Published in the Current
Farmers and gardeners from Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough make twice-weekly drives into the center of Portland for farmer’s market sales. On Wednesday, they and farmers from as far as Buxton and Hollis set up in Monument Square, opposite the time-and-temperature building, and on Saturdays they are in Deering Oaks Park.
They come for different reasons, but the money is good and the customers are steady.
Larry Bruns of Hanson Field Flower Farm, on Hanson Road, said he had a hard month in May, but is back up ahead of where he was last year. The weather not only hurt his crops, but also kept his customers in a wintry mindset.
“People were not in the mood to buy flowers,” Bruns said.
He said people appreciate the local aspect of the businesses at the Farmer’s Market, and often visit the farms where the produce comes from.
“I come to the Farmer’s Market basically as a form of advertising,” Bruns said.
Don McLewin of Dunstan Lawn and Garden on Route 1 has been bringing his farm’s produce to the market for 16 years. When he started, the market was next to the federal building, and moved twice before ending up in the square.
The Deering Oaks market has larger sales volume, McLewin said, from people who pull up their cars and do their weekly produce shopping.
The Monument Square market caters more to office workers, who buy flowers or smaller amounts of vegetables and fruits.
There are regular buyers, though, especially folks from Peaks Island, McLewin said. “You get so you know ‘em all,” he said.
Lester Jordan of L &A Farm in Cape Elizabeth has been at the market for 15 years, and said weather plays a big role in sales. “Now that the weather’s decent, it makes a big difference at the market,” he said.
Weather does more than influence the numbers of people who will walk through an open-air market, though. “It wasn’t a good spring,” Jordan said.
The wet weather meant many crops grew only shallow roots, and were easily blown over by high winds recently. “Some years they go well and some years they don’t,” he said.
And despite the hard spring, things are looking up for the summer. “We may recover,” Jordan said.
Thursday, July 25, 2002
Farm stands still thriving in Cape
Published in the Current
Formerly the home of more farms than anything else, Cape Elizabeth has but three farm stands left.
Alewive’s Brook Farm is in one way perhaps the most traditional, with family members staffing a small stand next to the barn at the farm between Old Ocean House Road and Route 77.
While they used to take some of the farm’s vegetables to farmers’ markets in Saco, Westbrook and at the Maine Mall, that has ceased to be a profitable endeavor.
“Ninety percent of the vegetables are sold right here,” said Jodie Jordan. He does get emergency orders from restaurants and even other farm stands that have run out of specific vegetables. But most of the veggies sell to locals.
“On a good sunny day, you get more business,” he said, noting that those are the days when folks from Portland and inland head to the beaches.
But in a twist unusual for farm stands, most of the money at Alewive’s is made in lobster. “Lobsters are the big thing,” Jordan said. “Very few people will come in shopping for vegetables.”
Jordan and his family catch some of the lobsters themselves. But demand is so high, he has to buy lobsters from 12 to 15 local lobster boats. Half the farm stand is vegetable sales, and on the other is the lobster tank, with dozens of lobsters in holding cages, separated by weight and shell thickness.
The finances of the operation, though, mean Jordan has to continue operating a genuine farm stand, even as he makes a good proportion of his money from lobsters.
“If we don’t farm the land, the town will tax it,” he said. The land would be considered available for development and taxed at a higher rate than a working farm, he said.
And demand for vegetables won’t support the additional farming the land would permit.
“(People will) buy hundreds of dollars in lobster and no vegetables,” Jordan said. That he blames on supermarkets and increasing time pressures on people.
Most supermarkets stock all kinds of produce all the time, regardless of when the local crops are ripe. People want corn in early summer, Jordan said, but his corn isn’t ready until late July.
Nate Maxwell of Maxwell’s Farm, on Spurwink Avenue, agreed. “We have a steady business when we have produce,” he said. “When things are going well, we can sell everything.”
He starts the season with an “early field,” planting crops before the real growing season begins, to provide some produce early in the summer.
