at “Urban Farming: Growing Food in Our Communities” on Tuesday, May 10 from 7-9 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Speakers will be J. Harrison, executive director of the Food Project and a member of the Massachusetts Food Council Advisory Board, and Jen Hashley of Codman Community Farms, director of Tufts University’s New Entry Farming Project. Sponsored by the Lincoln Agricultural Commission.

Letter to the editor: new Minuteman building opens doors for programming

letter

(Editor’s note: the most recent Lincoln Squirrel article on Minuteman High School can be found here.)

To the editor:

Anyone who doubts the Commonwealth’s commitment to vocational, technical and agricultural education should look closely at the Baker administration’s $85 million proposal to fund capital projects, expand programming and provide financial incentives for vocational-technical schools and community colleges to cooperate. Industry leaders across the state are working with these innovative high schools and community colleges to align curriculum and offer practical learning experiences to help the future workforce.

At the forefront of these efforts to improve vocational-technical education in Massachusetts is Minuteman High School in Lexington. Minuteman is on the verge of funding and building a long-overdue new campus. A new school lies at the heart of the school’s mission to provide 21st-century vocational and technical education with pathways to higher learning, entry into the workforce and career advancement.

Minuteman is proposing a smaller, high-tech school with 16 career and technical education programs grouped into two Career Academies. The campus is designed to better serve students, the businesses that will ultimately employ them and the taxpayers that support the school. What is proposed at Minuteman is a robust educational model that focuses both on student educational goals and local workforce needs.

In order to fully utilize its new campus, Minuteman is exploring collaborations with state colleges and universities, including the University of Massachusetts, Stockbridge. These discussions could result in early college or dual enrollment programs where high school students earn college-level credits or programs where Minuteman High School students earning college degrees. Another possibility is the creation of an Agricultural Academy. All of these innovations and more are possible with a new campus.

The outcome of the debate over construction of a Minuteman High School is critical for both the students served by the district and by business seeking qualified and enthusiastic employees. Fortunately, the district now appears headed toward a successful outcome, including a series of town approvals authorizing the capital financing of the project.

The new Minuteman campus will have a positive impact from several perspectives: creation of new jobs, development of a sustainable workforce, and creation of an educated, diverse and talented pool of workers. Minuteman’s success is our success and it will help ensure the region’s educational and economic vitality.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Stulin (Needham), chair of the Minuteman School Committee

Ford Spalding (Dover), chair of the Minuteman School Building Committee

Christopher Bateman (Lexington), president of the Minuteman Futures Foundation, Inc., a private, nonprofit organization established to support Minuteman High School

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

MBTA monopole session postponed

Yellow stars indicate the three sites in Lincoln where the MBTA is proposing to put monopoles (click to enlarge).

Circled yellow stars indicate the three sites in Lincoln where the MBTA is proposing to put monopoles (click to enlarge).

Tonight’s scheduled presentation to the Planning Board about a plan to build three monopoles along the commuter-rail right of way in Lincoln has been postponed after federal officials recommended reclassifying the proposal as a multi-use WiFi project.

At the request of Lincoln officials, MBTA representatives had planned to attend tonight’s Planning Board meeting to answer questions about the agency’s proposal to put three poles, each about 70 feet high, along the train tracks in Lincoln. The poles here and elsewhere on the MBTA commuter rail system will carry telecommunications equipment allowing the MBTA to comply with a federal mandate for emergency train-stopping technology, also known as Positive Train Control. The poles could also hold third-party equipment to improve WiFi access on the trains.

Because the pole sites are within the MBTA’s right of way and not located in wetlands areas, the agency is not required to obtain approval from town land use boards.

“When compliance paperwork was initially filed with the FCC, a number of the monopoles were to be used for Positive Train Control, while a majority were to be used for commuter rail WiFi multipurpose guidelines,” MBTA Deputy Press Secretary Jason Johnson said on Tuesday. “In reviewing the findings, the FCC determined that not all of the monopoles were dedicated to PTC use and recommended to us that the filing would have to be reclassified as a multi-use WiFi project.”

The classification change “gives the MBTA the flexibility to utilize the infrastructure for future projects, reducing the need to build potentially redundant structures along the rights of way, saving future projects time and money,” Johnson added.

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Climate justice film series kicks off Tuesday

St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Church will show Just Eat It, the first in a series of films on climate justice, on Tuesday, April 26. A soup supper will be served at 6:30 p.m. and screening begins at 6:50 p.m. The evening is free and open to the public, though a donation to help cover the screening cost is appreciated. Just Eat It notes that as a society, we devour countless cooking shows, classes and blogs—so how could we possibly be throwing nearly 50 percent of our food in the trash?

