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

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Gardening-Fork-And-TrowelOrganic gardening talk and plant sale

Naturalist and landscaper John Root will be on hand at “Organic Gardening for Everyone” on Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. Learn natural and effective techniques for the cultivation of a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Perennials will also be offered for sale. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. This program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library, Inc.

Dinner and silent auction to benefit children’s charity

There will be an Indian dinner and silent auction to benefit Child Haven International on Saturday, April 23 at 6 p.m. at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Church in Lincoln.

Child Haven International operates homes that provide food, education, healthcare, shelter and clothing for over 1,300 formerly destitute children in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Tibet. Child Haven was founded in 1985 by Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino and their family doctor, Nat Shah. The Cappuccinos decided to establish homes for children after adopting 19 children from around the world and their son, Robin Cappuccino, will be on hand to meet people at the dinner and show a brief slide show about the Child Haven Homes.

The silent auction will feature many items from Child Haven countries including wooden masks, metal and wooden statues of various deities, ornate jewelry, Tibetan singing bowls and other items sold to support the homes.

“Child Haven makes an incredible difference in the lives of hundreds of children and women in South Asia and does so in a way that fundamentally respects each participant’s dignity, humanity and individuality. I can think of few ways one can make a monetary donation go such a long way,” said Christine Damon of Lincoln, one of the event’s organizers.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by calling Damon at 781-879-5870 For more information, email her at christinehdamon@gmail.com.

Letter to the editor: town resources for questions on roads

letter

To the editor:

This letter is from the Board of Selectmen to participants in the LincolnTalk discussion forum on roads, as well as all Lincoln residents. In recent days, there has been considerable dialogue in LincolnTalk regarding questions and concerns with roads.

Public safety on our roads is a primary responsibility of the Board of Selectmen and is a regular topic for our discussion and decision. We encourage residents to bring their specific questions and concerns directly to the Board of Selectmen as outlined below.

We understand and appreciate that residents have always had and will continue to have concerns with traffic and road safety. Our roads are busy with traffic generated by residents and non-residents. We also attract bicyclists, and many of us like to walk alongside our roads, most of which do not have a roadside path. Some of our roads more easily accommodate traffic and traffic-related design than others. Moreover, the town has always valued the appearance of its roads and viewscapes. Finding the appropriate balance for managing these conditions is a regular challenge for us. As a result, the Board of Selectmen and its agents are the repository of many decades of experience.

With more than two decades as our Town Administrator, Tim Higgins is very knowledgeable about road safety and regulation. Tim is also a good listener, enjoys interacting with individual residents, and is ready and willing to provide guidance. He is reachable at 781-259-2604 or higginst@lincolntown.org. Please contact Tim directly. He and we welcome it.

As Tim will explain to you, road regulation is complicated by being subject to state regulations that constrain how we control usage of our local roads. Moreover, the state has direct jurisdiction over state and “county” roads. Therefore, we rely heavily on the experts in our Police Department who not only enforce our road regulations but also help us evaluate specific road issues and understand the universe of solutions permitted by law. This includes maintaining and regularly updating a database on traffic speed, usage and incidents, as well as proactively observing and alerting us to potential areas for increased attention.

In addition, we have a longstanding relationship with an excellent traffic engineering firm. And we maintain a standing advisory committee known as the Roadside and Traffic Committee, who assist us and our DPW Superintendent on the design and aesthetic aspects of maintaining our roads, and on whom we call for advice from time to time on specific matters.

In the near future, we hope to provide residents with a primer on road regulation, to help provide context and history for understanding prior and future decisions on enforcement, speed bumps, speed limits, crosswalks, signage, lines, turning restrictions, one-ways, roadside paths, and similar matters, along with a forum for further public discussion if desired. In the meantime, we encourage those with specific concerns to contact Tim.

Sincerely,

Peter Braun (Chairman, Lincoln Board of Selectmen)
16 Trapelo Rd.

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.

Letter to the editor: state’s bee pollinator plan is ‘a disgrace’

letter

Editor’s note: The Boston Globe ran a story on March 11 on the following issue.

To the editor:

So what does the Massachusetts Pollinator Protection Plan change for the better? Well, nothing really. It’s 14 pages of carefully crafted waffle to avoid mentioning the crux of the problem: “neonicitinoid” insecticides. There are so many independent scientific studies showing this class of pesticide as highly toxic to honey bees and pollinators in general that it’s hard to keep count. France just banned neonicitinoids (neonics) altogether; we can’t even mention their name.