This year frost killed the early field, and cold meant a late start for many crops. He can’t keep up with demand. In the future, he said, he may move toward more pick-your-own crops, in addition to the large strawberry patch the farm has on Old Ocean House Road. That, though, depends on the weather.
Up at Jordan’s Farm on Wells Road, Penny Jordan said pick-your- own strawberries is a big draw, and has been for over 30 years.
“It’s always been a big part of our business,” she said.
The market is now in a new building, constructed last year and opened this season, offering a lot more space than the old place, as well as electricity, which may help the stand stay open later in the fall.
“They come in and they just love it,” Jordan said. With comfortable chairs outside and a nearby flower garden, Jordan has created a pleasant place to relax.
“I want it to become a real community building,” she said.
Local residents are big supporters of the farm, and at the peak of the season, Jordan said, people stop by the farm stand to pick up their produce before heading to the supermarket.
“Cape Elizabeth is a wonderful community for supporting the local farms,” Jordan said.
She also offers new home-grown products, which this year include the oft-requested garlic, and the flower garden next to the stand allows people to cut their own blossoms.
All of the farm stands take seriously their local nature, and buy little if any of what they sell from other farmers, preferring instead to “only sell what we grow,” as Penny Jordan put it.
Formerly the home of more farms than anything else, Cape Elizabeth has but three farm stands left.
Alewive’s Brook Farm is in one way perhaps the most traditional, with family members staffing a small stand next to the barn at the farm between Old Ocean House Road and Route 77.
While they used to take some of the farm’s vegetables to farmers’ markets in Saco, Westbrook and at the Maine Mall, that has ceased to be a profitable endeavor.
“Ninety percent of the vegetables are sold right here,” said Jodie Jordan. He does get emergency orders from restaurants and even other farm stands that have run out of specific vegetables. But most of the veggies sell to locals.
“On a good sunny day, you get more business,” he said, noting that those are the days when folks from Portland and inland head to the beaches.
But in a twist unusual for farm stands, most of the money at Alewive’s is made in lobster. “Lobsters are the big thing,” Jordan said. “Very few people will come in shopping for vegetables.”
Jordan and his family catch some of the lobsters themselves. But demand is so high, he has to buy lobsters from 12 to 15 local lobster boats. Half the farm stand is vegetable sales, and on the other is the lobster tank, with dozens of lobsters in holding cages, separated by weight and shell thickness.
The finances of the operation, though, mean Jordan has to continue operating a genuine farm stand, even as he makes a good proportion of his money from lobsters.
“If we don’t farm the land, the town will tax it,” he said. The land would be considered available for development and taxed at a higher rate than a working farm, he said.
And demand for vegetables won’t support the additional farming the land would permit.
“(People will) buy hundreds of dollars in lobster and no vegetables,” Jordan said. That he blames on supermarkets and increasing time pressures on people.
Most supermarkets stock all kinds of produce all the time, regardless of when the local crops are ripe. People want corn in early summer, Jordan said, but his corn isn’t ready until late July.
Nate Maxwell of Maxwell’s Farm, on Spurwink Avenue, agreed. “We have a steady business when we have produce,” he said. “When things are going well, we can sell everything.”
He starts the season with an “early field,” planting crops before the real growing season begins, to provide some produce early in the summer.
This year frost killed the early field, and cold meant a late start for many crops. He can’t keep up with demand. In the future, he said, he may move toward more pick-your-own crops, in addition to the large strawberry patch the farm has on Old Ocean House Road. That, though, depends on the weather.
Up at Jordan’s Farm on Wells Road, Penny Jordan said pick-your- own strawberries is a big draw, and has been for over 30 years.
“It’s always been a big part of our business,” she said.
The market is now in a new building, constructed last year and opened this season, offering a lot more space than the old place, as well as electricity, which may help the stand stay open later in the fall.
“They come in and they just love it,” Jordan said. With comfortable chairs outside and a nearby flower garden, Jordan has created a pleasant place to relax.