The next film in the series, Divest: The Climate Movement on Tour, is on May 24. On June 28 is Oil and Water, the true story of two boys coming of age as they confront one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.

Second ‘fireside chat’ on refugees and asylum April 27

As a follow-up to the Council on Aging’s January “fireside chat” about challenges facing asylum seekers and refugees in the U.S., the group decided to continue the discussion and also consider how interested people in our community can lend a hand. On Wednesday, April 27 at 10 a.m., participants will discuss what they learned in January, the situations of refugees and those seeking asylum in our country and globally, and what opportunities to provide assistance locally, nationally and internationally those in the group might like to pursue. All are welcome whether you attended the January session or not. Sharon Carlson, one of the founders of Dignity in Asylum who spoke at the  January meeting, will attend.

On Wednesday, May 25 at 10 a.m., group members will discuss their own stories of times when they felt they were treated as being “other,” whether because of demographic characteristics or other aspects of who we are. What happened? How did we feel? What did we learn about how and why people are made to feel as if they are “other” than the majority of people in our society? The Fireside Chat is a monthly discussion group where we respectfully discuss issues and experiences using questions and answers facilitated by Sharon Antia. All are welcome!

HATS meeting on Thursday

The next meeting of the Hanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS) will be on Thursday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building. Paul Regan, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, will be speaking. Other agenda items include Fitchburg monopole installations in MBTA right-of-way, and possible updates on the Route 2 and Route 128 highway projects.

Read a story to a child at the town fair

At the “40 Years of Community” fair on Saturday, April 30, the Council on Aging is sponsoring a story time to celebrate the powerful relationship between grandparents or “grandfriends” and the important children in their lives. They’ve selected books from around the world from diverse cultures which embrace the connection between generations. Come and grab a good story, a blanket and snack, and take time from a busy day to have a quiet time to share a good book with a beloved child in your life. You don’t have to be a “real grandparent” to participate. In addition to stories, there will be music provided by Packy Lawler, Rob Todd and friends, who will sing old favorites and invite the audience to sing along when appropriate. The musical portion of the COA’s program will be from 2:30-3:00 p.m. Books and blankets may be borrowed any time from 1-4 p.m.

Garden Club plant sale on May 7

Paul Gingrich digging up Spirea for the Lincoln Garden Club plant sale.

Paul Gingrich digging up Spirea for the Lincoln Garden Club plant sale.

Buy perennials, plant plugs and more at the Lincoln Garden Club‘s biennial plant sale on Saturday, May 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Codman barn. Some of the plants on hand will include trillium, bloodroot and phlox, plus innovative container gardens designed by garden club members just in time for Mother’s Day.

This year the club will be selling four species of native plant plugs: Sedum ternatum “Larinem Park,” Stokesia lavevis “Peachie’s Pick,” Cheolone lyoni “Hot Lips” and Pycnanthemum muticum. These are all popular with the pollinators and not with deer! There will also be the popular table of garden bric-a-brac. The sale will be held at Codman Barn, 58 Codman Rd, Lincoln, from 9am to 1 pm.

The sale supports Lincoln Garden Club activities such as arrangements for home-bound, plantings for the watering trough at Five Corners and the Codman/Lincoln Road intersection, and presentations for the whole town such as the April lecture in conjunction with the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust on landscaping for song birds. It’s also a great time to meet neighbors and friends, ask gardening advice, and get inspiration for your garden.

Green Energy Committee offers free home assessment

Lincoln Energy Challenge members get ready for the Lincoln Town Fair. Left to right: John Snell, Lynne Smith, Ed Lang, Jennie Morris and Sue Klem.

Lincoln Energy Challenge members get ready for the “40 Years of Community” fair. Left to right: John Snell, Lynne Smith, Ed Lang, Jennie Morris and Sue Klem.

The Green Energy Committee (GEC) is sponsoring the Lincoln Energy Challenge to help residents reduce their home energy consumption, increase rooftop solar and community solar farms, and sign up for renewable sources of electricity, particularly solar and wind.

The first stop on the way to saving money and energy is a no-cost home energy assessment tailored specifically to your home and done by auditors and insulation staff with new Lincoln Energy Challenge partner Co-op Power. The firm specializes in implementing the recommended energy savings upgrades including air sealing, insulation, and furnace, boiler and appliance upgrades with the help of state-incentivized rebates. An energy assessment can be performed if more than two years have passed since your last one.