The EPA says beekeepers don’t manage mites properly, and therein lies a large part of the problem. However, scientific research shows sub-lethal exposure to neonics increases mite infestations, reduces brood, increases broodless periods; and decreases winter survival rates for honey bees. The gut pathogen Nosema ceranae, another significant cause of winter mortality, is triggered by both pesticides and fungicides. The reality in the field and Science overlap—what a remarkable coincidence—but still our unelected officials can’t understand.

Meanwhile our local pollinators are being decimated. Many, like bumble bees and monarch butterflies, are proving more susceptible than honey bees to the toxic effects of neonics. According to the USGS, 90 percent of the nation’s water ways and streams are polluted with insecticides and herbicides, including neonics, despite the catastrophic effect neonics have on aquatic life as well. The truth is neonics are killing off all invertebrate life forms.

Laughably, the EPA’s solution is to teach commercial pesticide applicators how to apply these pesticides more sensitively. However, no regulation of the 100s of gallons of these insecticides stacked up in garden supply shelves across the state that residents can apply anyhow; no reduction in the application rates of these lawn products that use higher doses of neonics than conventional agriculture; no labeling for packs of potted “pollinator friendly” plants pre-treated with neonics, turning food into death traps for pollinators. In fact, the EPA won’t even ask manufacturers to disclose all the ingredients in pesticides, something eminent bee scientist Marla Spivak has requested for years.

One has to ask, who exactly is the EPA protecting? Fifty million pounds of insecticides a year pollute our lands. They are persistent, systemic and accumulate in the soil. Furthermore, when combined, pesticides have been shown up to 1,000 percent more lethal. Nonetheless, with over 1,200 agrochemicals approved, it is evident the EPA hasn’t yet found a chemical it doesn’t like—especially neonicitinoid insecticides.

In 2009 the EPA scientists conducted an assessment of clothianidin, a neonic used as a seed treatment on corn and many other crops. In their damning 101-page report, EPA scientists concluded that “acute toxicity studies to honey bees show that clothianidin is highly toxic on both a contact and an oral basis.” Instead of suspending or withdrawing the registration of this insecticide like the European Union did, the EPA is waiting until 2018 to “review the data.” Yes, read that again.

I actually spoke to Jeff Herndon, Director of Pesticide Registrations at the EPA, on January 31, 2010 about this report and three other studies showing the catastrophic effects of neonicitinoid pesticides on honey bees. I asked him bluntly what part of “it’s killing the bees” he didn’t understand. His response was surprisingly honest: “We’ve always known.”

Yes, we’ve always known, but we still pretend we don’t. This Pollinator Protection Plan is 14 pages of empty words masquerading as “doing something,” when we’re doing precisely nothing. It’s a boondoggle, a joke, a disgrace!

Sincerely,

Charlotte Trim
108 Codman Rd.

P.S. In Middlesex County, we lost over 90 percent of our managed hives over the past two winters, not the 29 percent loss mentioned as “the problem” in the MDAR plan.

P.P.S. Has anyone seen a bumblebee this year?

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.

Lincoln Minute Men events for Patriots Day

minutemen2The Lincoln Minute Men invite residents to join in the following events around Patriots Day.

Saturday, April 9

The Capture of Paul Revere
2:45 p.m. — Minute Man National Historical Park Visitors Center (250 N. Great Road, Lincoln)
3 p.m. — Capture Site
March behind the Lincoln Minute Men (LMM) down Battle Road or join us at the capture site where Paul Revere’s ride ended here in Lincoln. See Revere, Samuel Prescott, William Dawes, Mary Hartwell and Major Mitchell tell the true story, despite poetic efforts by special guest Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Music and musket fire. For all ages.

Tuesday, April 12

Lecture: “Lincoln’s Minute Men after April 19, 1775”
7:30 p.m., Bemis Hall (15 Bedford Rd., Lincoln)
Rick Wiggin, LMM historian and author of Embattled Farmers, will trace the journey of Lincoln men who fought at North Bridge, from the Siege of Boston through the Revolution to their lives in the new republic.

Saturday, April 16

Battle Road: Captain Smith, Parker’s Revenge, Tower Park
9:30 a.m. to noon — The LMM interpret the home of William Smith and his wife Catharine Louisa.
2 p.m. — Parker’s Revenge Battle, behind Visitors Center
4 p.m. — Battle of Tower Park (1200 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington).
The LMM inhabit the 1775 home of their first captain. Later, hundreds of British and Colonial soldiers recreate the running battle along the deadly stretch of road on the border of Lincoln and Lexington. Then both sides regroup to battle at Tower Park in Lexington.