“I want it to become a real community building,” she said.
Local residents are big supporters of the farm, and at the peak of the season, Jordan said, people stop by the farm stand to pick up their produce before heading to the supermarket.
“Cape Elizabeth is a wonderful community for supporting the local farms,” Jordan said.
She also offers new home-grown products, which this year include the oft-requested garlic, and the flower garden next to the stand allows people to cut their own blossoms.
All of the farm stands take seriously their local nature, and buy little if any of what they sell from other farmers, preferring instead to “only sell what we grow,” as Penny Jordan put it.
Pine Point, Blue Point concerned about healthy waterways
Published in the Current
The first stage of Scarborough’s neighborhood visioning project concluded July 18, with a meeting of the Pine Point and Blue Point neighborhoods at the Blue Point School.
“It’s a different kind of planning process,” said Frank O’Hara of Planning Decisions, the South Portland firm the town has hired to conduct the visioning project. “It’s one that starts with a conversation.”
The 50-odd Pine Point and Blue Point neighbors discussed where their sub-neighborhoods were, coming up with areas along the beach like Pillsbury Shores, the Old Pine Point neighborhood and East Grand Avenue; Eagle’s Nest and Seavey’s Landing along the river; and Peterson’s Field, Old Blue Pine Estates, Old Snow Village, Burhnahm Woods and Windsor Pines more inland.
Areas of particular significance were the beaches, clam flats, marsh and river regions, which residents wanted preserved. Residents were also concerned about access to shoreline and boat launch facilities.
Other important areas were the Pine Point Fisherman’s Co-op, Peterson Field, Windsor Pines, the Maine Audubon reserve, Dunstan Landing, the Eastern Trail and wildlife sanctuaries, Jones Creek, the park and tennis courts across from the Blue Point Congregational Church, and several historic buildings, including the churches in the area, the former post office next to the Clambake restaurant and the Periwinkle, a former bowling alley and dance hall.
Neighbors’ fears for the next 10 years included over-development, increasing taxes, beach and river erosion, traffic, overcrowding, crowded schools, high-density housing, filling in of the river and the marsh, dune grass fires, beach litter, pollution, parking issues, sprawl, crime, loss of sidewalks and bike paths, and losing a sense of pride in the town.
Also on the lists of fears were high-rise buildings, including the list at the table where Dale Blackie was seated. Blackie has proposed a six-story building with 32 separate housing units, to be built on Blue Point Ridge. The project has not yet been presented to the Planning Board.
Residents also came up with lists of things that would improve quality of life. Those included a senior center, improvements in town government, traffic control, increasing sidewalks and bike paths, limiting growth and development, good quality schools, regular raking of the beach and controlling use of the Pine Point Beach and marina. They also called for protecting wetlands, stabilizing taxes, keeping open spaces, a branch library, parking limits in Pine Point, keeping the area “quaint,” mosquito control, better enforcement of existing laws (especially leash and pooper-scooper laws), cleaning of the beach and roadsides, maintaining the diversity of the area, providing a voice for summer residents, pursuing home tax delinquents, requiring developers to leave more trees, and enforcing shoreland zoning.
Traffic and parking complaints also played into a collective opposition to the proposed Great American Neighborhood at Dunstan Corner.
Some residents said they would be OK with the plans, but only after traffic and school facilities were planned and built.
“Dunstan Corner cannot handle the traffic,” said Stan Bayley, who called the intersection “dangerous.” Hopes for the town as a whole also included controlling development, maintaining the historic character of the town, and keeping a balance between business, residential and open space. “We’re concerned that the Town Council thinks progress is more development,” said Pierre Brunet. “There’s a lovely balance here.”
