Citizens for Lexington Conservation promotes the enjoyment and appreciation of our natural environment through education and advocacy.
CLC is a non-profit organization in the town of Lexington, Massachusetts.

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Dear Candidate for Town Office,

Each year Citizens for Lexington Conservation poses one or more questions pertaining to issues that will be coming before Town Meeting to all candidates for Town Office, collects the responses, and publishes them in our February newsletter prior to Town elections. This year we are asking two questions focusing on different facets of Lexington as a Sustainable community. One concerns a warrant article that will be coming before Town Meeting. The other concerns the proposed initiative to rezone the Hartwell Avenue district as a case study in applying sustainability measures. This initiative will likely come before a Special Town Meeting later this year.

Candidate Question #1: Warrant Article XX: Sustainability Director – 

To see if the town will vote to raise an appropriate sum of money for the purpose of hiring a Sustainability Director whose explicit responsibility will be, in collaboration with the Sustainable Lexington Committee, to oversee the implementation and effective management of the recommended actions in the Sustainable Action Plan and the Net Zero Emissions Roadmap, or to act in any other manner in furtherance thereof.

Sustainable Lexington, a volunteer committee reporting to the Board of Selectmen, was formed “to enhance Lexington's long-term sustainability and resilience in response to environmental resource and energy challenges.” In March 2013, Town Meeting adopted Warrant Article 33 stating the Town will “(a) consider climate change in all appropriate decisions and planning processes; (b) take action to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate; (c) reduce greenhouse gas emissions; (d) develop and implement a comprehensive climate action plan; all with the goal of making Lexington a truly sustainable community.”

Sustainable Lexington has achieved an impressive list of accomplishments. However, international and federal agencies report that the next few years are the critical window for communities around the globe to take actions that will lead the world on a path that holds global warming below 2 degrees. As the next step in Lexington’s evolution as a sustainable community, Article XX proposes the hiring of a Sustainability Director to accelerate this process in Lexington.

Will you as a candidate for town office support the adoption of this article? If you support adoption of this article, please explain why you feel such a position is needed. If you do not support this article, please provide your reasoning.

Candidate Question #2: Potential Hartwell Avenue Rezoning: 

Within the next 12 months the Hartwell Zoning Initiative will likely come before Town Meeting. Weighing the economic benefits to the town along side the impacts on the environment and Lexington’s evolution as a sustainable community will be a key consideration. Please explain what environmental and sustainability issues will be important to you as you consider this initiative.

For further information please refer to the various Consultant Reports that can be found on the Economic Department portion of the Town web site under Hartwell Zoning Initiative, Consultant Information.  

Please respond to both questions using about one-half page in total. E-mail replies are preferred, but typewritten and even legible handwritten ones will be accepted. If you encounter problems with the embedded links please copy the full URL provided into your browser window to access directly. Please put your name, precinct number, telephone number, email address and the position you are seeking at the top of your statement. A copy of the topics you are addressing will be printed in the newsletter, so you do not need to repeat them in your response. If you use email, I will send a return acknowledgement, so you will know your response was received.

Please send your response to:

Elaine Quinlan
21 Captain Parker Arms, Apt 11
Lexington, MA 02421-7042
Phone: 978-995-5794
E-mail: ejquinlan2@gmail.com 

Responses must be received on or before Monday, February 4, 2019.

Check out this delightful video made by some folks with a real appreciation for the natural world.

Monthly Trail Walks in Bedford

The Bedford Trails Committee conducts free monthly Trail Walks in Bedford the first Saturday of each month.  Trail walks vary monthly, from strolls on flat ground to hikes with hills. For detailed info on current and future hikes, please visit: https://groups.google.com/group/bedfordma-trails 

Location We rendezvous at 9:45 am at the parking lot behind the Bedford Free Public Library on 

Mudge Way, and leave 10:10 am from the Trailhead designated on the BedfordMA-trails website 

Contact:        To Join if you already have a Google account, go to: 

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/bedfordma-trails  and click “Join Group to Post”

To Join if you don’t have a Google account, please send an email to: BedfordMA.trailwalks@gmail.com  and you’ll be added to the Group.

The Wright Farm Barn, future home of Lexington's Community Environmental Center

Let us know if there is an upcoming event that should be listed here.

Citizens4LexingtonConservation@gmail.com

Joe-Pye-Weed in Dunback Meadow, August 2016 (photo courtesy John Andrews)

Are you looking for a new route to walk, run or bike?

ACROSS Lexington is waiting for you - try it!

You can find route information here on the Town website.

ACROSS Lexington stands for Accessing Conservation land, Recreation areas, Open space, Schools and Streets in Lexington.

Please let us know if you would be interested in working with CLC in any capacity. Could you write a piece for the Newsletter? Lead a walk? Work on the website? Take a leadership role on the Board? Help manage marketing/outreach? Drop us a line if you think you can help - we always welcome new faces!

Walks Publicity Coordinator: Each spring and fall CLC sponsors a series of walks in conservation and open space. We are looking for someone to focus initially on walks publicity, and eventually to organize and broaden the types of walks we conduct. 

Events Coordinator: Each year, CLC features a speaker on conservation, resource, or environmental issues. To deepen and enlarge our educational focus, we are seeking a new film/speaker coordinator to take on the tasks of identifying, scheduling, and publicizing videos and speakers. Our plans are to offer 3-4 events per year as an exciting new way for CLC to continue to raise public awareness regarding local, regional and national environmental issues.

Conservation Restriction Monitors: CLC is in the process of acquiring conservation restrictions (CRs) on five Town-owned properties that were acquired in whole or in part with Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. We are seeking individuals who are interested in helping to complete the remaining CR applications for three of the five parcels and/or participating in the annual monitoring of the properties. 

Recording Secretary. This position involves taking minutes at Board meetings and filing any forms required to maintain our status as a nonprofit organization. 

If you would like to know more about any of these positions, please contact Eileen Entin (eileenhome@gmail.com, 781-862-6418).

CLC is sponsoring a new program for children - the Junior Ranger Program - aimed at getting kids out into Lexington's Conservation properties with games and activities. In conjunction with Cary Memorial Library we have a booklet to guide children and their parents. The kids will visit several different Conservation areas, fill out some activity sheets that will guide nature observation, and can, upon completion, receive a Junior Ranger Certificate from the Library.

You can find the Junior Ranger booklet here.