Sunday, April 17

Lincoln Salute: Festival of 18th-Century Fife and Drum Music
2-3:30 p.m. — Pierce Park (17 Weston Rd., Lincoln)
The LMM host fife and drum groups from as far away as Michigan in a musical performance. Bring your picnic basket and lawn chairs for rousing entertainment.

Sunday, April 17

Alarm and Muster
7 p.m., library lawn opposite First Parish Church (3 Bedford Rd., Lincoln)
An ancient Revolutionary War veteran reminisces about those fateful early hours of April 19, 1775. Capt. William Smith rides down the hill to alarm the citizens of Lincoln. Bells ring, drums roll and the LMM fall in on the steps of the meeting house to receive their orders to defend Concord. Then march with the LMM to Pierce House for a firing demonstration.

Monday, April 18

Dawn tribute and march to the Concord parade
6:45 a.m., outside Bemis Hall (15 Bedford Rd., Lincoln)
9 a.m., Concord parade
The LMM salute the patriots buried in the Old Meeting House Cemetery as they emerge from the mists of the burial ground for roll call. Fifers play a lament and the muskets fire a volley. Then join the LMM on their walk to Concord (three miles) amid colonial music and musket fire. There will be bus transportation across Route 2 courtesy of Doherty’s Garage. All ages welcome.

Sunday, April 24

Old Burial Ground tribute
2:30 p.m. — Pierce House (17 Weston Rd., Lincoln)
March with the LMM and the Regulars from Pierce House to the Old Burial Ground on Lexington Road to honor the patriot dead and five British soldiers killed in Lincoln along the Battle Road. Hear Mary Hartwell tell her story of their burial. Ceremonies include music and musket salutes by both sides. A reception follows at Pierce House at 4 p.m. courtesy of the Lincoln Historical Society.

For a full description of events in Lincoln and surrounding towns, see www.battleroad.org or  www.lincolnminutemen.org.

News acorns

Registration open for “Kickin’ in Lincoln” kickball tournament

Lincoln students in grades K-8 are invited to register for Lincoln’s first-ever kids’ kickball tournament, Kickin’ in Lincoln, at the Lincoln School on Sunday, May 22. The cost is $15/player and includes a T-shirt designed by a Lincoln School student. Click here for details on age groupings and a downloadable registration form. Players and families can bring lunch or purchase from the visiting Clover food truck. Don’t forget chairs and picnic blankets. Games will be played on both the Smith and Paddock Fields (center of campus).

Register by Friday, April 15 by dropping off the form with a check made out to “Town of Lincoln” at the Parks and Recreation Department, or register on line (click the blue button) at www.lincolnrec.com. Anyone with questions may email the coordinators at kickballlincoln@gmail.com.

Get discounted rain barrels to conserve outdoor water

The rain barrel at Bemis Hall,

The rain barrel at Bemis Hall.

An illustration of a two-barrel system.

An illustration of a two-barrel system (click to enlarge).

Help Lincoln to meet the DEP’s water conservation goals and also save money by ordering a low-cost barrel through the Lincoln Water Department’s special program. The soft, chemical-free rain water is very good for grass and other plants, and you can link a pair of barrels as well.

To order, go to upcycle-products.com and click on Massachusetts in the right-hand column, then on Lincoln. Upcycle Products plastic rain barrels were originally used for overseas food transport, so this program not only promotes water conservation but also diverts large quantities of material from the waste stream. You can also order a diverter from Upcycle, or the Earthminded diverter kit available from Amazon.com. You can see Earthminded diverter and an Upcycle rain barrel in action on the uphill side of Bemis Hall. Paper order forms are also available at the water treatment plant at 80 Sandy Pond Rd. Rain barrels can be picked up on May 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hartwell school. Mail-in orders must be received by April 22 and online orders must be placed by April 27.

Conservation Dept. hiring for summer

The town Conservation Department is hiring a seasonal employee to assist with invasive plant management, trail maintenance and other land management activities. Applicants must be comfortable working outdoors on their own or in a small group, and be able to use trail-clearing equipment. Work can be in adverse conditions such as high heat and rain and there are potential risks such as exposure to poison ivy, ticks, and thorny plants. Duties include hand pulling invasive plants, clearing brush from overgrown trails, and some work with trail mowing equipment.

