Our Town’s Report

by Roland D. Hallee

Last weekend, while we were getting ready to open camp for the summer, we did some raking of leaves along with some of our camp neighbors. While raking a section of road, our friends alerted me to something they found. It was definitely a leg from some kind of large bird. My first thought was a raptor because of the size, and the presence of a large spur on the back of the leg. But my gut feeling was turkey. It had three toes and this one rather large talon on the back of the leg. Now, I have never hunted turkey, and never really paid much attention to the species, except when it’s on a platter on the Thanksgiving dinner table. Also, the part of the leg that was found is usually removed from the holiday fowl.

It didn’t take much research to confirm my suspicion. It was the leg of a turkey, pretty well picked clean of all meat. The only thing that confused me was the color of the feathers remaining on the leg. They were reddish in color. But, it was definitely turkey.

The next question in my mind was what could have taken down a bird of that size. More investigation showed the foot print of the bird to be three inches. A mature male tom turkey would have a footprint of about six inches, while an adult female would be about four inches. So, this fowl was probably a poult, or young turkey, a more manageable target for a predator.

From the time an egg is laid, there is a predator looking for a ready-made omelet. Snakes of all descriptions, skunks, crows and ravens, opossums, raccoons, rodents, dogs and coyotes, even domestic cats, to name a few, are on the lookout for a nest and an easy lunch. If the eggs survive to hatching, things don’t get any easier. Hawks, owls, foxes and other large predators like cougars and eagles in some parts of the country love to find a brood from which they can grab a young, unsuspecting poult.

But the list goes on. Predators on poults can include bald eagles, barred owls, red-tailed hawks and broad-winged hawks, all of which exist around our camp. Mortality of poults is greatest in the first 14 days of life, especially of those roosting on the ground. Add to that list of predators coyotes, gray wolf, bobcats, cougars and even black bears, and the turkey population could take a considerable hit.

As noted earlier, the large spur on the talon was something I had never seen before, and didn’t think existed on a turkey. Occasionally, if cornered, adult turkeys may try to fight off predators, and large male toms can be especially aggressive in self-defense. When fighting off predators, turkeys may kick with their legs, using the spurs on the back of their legs as a weapon.

The turkey was Benjamin Franklin’s choice for the United States’ national bird. It was a favored food of Native Americans. Yet, by the early 20th century, wild turkeys no longer roamed over much of their traditional range. They had been wiped out by hunting and the disappearace of their favored woodland habitat.

Historically, in Maine, wild turkeys existed in significant numbers in southern counties. From the time of settlement, until 1880 agricultural practices intensified, farmland comprised about 90 percent of York and Cumberland counties. The reduction in forest land and unrestricted hunting are believed to be the two most important factors leading to the extirpation of native wild turkeys in Maine in the early 1800s.

Attempts to reintroduce turkeys in Maine began in 1942, but several attempts to restock the bird failed. Over the years, farms became abandoned and land was reverted back to forest.

In 1977 and 1978, 41 wild turkeys were obtained from Vermont and released in York and Cumberland counties. In 1984, 19 birds were captured in York County and released in Hancock County. To make a long story short, the population continued to grow. Today, in the 2000s, the wild turkey population is high in Maine. The flock in Maine is now estimated at more than 60,000 birds and growing. They now exists in all 16 Maine counties.

In the end, the restocking of wild turkeys – nearly wiped off the American landscape – has been a conservation success story. But, has it been too successful. Like mentioned earlier, the flock is continually growing – good news for the Thanksgiving table – but bad news for those who have seen the turkeys destroy their crops. Turkeys are now present in 49 states – only Alaska is void of them.

Farmers, especially in Maine, don’t like the birds. A flock of 20 turkeys can go down a row in the orchard and peck an apple here and there, and destroy $10,000 in apples in an hour. Not only that, but turkeys also compete for the same foods as the white-tailed deer.

We’re still not sure what killed and consumed that particular turkey. A close look at the bones didn’t show any evidence of claw or teeth marks – maybe I’ve watched too many episodes of the TV series Bones, but we do know it lurks in the campground. And it has a taste for turkey.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

In the 13 years between 1957 and 1969, what of significance happened during the NBA playoffs?

by Peter Cates

Some more non-classical examples of recorded sound:

Harry James: I Wish I Knew; The More I See You; Columbia- 36794, ten-inch 78, recorded 1-3-1945.

The great trumpeter Harry James (1916-1983) had already considerable experience performing, when he was hired by Benny Goodman at the very young age of 20, and his mostly extroverted playing of both highly virtuosic and wide-ranging musical dimension reinforced the previously surging appeal of the BG band. He enjoyed working with Goodman, stayed almost three years, even when other key players such as Gene Krupa were leaving to start their own bands and, a year after, left, with Benny’s blessing and some financial backing, to find his own group.

The band was a smashing success until just after World War II, when the young audiences became more singer-oriented while the death knell sounded for so many of the top bands.

However, during its heyday, James made a large number of fine 78s with singers Frank Sinatra, Connie Haynes, Dick Haymes, Helen Forrest, etc. The 1945 record features two very good vocalists who came towards the end of the war. Kitty Kallen, who died this past January at 94, sings, very nicely, the otherwise average I Wish I Knew while Buddy Di Vito does a superb The More I See You – I have been a big admirer of Kallen for years and own numerous recordings but am not at all familiar with Di Vito. The strings added wonderfully to James’s records despite the endless carping of jazz purists.