Favorite places throughout the town tended toward the beaches, but extended to natural, scenic and cultural spaces all over, including Scarborough Downs, Fuller Farm, Flaherty Farm, Beech Ridge Farm, the marsh, the Eastern Trail, Prouts Neck, the school/sports/library area in Oak Hill, the clay pits off Black Point Road, Kingston Field, Springbrook Park, the fishing derby pond, the Christmas tree farm on Beech Ridge Road, golf courses, the Hunnewell House, Bessey School, Dunstan School and Oak Hill Grammar School, the old drive-in property, the scenic drive along Spurwink Road toward Cape Elizabeth, the woods along the I-295 connector and the grange halls.
Hopes for the town’s future included lower taxes, growth control, lower-density neighborhoods, public transportation, beautification of Route 1, a town pool, strong schools, biking and hiking trails, tax relief for senior citizens, tax relief for farmers and fishermen, a teen center, protection of the marsh, town-wide sewers, improved traffic management, limits on industrial development, maintenance of natural land, better planning and budgeting, instilling a sense of pride and community in residents and visitors, sidewalks everywhere, dredging the Scarborough River, parking controls, increasing the commercial tax base, recycling, increasing government’s attention to citizen concerns, and providing services for seniors.
“I’m tired of paying taxes and having a hot dog diet,” said one senior citizen.
Planning Decisions will meet through the rest of the summer with advocacy groups in town, including the Scarborough Historical Society, the Conservation Commission and the Scarborough Conservation Land Trust. The fall will see a town-wide meeting to address issues raised in the neighborhood meetings, followed by a report to the Town Council to incorporate into the town’s next comprehensive plan.
The first stage of Scarborough’s neighborhood visioning project concluded July 18, with a meeting of the Pine Point and Blue Point neighborhoods at the Blue Point School.
“It’s a different kind of planning process,” said Frank O’Hara of Planning Decisions, the South Portland firm the town has hired to conduct the visioning project. “It’s one that starts with a conversation.”
The 50-odd Pine Point and Blue Point neighbors discussed where their sub-neighborhoods were, coming up with areas along the beach like Pillsbury Shores, the Old Pine Point neighborhood and East Grand Avenue; Eagle’s Nest and Seavey’s Landing along the river; and Peterson’s Field, Old Blue Pine Estates, Old Snow Village, Burhnahm Woods and Windsor Pines more inland.
Areas of particular significance were the beaches, clam flats, marsh and river regions, which residents wanted preserved. Residents were also concerned about access to shoreline and boat launch facilities.
Other important areas were the Pine Point Fisherman’s Co-op, Peterson Field, Windsor Pines, the Maine Audubon reserve, Dunstan Landing, the Eastern Trail and wildlife sanctuaries, Jones Creek, the park and tennis courts across from the Blue Point Congregational Church, and several historic buildings, including the churches in the area, the former post office next to the Clambake restaurant and the Periwinkle, a former bowling alley and dance hall.
Neighbors’ fears for the next 10 years included over-development, increasing taxes, beach and river erosion, traffic, overcrowding, crowded schools, high-density housing, filling in of the river and the marsh, dune grass fires, beach litter, pollution, parking issues, sprawl, crime, loss of sidewalks and bike paths, and losing a sense of pride in the town.
Also on the lists of fears were high-rise buildings, including the list at the table where Dale Blackie was seated. Blackie has proposed a six-story building with 32 separate housing units, to be built on Blue Point Ridge. The project has not yet been presented to the Planning Board.
Residents also came up with lists of things that would improve quality of life. Those included a senior center, improvements in town government, traffic control, increasing sidewalks and bike paths, limiting growth and development, good quality schools, regular raking of the beach and controlling use of the Pine Point Beach and marina. They also called for protecting wetlands, stabilizing taxes, keeping open spaces, a branch library, parking limits in Pine Point, keeping the area “quaint,” mosquito control, better enforcement of existing laws (especially leash and pooper-scooper laws), cleaning of the beach and roadsides, maintaining the diversity of the area, providing a voice for summer residents, pursuing home tax delinquents, requiring developers to leave more trees, and enforcing shoreland zoning.
Traffic and parking complaints also played into a collective opposition to the proposed Great American Neighborhood at Dunstan Corner.