This position is for eight weeks from June to August, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with an hourly rate of $15/hour. Please send a letter of interest and your resume to David McKinnon, Conservation Department, 16 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 or mckinnond@lincolntown.org. (AA/EOE)

Two L-S students from Lincoln in Science Olympiad

Fourteen L-S sophomores and juniors—including Lincoln’s Bryce Mashimo and Jonathan Vale—participated in the Regional Science Olympiad Competition on March 19 at Framingham State University. The students worked in pairs to answer questions and perform lab activities in 16 different events during the day, including geologic mapping, protein folding, circuits, fossils, and forensics to name a few. In addition, nine students built devices ahead of time to take to the event—including a bridge, an electric vehicle, a wind-powered propellor, a miniature airplane, a device to measure time, and a device to launch ping pong balls across the room. The L-S team placed ninth overall out of 53 teams, and nearly every student placed in the top 10 in at least one of their events.

Biennial “Trash and Treasurers” fair on April 9

Jewelry for sale at a previous May Market.

Jewelry for sale at a previous May Market.

The First Parish in Lincoln will hold its May Market “Trash and Treasurers” fair on Saturday, April 9 from 9 a.m. to noon in the auditorium of the Parish House (14 Bedford Road).

The “white elephant” sale offers antiques, collectibles, jewelry, household goods, furniture, and much more. Shoppers who arrive before 9 a.m. can enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee while they wait for the doors to open. All proceeds go to the First Parish in Lincoln.

A tradition at First Parish in Lincoln since 1981, May Market is held biennially to allow time to collect a large assortment of saleable items. Proceeds from previous fairs have funded projects such as a church kitchen renovation, the sidewalk between the church and Parish Hall, and refurbishments to the minister’s office.

“May Market is a wonderful tradition at First Parish in Lincoln and truly is recycling at its best,”said Tucker Smith, May Market committee chair. “This is at least the 20th year in which I’ve been involved. Our 2014 May Market was a record-breaker in terms of revenue, and we’re hoping for another great event this year.”

Following the fair, any leftover items are donated to Households Goods, Inc., an Acton-based nonprofit that provides donated furniture and household items to the needy. Any questions about May Market may call Smith at 781-259-9320.

Kids and Flints raise $1,400 for charity with maple syrup

Jack Doyle, Mira David and Audie Wells sell maple syrup at Town Meeting.

Jack Doyle, Mira David and Audie Wells sell maple syrup at Town Meeting.

Lincoln School third-graders, with the help of Flint Farm’s Nancy Bergen and Ephraim Flint, successfully raised $1,400 for charity as part of a maple syrup science project.

The children collected and measured sap from maple trees and then correlated daily sap production with temperature, finding that sap flows more quickly on warm days. To collect the sap, they tapped three trees on the school campus, and Flint Farm tapped another 40 trees around town, such as along those Baker Bridge Road.

The Flints donated their time and equipment to boil the sap into delicious maple syrup. Third-graders Mira David, Jack Doyle, Law deNormandie and Audie Wells sold the maple syrup at the recent Annual Town Meeting. They sold a total of 22 quarts and 11 pints, and Flint Farm decided to give half of the proceeds ($700) to Codman Farm to support all of the great work they do in town.

The entire third grade also discussed a number of worthwhile charities to which the rest of proceeds could be donated, and decided that this year they will support Save the Children.

—Submitted by Michelle Doyle

Welcome to the new Lincoln Squirrel!

news+squirrelDear readers,

Welcome to the new Lincoln Squirrel—just in time for spring! (Monday’s forecast notwithstanding.)

Today is the first day of the Squirrel’s new look, and the first day you can sign up as a paid subscriber. As I’ve previously explained here and here, the Squirrel is moving to a paid-subscription model. Until Friday, April 8, everyone can still see the Squirrel for free as before, but after April 8, you must subscribe and then log in (usually just once per device) to keep reading the articles.

A few other notes:

  • You now have the option of paying for an entire year of the Squirrel rather than a monthly charge. PayPal accepts credit cards, debit cards and checking account withdrawals), or you can pay by old-fashioned paper check. To do so, please mail a check for $48.00 made out to Watusi Words to:

Alice Waugh
178 Weston Rd.
Lincoln MA 01773

(In case you were wondering, Watusi Words is the name of my freelance business that includes the Lincoln Squirrel… so if you know anyone who needs some writing, editing or other communications work, feel free to send them to www.watusiwords.com.)

