This quote graces a front page of A View from Lincoln Hill, by Paul Brooks, a book chronicling the interaction between humans and the land in our small New England town. Adams, Brooks, their predecessors and successors knew that the character of a town does not evolve by happenstance, but by choice. Choices are made each day by individuals, each week by town committees, and each year by the collected community in Town Meeting.

In the case of the land that lies within the borders of this town, these choices continue to result in healthy ecosystems, rural character and beautiful landscapes, preserving the legacy we have inherited.

Of course, there is also the legacy within the land itself. Lincoln, though perched on top of high ground, has a particular abundance of wetlands, areas assiduously avoided by our forebears who were no more enamored of wet basements and mosquitoes than we are. We now know the value of these wet-lands for wildlife habitat, flood protection, and water purification. A more recent contribution to the legacy is passage of state and local bylaws to protect those wetlands from development.

So, the roadside red-maple swamp that blazes against the chilly blue autumn sky, the swath of green dotted with Queen Anne’s Lace that remains a Town "common" after 250 years, the community supported farms that keep our fields open against the encroaching woodlands, the cathedral groves of hemlock and white pine, the almost 2000 acres of open space and 75 miles of trails, all of these are evidence of the close and respectful interaction between humans and the land in Lincoln over the centuries.

Recent History

Three Lincoln groups in particular consider their work as critical to maintaining the legacy so that our children’s children may say that it is indeed still "well with them" in Lincoln.

We were one of the first communities in the nation to establish a private land trust, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, in 1957. The Conservation Commission, established in 1959, pioneered wetlands regulation and public support for land acquisition. When development pressures in our increasingly popular town raised the prices of land to new levels, Lincoln’s response was "creative land development" through the creation of the Rural Land Foundation in 1965. The "RLF" develops land sensitively, preserving the more crucial parts for conservation.

                   Today. . .

The LLCT is a not-for-profit tax-exempt private trust supported entirely by contributions and time donated by many volunteers. It is run by a Board of Trustees which meets monthly.

Lincoln Conservation Commission:
• administers and enforces state and local regulations protecting wetlands and rivers;
• writes and maintains an Open Space Plan;
• manages the 1600 acres of publicly owned conservation land acquired during the last half century;
• advocates for Town conservation priorities to other town boards;
• administers state and local grants for land acquisition and management;
• provides education on natural resources and public safety on public conservation lands to children and adults through the Conservation Ranger Program.

The Conservation Commission is a public entity, part of our municipal government, and has both permanent and seasonal staff. The 7 members of the Conservation Commission are appointed by the Board of Selectmen for three-year terms.

Rural Land Foundation (RLF):
• acts as a clearinghouse for acquisition or protection of lands of conservation interest;
• protects land through conservation subdivision (limited development);
• raises capital funds and acquires bank loans for the purchase of key parcels of land in Lincoln.

The RLF is a not-for-profit organization directed by a board of up to 20 trustees elected by the trustees of the LLCT. It employs a full-time professional director.

Related Subcommittees
A subcommittee of the LLCT and the Conservation Commission, the Wildlife Advisory Committee, meets monthly to discuss issues relating to the flora and fauna of the town, with a goal of supporting biological diversity throughout Lincoln.

The Land Ethic
Why is a "land ethic" important? Paraphrasing Aldo Leopold, a biologist who first pioneered the phrase some 50 years ago, it becomes a "mode of guidance" for humans to operate as members of the greater ecological community. It means that humans accept membership in that larger community - of soils, of water, of animals, of plants - and that we must, in good conscience, always weigh the consequences of our individual and collective decisions as humans upon the rest of the community.

A community willing to adjust its laws and regulations to reflect a land ethic will pass on the legacy they have inherited. But a land ethic must also reside within the minds and hearts of the people. In Lincoln, many, many individuals work to perpetuate the Lincoln land ethic. Whether walking our trails, choosing to limit the use of pesticides on a lawn,

recycling at the transfer station or learning more about the wildlife that shares our land legacy, it is the individuals who make the land ethic come alive in our community.

Communicating with us:
Lincoln Land Conservation Trust
Box 6022
Lincoln, MA 01773

All press inquiries should be directed to:
Dwight Gertz, Chairman 781-259-1312
For general inquiries call:
Buzz Constable, President 781-259-0199

Conservation Commission
Town Offices
Lincoln, MA 01773
or call: 781-259-2612

Rural Land Foundation
Box 6328
Lincoln, MA 01773
or call: 781-259-9250

To buy maps and trail guides: ask at the Old Town Hall, the town offices or at many area businesses.

Click to visit the Rural Land Foundation page

Click to visit the Lincoln Conservation Commission page