Some residents said they would be OK with the plans, but only after traffic and school facilities were planned and built.
“Dunstan Corner cannot handle the traffic,” said Stan Bayley, who called the intersection “dangerous.” Hopes for the town as a whole also included controlling development, maintaining the historic character of the town, and keeping a balance between business, residential and open space. “We’re concerned that the Town Council thinks progress is more development,” said Pierre Brunet. “There’s a lovely balance here.”
Favorite places throughout the town tended toward the beaches, but extended to natural, scenic and cultural spaces all over, including Scarborough Downs, Fuller Farm, Flaherty Farm, Beech Ridge Farm, the marsh, the Eastern Trail, Prouts Neck, the school/sports/library area in Oak Hill, the clay pits off Black Point Road, Kingston Field, Springbrook Park, the fishing derby pond, the Christmas tree farm on Beech Ridge Road, golf courses, the Hunnewell House, Bessey School, Dunstan School and Oak Hill Grammar School, the old drive-in property, the scenic drive along Spurwink Road toward Cape Elizabeth, the woods along the I-295 connector and the grange halls.
Hopes for the town’s future included lower taxes, growth control, lower-density neighborhoods, public transportation, beautification of Route 1, a town pool, strong schools, biking and hiking trails, tax relief for senior citizens, tax relief for farmers and fishermen, a teen center, protection of the marsh, town-wide sewers, improved traffic management, limits on industrial development, maintenance of natural land, better planning and budgeting, instilling a sense of pride and community in residents and visitors, sidewalks everywhere, dredging the Scarborough River, parking controls, increasing the commercial tax base, recycling, increasing government’s attention to citizen concerns, and providing services for seniors.
“I’m tired of paying taxes and having a hot dog diet,” said one senior citizen.
Planning Decisions will meet through the rest of the summer with advocacy groups in town, including the Scarborough Historical Society, the Conservation Commission and the Scarborough Conservation Land Trust. The fall will see a town-wide meeting to address issues raised in the neighborhood meetings, followed by a report to the Town Council to incorporate into the town’s next comprehensive plan.
Lightning sparks house fire
Published in the Current
Cindy Andreson was at home Tuesday with her parents, who live with her and her husband on Val Terrace, when a big thunderstorm hit Scarborough around 4 p.m. Lightning lit up the sky, and several bolts struck near Andreson’s house.
“We heard a loud bang and we jumped,” she said. The smoke alarms went off in the house, but after checking each room, Andreson couldn’t find
any smoke. She called her husband, Charlie, a former town councilor, at work to ask what she should do next. He told her to shut off the circuit breaker, which she did. But that was only the beginning.
“Somebody knocked on our door and said the house is on fire,” she said.
Lightning had struck dead center on the roof of the house and set it on fire. The fire spread through several beams in the roof, burning a hole through to the attic.
Firefighters, already on duty at downed wires and car accidents around town, raced to the scene, arriving shortly after 4 p.m. Within 30 minutes they had the fire almost completely out and were checking the home’s interior for further flames.
Firefighters were able to retrieve Andreson’s mother’s medication from the home, and had also moved much of the furniture into the garage, limiting water and smoke damage to some extent.
The fire damage was contained to the attic, according to Deputy Fire Chief Glen Deering, but there was water damage to the rest of the house.
Firefighters cleaned up the scene and covered the house with tarpaulins supplied by Risbara Construction, Deering said, departing around 7 p.m.
Lightning strikes can cause fires, but don’t always, Deering said. Depending on the electricity’s path to the ground, a strike can do damage or start a burn.
Around the same time as the Andreson home caught fire, lightning struck a barn on Winnocks Neck Road, Deering said.
Both strikes were in roughly the same place on the buildings, the middle of the roof, but the barn suffered only minor exterior damage as the current traveled the length of the roof and blew off some clapboard from the end of the building, Deering said.
“It’s like an act of God,” he said.
When fire does start, it is because of the intense energy contained in a bolt of lightning. As the energy changes from traveling through the air and starts traveling in wood or other materials, it gives off heat, which can ignite the materials.