  • If you have made a donation to the Squirrel at any time since April 1, 2015, you will automatically get six months of the new Squirrel for free.
  • The calendar and some other non-article features of the site will always be free.

As the new system gets going, let me know if you have any questions or problems, and we’ll make improvements together. A sincere thank-you to everyone who’s been reading the Squirrel and will continue to do so, and a big welcome to new readers!

Sincerely,

Alice Waugh
Editor, The Lincoln Squirrel
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com
617-710-5542 (mobile)

News acorns

Page wins Lifetime Achievement Award
Katherine Hall Page

Katherine Hall Page

Mystery writer and Lincoln resident Katherine Hall Page will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Malice Domestic mystery writers’ conference in April. She is one of the only authors to have won an Agatha Award in all three categories: Best Novel, Best Short Story and Best First Novel. Page’s latest book, The Body in the Wardrobe, features part-time sleuth, minister’s wife and caterer Faith Fairchild, alongside new series favorite Sophie Maxwell, last seen in The Body in the Birches and now a newlywed living in historic Savannah, Ga., where she crosses paths with murder.

Town seeks volunteers for Community Preservation Committee

The Board of Selectmen seeks volunteers to fill several vacancies on the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). This is an opportunity to help your town, to learn about its historic preservation, affordable housing, open space preservation and recreational programs and initiatives, and to help determine how to most wisely invest our limited Community Preservation Act funds. Visit the town website for a volunteer application and information about other volunteer opportunities. Applications should be submitted to the Selectmen’s Office, attn: Peggy Elder, administrative assistant: elderp@lincolntown.org or 781 259-2601.

Andrew McNight plays at next LOMA
Andrew McKnight

Andrew McKnight

Andrew McKnight will perform at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mic Acoustic) night on Monday, April 11 from 7-10 p.m.  He’ll perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 p.m. His powerful, entertaining show provides one-man theatre delivered with down-home comfort with finely crafted songs weaving together humorous stories and poetic drama. He frequently performs with Les Thompson, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

LOMA is a monthly event. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com before noon of the open-mike day) for a slot. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style.

Hazardous waste dates for 2016

The following is a list of the 2016 collection dates for household hazardous waste at 60 Hartwell Ave, in Lexington from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

  • April 16
  • May 14
  • June 18
  • July 16
  • August 13
  • September 18 (the only Sunday date)
  • October 15
  • November 12

All Lincoln residents must pre-register by calling Elaine Carroll at 781-259-2613 or by coming to the Lincoln Board of Health office at 16 Lincoln Rd., second floor. Latex paint will not be accepted at this facility since it is not a hazardous product. Please contact the Board of Health office for ways to properly dispose of latex paint.

Letter to the editor: monopoles may boost cell phone coverage

letter

Editor’s note: The following was one of several comments made on the March 29 story about proposed MBTA monopoles and is reprinted as a letter with the permission of Mr. Domnitz, who served on the Planning Board from 2003-2015.

To the editor:

Although it is never easy to accept the preemptive authority of a state agency, a potential benefit of the proposed towers is that they may finally provide a relatively benign solution to the coverage gaps in two neighborhoods that have been relentlessly targeted by cellular telephone companies—the Red Rail Farm/Walden Pond area, and the Route 117 corridor near the Weston line.

About 11 years ago, the Planning Board did a comprehensive town-wide study of potential cell tower sites in an attempt to relieve the pressure we were experiencing from cell phone carriers who were seeking to locate at will throughout the town. Ironically, we identified the MBTA right-of-way sites near Red Rail Farm and Weston as viable options, but we were unable to arouse any interest from the MBTA. They are now interested, and they seem willing to work with Lincoln stakeholders.

A few points:

  1. The Planning Board should reach out to the affected neighborhoods and invite them to attend the April 26 meeting. The Walden Woods Project and DCR [Department of Conservation and Recreation]/Walden Pond should also be notified.
  2. Although the MBTA appears to be exempt from local zoning, the Planning Board should assess the extent to which the current proposals do not comply with current zoning dimensional controls. This might help the town negotiate any issues of concern to abutters.
  3. The Planning Board should consider whether it makes sense to put the proposed sites into the Wireless Communications Facilities overlay district. This might provide some benefit to the town in the future by discouraging cell phone companies from attempting to negotiate siting with other property owners.

Sincerely,

Bob Domnitz
21 Mill St.

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.