Audubon in a tough spot

It's trees versus Audubon in the suburban town of Lincoln.

The venerable Massachusetts Audubon Society is under fire for its proposal to convert a Lincoln residence into a preschool because the plan requires pouring asphalt and removing trees.

The new facility would replace the preschool that Drumlin Farm runs on its main campus, on South Great Road. The preschool takes up the largest teaching space on the campus and can only be run three mornings a week, according to Christy Foote-Smith, the sanctuary's director.

Mass. Audubon estimates that about 20 trees will have to come down for a parking area with 15 spaces. There is enough asphalt already there for a driveway and a couple of parked cars.

"We're frustrated with their hypocrisy," said Kevin Williams, an Audubon member who lives around the corner on Lincoln Road, directly across from the site of the proposed preschool. "You assume when you are dealing with a conservation organization that they actually believe that and want to conserve land."