Please visit the GEC at the “40 Years of Community” fair on April 30 (rain date: May 1) in Pierce Park to learn about what you can do and to sign up for a no-cost home energy assessment. Or you can schedule an assessment by calling Co-Op Power at 877-266-7543 or visiting www.LincolnEnergyChallenge.org. Anyone with questions may email GEC member Sue Klem at susan.m.klem@gmail.com.

Second annual Lincoln PMC Kids Ride is May 1

PMC Kids Ride Photo

The start of the 2015 Lincoln PMC Kids Ride at the Lincoln School.

Bicyclers are gearing up for Lincoln’s second annual PMC Kids Ride on Sunday, May 1. The ride to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Pierce House.

Children from ages 3-15 can participate by riding or volunteering. There are three routes: a loop around the Pierce House garden for the youngest riders (including those on tricycles and with training wheels) as well as two-mile and four-mile routes. Volunteers on bikes and on foot supervise the riders, who can register to ride singly or as part of a team. This year the Magic Garden Children’s Center has created a team of riders.

The Lincoln ride was organized last year for the first time by Will Levy, 13, who had been riding in similar events since he was six. The inaugural event (one of 37 rides modeled after the Pan-Mass Challenge for adults) drew more than 80 riders and raised more than $7,500. This year, Will made a presentation at the Lincoln School and distributed event bands. He also created an awareness day with a table at the transfer station.

Will Levy designed this PMC bracelet on sale at Something Special for $10.

Will Levy designed this PMC bracelet on sale at Something Special for $10.

Wally the Green Monster will make an appearance to congratulate the children for making a difference in the fight against cancer. Something Special is selling PMC Bracelets for $10 to support the community event. Click here for registration for riders and volunteers or to make a donation. Anyone with questions may email pattylevy.pmckidslincoln@gmail.com.

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CamelBak pack found

If you left a Camelbak pack at the transfer station’s swap table, please email Peter von Mertens at petervonmertens@gmail.com. The pack has an article of personal interest in one of the pockets that he would like to return.

Farm-to-table event on May 5

There will be a presentation and discussion with four local farm-to-table business owners on Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Auditorium. “From the Ground Up” is sponsored by FELS (Friends of Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury), a nonprofit that awards enrichment grants to L-S faculty and staff to pursue their professional and personal interests and passions. Admission is $10. Speakers will be:

Mike Laureanno to play at next LOMA event

Mike Laureanno will perform starting at 8:30 p.m. at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) night on Monday, May 9 from 7-10 p.m. Laureanno released two CDs in the last three years, one of which (Pushing Back Wintertime) contains his moving song about war, Little Red-Winged Blackbirds. LOMA is a monthly event. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com for a slot. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups.

Lincoln group working to create a new pollinator meadow

A Birches School student stakes out a plant plot for a pollinator meadow adjacent to the Smith school building to prepare the site for planting as part of People for Pollinators, an initiative supported by the Birches School, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and a private donor.

A Birches School student and helper stake out a plant plot for a pollinator meadow to prepare the site for planting.

A new Lincoln collaborative called People for Pollinators is sponsoring three events to advance its mission to promote, protect and create native habitat that supports the vitality of pollinators in the face of bee colony collapse.

People for Pollinators had its roots at an April 2015 symposium on pollinators in crisis with bee researcher Noah Wilson-Rich. The event sparked an idea to create plots of pollinator-friendly plants on Lincoln conservation land. Parents from the Birches School who were at the event approached the head of the school, which reached out to the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT). Together with Lincoln Agricultural Commission (AgComm) and the Lincoln Garden Club, both of which sponsored the Wilson-Rich talk, the partnership was created.

The People for Pollinators collaboration later grew to include the Conservation Commission, Stonegate Gardens and individuals in the Lincoln community as well. The effort is supported by grants from Birches School, the LLCT and a private donor.

The initiative first put boots on the ground (albeit small boots) earlier this month when students from Birches School together with some People for Pollinators members started preliminary work on a native, perennial, chemical-free pollinating meadow. The crew staked out plant plots on conservation land adjacent to the Smith School building and set up the solarization process to prepare the site for planting.

On Sunday, April 24 from 1-4 p.m., the Birches School will host “You’re a Citizen Scientist: People for Pollinators Project,” part of the Cambridge Science Festival. Visitors can learn from students in grades K-5 how to start their own grassroots effort to save the pollinators, set up experimental paradigms in their own gardens and have a positive impact on the ecosystem. The event is free, but please RSVP to events@birchesschool.org.