Lightning also blew the chimney off a house on Star Pine Lane, Deering said, but no fire was found there.
A similar thunderstorm on July 18 resulted in a lightning strike at a home on Beech Ridge Road. The fire department arrived around 3 a.m. and found that a bolt of lightning had struck next to the house and the current had traveled
inside. There was no fire, but a computer and several electrical components in the house were ruined, Deering said. “You could smell the smoke,” he said, of the melted electrical equipment.
Later that day, around 10 a.m., the fire department received a call from a woman on Old Colony Lane who reported her home had also been struck during the night. Firefighters checked that out, but found nothing, Deering said.
Cindy Andreson was at home Tuesday with her parents, who live with her and her husband on Val Terrace, when a big thunderstorm hit Scarborough around 4 p.m. Lightning lit up the sky, and several bolts struck near Andreson’s house.
“We heard a loud bang and we jumped,” she said. The smoke alarms went off in the house, but after checking each room, Andreson couldn’t find
any smoke. She called her husband, Charlie, a former town councilor, at work to ask what she should do next. He told her to shut off the circuit breaker, which she did. But that was only the beginning.
“Somebody knocked on our door and said the house is on fire,” she said.
Lightning had struck dead center on the roof of the house and set it on fire. The fire spread through several beams in the roof, burning a hole through to the attic.
Firefighters, already on duty at downed wires and car accidents around town, raced to the scene, arriving shortly after 4 p.m. Within 30 minutes they had the fire almost completely out and were checking the home’s interior for further flames.
Firefighters were able to retrieve Andreson’s mother’s medication from the home, and had also moved much of the furniture into the garage, limiting water and smoke damage to some extent.
The fire damage was contained to the attic, according to Deputy Fire Chief Glen Deering, but there was water damage to the rest of the house.
Firefighters cleaned up the scene and covered the house with tarpaulins supplied by Risbara Construction, Deering said, departing around 7 p.m.
Lightning strikes can cause fires, but don’t always, Deering said. Depending on the electricity’s path to the ground, a strike can do damage or start a burn.
Around the same time as the Andreson home caught fire, lightning struck a barn on Winnocks Neck Road, Deering said.
Both strikes were in roughly the same place on the buildings, the middle of the roof, but the barn suffered only minor exterior damage as the current traveled the length of the roof and blew off some clapboard from the end of the building, Deering said.
“It’s like an act of God,” he said.
When fire does start, it is because of the intense energy contained in a bolt of lightning. As the energy changes from traveling through the air and starts traveling in wood or other materials, it gives off heat, which can ignite the materials.
Lightning also blew the chimney off a house on Star Pine Lane, Deering said, but no fire was found there.
A similar thunderstorm on July 18 resulted in a lightning strike at a home on Beech Ridge Road. The fire department arrived around 3 a.m. and found that a bolt of lightning had struck next to the house and the current had traveled
inside. There was no fire, but a computer and several electrical components in the house were ruined, Deering said. “You could smell the smoke,” he said, of the melted electrical equipment.
Later that day, around 10 a.m., the fire department received a call from a woman on Old Colony Lane who reported her home had also been struck during the night. Firefighters checked that out, but found nothing, Deering said.
Rabid animals found in Cape Elizabeth
Published in the Current
A rabid raccoon and a rabid fox are the latest casualties in Cape’s rabies epidemic, one that is scarier than the outbreak two years ago because the diseased animals are aggressive.
In the 2000 outbreak, the few contacts domestic animals had with rabid ones were because a dog initiated the contact, according to Animal Control Officer Bob Leeman.
This year is different. “Now those wild animals seem to be the aggressors,” Leeman said. A dog and a cat that have come in contact with possibly rabid animals are now under quarantine in their homes in Cape, he said. A
13-year-old cat was also killed by an encounter with a rabid fox, though no bite marks were visible on the cat, Leeman said.