Finally, he was quite famous for his 22 year marriage to actress Betty Grable.

Muggsy Spanier and his Ragtimers: Snag It: Angry; Commodore 616, ten-inch 78, recorded April, 1944.

Spanier (1901-1966) was noted for his mastery of the cornet as well as the trumpet. He assembled a half dozen of the finest instrumentalists then alive, including clarinettist Pee Wee Russell, trombonist Miff Mole, guitarist Eddie Condon, pianist Dick Cary and two others, to cut these two roaring examples of Dixieland at its best, the A side Snag It being an original composition by King Oliver, one of Dixieland’s founding fathers.

On Saturday, May 7, DownEast Auctions will sell the longtime collection of Joseph A. Bradstreet. As a young man, he and partner Walter White started White & Bradstreet, in Augusta. In 1953, they began selling used auto parts and doing towing work. They later expanded to used and rebuilt truck parts. Today, White & Bradstreet is one of the largest truck salvage yards in the state of Maine.

In 1988 Bradstreet started the Betty & Joe Bradstreet Transportation Museum, in Palermo. He collected and restored antique cars and trucks. He also collected and displayed an impressive collection of automobile related signs and automobilia. Anyone entering the 60-foot x 100-foot museum building will be amazed at the number and quality of the signs and vehicles displayed. One of the highlights of the auction will be a fully-restored 1937 Cadillac, 4-door sedan. Joe loved trucks; and his favorite was the 1960 Mack B-70. Other impressive trucks are the 1931 International and the 1942 International; both with handcrafted oak stake bodies.

The property consists of 29 acres with four buildings; large two-family home built in 1985. The home has three fireplaces with an impressive library and woodwork, with attached two-car garage. The museum building is 60-feet x 100-feet with nine bays. There is also a two bedroom house with custom woodwork with a heated two-car detached garage. This home would make a great caretaker’s home or office.

The entire property will be offered at the May 7 auction; if not under contract before sale day. The contents of all buildings will be sold: including antique vehicles, work vehicles, unrestored Cadillacs, many unrestored heavy duty trucks, porcelain signs, automobilia, tools, equipment, and Moosehead furniture. Come out for a full day of selling and buying a piece of history. There are so many items to sell, two auctioneers may sell simultaneously. Sale will be catered. Please bring a chair, a limited supply will be available.

For more information on the real estate or to arrange a showing, call Chris Vallee at Vallee Real Estate, 207-622-2220. For more information, visit www.downeastauctions.com for photos and terms, or call DownEast Auctions at 207-548-2393.

WALLS, do you truly believe we can write about everything that transpired last week with our intent of bringing present, past and future happenings for our faithful readers within the last week? It’s your choice where we start. With my busy calendar?

O.K. let’s do it.

Yes, since the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce had a Business After Hours at Somerset Public Health on April 21, let’s tell faithful readers about that evening. Yes, it was a real surprise but worth every minute and every mouth-full (the food was marvelous!) and “Bill” McPeck’s presentation that concerned worksite wellness was definitely enlightening. We of CATV-11 will have Bill on Now You Know soon and that presentation with Chris Perkins as host will be for each of us.

On Now You Know on April 20, we all received education by way of Jeff Johnson who is the executive director of Child Care Options. For sure, Jeff gave us insight into children’s behaviors. What’s more, Child Care Options on Bigelow Hill, in Skowhegan, is a subject that expectant parents, young parents and grandparents can benefit from. Jeff told everyone that the organization has offices in Augusta and in Skowhegan, and pertain to children from newborn to seven years of age.

Oh, and since Earth Day was on April 22, WALLS want you to know that East Madison, known as the first Madison, and that once had seven industries, which included a large woolen mill, until the paper industry learned the power of water-for-the-mill, and

East Madison was also the location of the first Earth Day in the USA. How come? Well, the late Joe Denis and I had organized the East Madison students of all ages and we did ask for use of a Madison Highway Department dump truck, but the, then-Madison Highway Commissioner simply could not have the dump truck available for Earth Day. Well, there was a solution. Do the Earth Day pickup the day before! The East Madison young people would walk with Joe Denis and Katie would drive the dump truck! It was a truly fun day, and the youngsters wondered what the ‘old still’ that was found in long grass along the way could possibly be used for.

The Denises remembered Prohibition days, but didn’t have time for explanations, as East Madison store owner (the late) Donald Perkins had a lunch waiting for all who were doing so much for this little town.

Well, faithful readers, WALLS would be remiss if you didn’t read about the home that Lew and Katie owned in Little Falls, New York. That area was absolutely full of interesting U.S. history, but little did we know that, when Lew removed a board in the basement of our nearly 200-year-old house that, surely, the place we called ‘home’ had housed slaves who traveled The Underground Railroad. Yes, when the news of Harriet Tubman’s photo replacing Andrew Jackson on our $20 bill, will be a part of our ‘history of today,’ we read Harriet Tubman’s story and learned she was born a slave who took pride in being an active abolitionist who helped slave friends escape via the Underground Railroad of which our house in Little Falls had, obviously, been a part. Yes, WALLS, we are proud.
Yes, we are very proud to be home in Maine.