At the town-wide “40 Years of Community” fair on Saturday, April 30 from 1-4 p.m. in Pierce Park, People for Pollinators will present information and facilitate several activities, including making a native-plant “seed bomb” for participants to take home with them to start a pollinator habitat of their own

Finally, at an a community-wide event on June 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., People for Pollinators and volunteers will plant plugs and seed the meadow site. Participants are encouraged to bring gardening gloves, a trowel and sturdy shoes. Hand tools will be provided for those who do not bring any. Long sleeves and pants recommended for ticks. Members of the collaborative and students from Birches School will help and direct participants. This is a drop-in event; the rain date is June 5.

In March, the state Department of Agricultural Resources released a draft of the Massachusetts Pollinator Protection Plan that was vehemently opposed by state beekeepers, who themselves released a plan last August called the Massachusetts Pollinator Protection Plan Framework. Beekeepers assert that pesticides, especially neonicintinoids—a class of insecticides used in agriculture and found in garden products—are the major source of the colony collapse problem.

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Disneynature’s ‘Wings of Life’ to be shown

wingsThe Lincoln Land Conservation Trust presents a family-friendly movie matinee, Disneynature’s Wings of Life, on Wednesday, April 27 at 3:45 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. The movie utilizes riveting high-speed, time lapse and macro filmmaking techniques to showcase in spectacular detail the unsung heroes of our planet: butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, bats and flowers. Running time: one hour, 21 minutes.

Rain barrel deadline coming up

Wednesday, April 27 is last day to order a rain barrel through the Lincoln Water Department’s special program. See the April 3 News Acorns for details.

Volunteer sought for town Personnel Board

The town is seeking an active member for Personnel Board, which aims to ensure fair and equitable wages and working conditions for town employees and to assist town departments in administering personnel policy. The board meets only on an as-necessary basis. For more information on the Personnel Board’s function, see the General By-laws of the Town of Lincoln starting on page 24. Anyone interested people should contactTown Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden at sarahcannonholden@gmail.com. A volunteer application can be found here.

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Dukakis to speak in Lincoln
Michael Dukakis

Michael Dukakis

The Bemis Free Lecture Series presents former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis speaking on “America’s Role in a Post-Obama World” on Wednesday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Brooks Auditorium. Admission is free.

Architecture talk at Gropius House

Join Dr. Sophie Hochhäusl, assistant professor of 20th-century architecture at Boston University, for a lecture on how Depression-era scarcity helped shape modern architecture in a talk on Wednesday, May 4 from 7-9 p.m. at the Gropius House (68 Baker Bridge Rd.). The title of Hochhäusl’s talk is “The Werkbund Settlement and the Growing House: Scarcity, Nature, and Architecture in Vienna and Berlin, 1932.” After the stock market crash of 1929, European designers sought new solutions for the looming housing and food crises. Both in Germany and Austria, architects such as Walter Gropius and Adolf Loos sought to combat scarcity through proposing new housing schemes which culminated in ideas such as the “core house” or the “growing house,” which could both expand over time. After World War II, architects such as Martin Wagner adapted this work at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, aligning with American ideals of prefabrication, self-sufficiency, and mobility.

$5 for Historic New England members, $10 for nonmembers. Registration recommended; please call 617-994-6145 or buy tickets online.

Lovelane to hold Run for Love fundraiser

The Lovelane Special Needs Horseback Riding is holding a Run for Love fundraising 5K road race on Sunday, June 12. Lovelane is needs individual runners and people (both runners and non-runners) to start fundraising pages, as well as companies to become sponsors. The race begins and ends at the Weston town green. There will also be a half-mile kids’ fun run and toddler dash before the main event. This fundraiser is critical because there has been a recent outbreak of strangles among the horses at Lovelane, which has set them back about $50,000 for the year. Last year’s Run for Love event raised about $83,000.

Lovelane also has a vibrant volunteer corps who help during lessons leading horses or walking alongside riders to keep them safe. Volunteers must be 16 years or older. No horsemanship skills required—we will train! Barn help and special event volunteer opportunities also available. If you’d like to become a volunteer, please call 781-259-1177 x 26 (Lisa) or see Lovelane’s volunteer web page.

Volunteer opportunity at Codman Estate

Property Care - Codman - 2009.general Landscape shots - COD.0605Volunteer alongside Historic New England’s staff experts and members to care for and learn about historic gardens and landscapes at the Codman Estate (34 Codman Rd.) from 10 a.m. to noon on the following Wednesdays:

  • May 18
  • June 15
  • July 20
  • August 17
  • September 21
  • October 19

Work includes seasonally appropriate tasks such as weeding the gardens and paths, dividing plants, planting new materials, removing invasive species, and other clean-up activities. You may choose ongoing participation or just try it out for a day. Garden volunteers get a $10 discount on a family membership. A special appreciation gathering will be hosted in September followed by a tour of the Codman Historic House Museum. Meet at the Italian Garden.