On the morning of July 10, a rabid fox approached a residence on Lighthouse Point Road, near Two Lights State Park. Two people were eating breakfast on an outside deck, and two dogs were with them.
The fox came up onto the deck, where one dog threw it to the side, and one of the people kicked the fox off the deck, Leeman said. It headed off into the underbrush.
Leeman was able to track the fox through neighborhood trails and yards, and shot it with the 22-caliber handgun he uses. He had to shoot it several times, as a shot to the head of a possibly rabid animal can destroy the possibility of testing for rabies.
The fox was sent to the state crime lab in Augusta, and was found to have the raccoon strain of rabies. Leeman was pleased to learn that it was not the fox strain of rabies, meaning that most of the fox population in Cape is likely to be free from rabies.
The fox in question, he said, had probably attacked a sick raccoon.
A raccoon was spotted on Spurwink Road near the transfer station July 17, and was also aggressive.
Officer Scott Thompson shot it three times in the body with a 22-caliber handgun, and it still charged to attack him. Officer Mark Dorval, also at the scene, then drew his service handgun, a 45-caliber weapon, and shot the raccoon.
Leeman warned residents to keep close watch on their pets when they’re outside, and to beware even when walking dogs on a leash.
Aggressive rabid animals may attack even when people are around, he said.
The rabies two years ago resulted in the deaths of over 50 raccoons and 24 skunks, Leeman said. He said that could mean the danger is lower now, because the populations are smaller.
Two crows were found on Shore Road near Cragmoor July 6, and were sent to Augusta to be tested for West Nile virus, which has been found in birds in Cape in the past. Leeman said he has not heard the official word on the crows, but assumes they will test positive for West Nile virus.
A rabid raccoon and a rabid fox are the latest casualties in Cape’s rabies epidemic, one that is scarier than the outbreak two years ago because the diseased animals are aggressive.
In the 2000 outbreak, the few contacts domestic animals had with rabid ones were because a dog initiated the contact, according to Animal Control Officer Bob Leeman.
This year is different. “Now those wild animals seem to be the aggressors,” Leeman said. A dog and a cat that have come in contact with possibly rabid animals are now under quarantine in their homes in Cape, he said. A
13-year-old cat was also killed by an encounter with a rabid fox, though no bite marks were visible on the cat, Leeman said.
On the morning of July 10, a rabid fox approached a residence on Lighthouse Point Road, near Two Lights State Park. Two people were eating breakfast on an outside deck, and two dogs were with them.
The fox came up onto the deck, where one dog threw it to the side, and one of the people kicked the fox off the deck, Leeman said. It headed off into the underbrush.
Leeman was able to track the fox through neighborhood trails and yards, and shot it with the 22-caliber handgun he uses. He had to shoot it several times, as a shot to the head of a possibly rabid animal can destroy the possibility of testing for rabies.
The fox was sent to the state crime lab in Augusta, and was found to have the raccoon strain of rabies. Leeman was pleased to learn that it was not the fox strain of rabies, meaning that most of the fox population in Cape is likely to be free from rabies.
The fox in question, he said, had probably attacked a sick raccoon.
A raccoon was spotted on Spurwink Road near the transfer station July 17, and was also aggressive.
Officer Scott Thompson shot it three times in the body with a 22-caliber handgun, and it still charged to attack him. Officer Mark Dorval, also at the scene, then drew his service handgun, a 45-caliber weapon, and shot the raccoon.
Leeman warned residents to keep close watch on their pets when they’re outside, and to beware even when walking dogs on a leash.
Aggressive rabid animals may attack even when people are around, he said.
The rabies two years ago resulted in the deaths of over 50 raccoons and 24 skunks, Leeman said. He said that could mean the danger is lower now, because the populations are smaller.
Two crows were found on Shore Road near Cragmoor July 6, and were sent to Augusta to be tested for West Nile virus, which has been found in birds in Cape in the past. Leeman said he has not heard the official word on the crows, but assumes they will test positive for West Nile virus.
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