Mountain Summer 2008 - The Irregular

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“Tyler Cove - Umbagog Lake” 7 X 5 Oil on panel by M. Farmer Would you love to have a Melanie Farmer original oil painting hanging on your wall? Or how about a Maine created gift for a special person? Many Affordable Originals available. For this, and more of her charming Maine scenes check out her site www.melaniefarmer.com or stop in at: Classic Gallery & Framing PROFESSIONAL CUSTOM FRAMING with a PERSONAL touch for all your original art, prints, needlework, or memorabilia Rts. 2 & 4 • 171 Wilton Rd, Farmington, ME 04938 Hours: Wed—Fri 10:00-5:00 Other times by appointment classic@megalink.net 779-0809 SEVEN FALLS CABINS, NEW PORTLAND - 5 acres, newly built home and camp along with four quaint cabins w/ shared shower house and additional larger cabin, all on the Carrabassett River with 800 feet of river frontage. Great family compound, western mountain rental property business, or organization retreat. $884,395. CORNER OF VILLAGE ON THE GREEN and Nice Drive, Sugarloaf building lot - .3 acre, priced $2,000 below 2008 tax value, own a piece of this skiing/golfing neighborhood at a best buy price! $59,900. SNOWBROOK ALDER BROOK LANE Condo, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, top floor end unit, indoor association pool and hot tubs, wood burning fireplace, deck looking out to Sugarloaf. $265,000 EUSTIS, KERN’S DEVELOPMENT - 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, home or camp with great yard, farmer’s porch, and shed for the outdoor enthusiast on 1.4 acres. $162,499 SNOWFLOWER CONDO – Ski in/out from Snubber Chair in this top floor, end unit with incredible views of Sugarloaf. This 3 bedroom, 3 bath unit with woodburning fireplace, screened-in porch, association hot tub will make any Sugarloafer’s stay complete. $298,499 SUGARTREE II CONDO – Partially furnished, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, plus Murphy bed, newly renovated kitchen. Double balconies with Bigelow Mountain views, garage parking with elevator access to both floors, inside access to and lifetime membership available to the Sports and Fitness Club. Ski in/ski out from Snubber Chair. Sleeps 12. $299,000 FARMINGTON MULTI-UNIT – Short distance to the University and downtown shops, corner lot, newly renovated and fully rented, 1-2 bedroom unit and 2-3 bedroom units. $224,499 WYMAN SKI/SNOWMOBILE CAMP –3 miles north of Sugarloaf Access Road on Stony Brook, 3 bedroom, 1 bath, new septic, new well, 2 new heating systems, electric upgrade, and newly renovated interior. $139,000 Laurie Bisson Enthusiastically Representing You 207.319.4162 Visit www.lauriebisson.com for area listings, information, and more! lauriebisson@kw.com Office: 207.553.1364 Each office is Independently Owned and Operated 6 Maine Mountain Summer 2008 Spec iial mounta iin Places D.E.W. Animal Kingdom Bears and lions and... camels? Oh my! Story & Photos By BJ Bangs “Keeping the animals happy –-that’s what we’re all about,” said Bob Miner, who with his wife, Julie, owns and operates the D.E.W. Animal Kingdom, home to over 200 animals. This refuge for unwanted animals has the largest number of big cats in New England. While there are three major places to view wild animals in Maine, Bob is quick to differentiate D.E.W., located on Route 41 in Mt. Vernon, from the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray and the York Wild Kingdom Zoo and Amusement Park. York is a zoo with exotic animals, and Gray is an animal park with native Maine animals. D.E.W. is different in that it is self-sustaining with no federal or state funding, and “it’s a way of life, more than anything else,” the Miners say. Bob describes D.E.W. —which stands for domestic, exotic and wild— as an innovative farm with alternative livestock, raising traditional farm animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs and goats, as well as non-traditional animals including lions, tigers, bobcats and bears, to say nothing about the kangaroos, camels and peacocks. The big cats include three bobcats, one lynx, four tigers (one weighing over 1,000 pounds), three lions, four black panthers, two spotted leopards (including a black one that will be at York Animal Kingdom Zoo this summer) and two cougars (also called mountain lions). A disabled Vietnam vet who has been shot six times, had two strokes and a heart attack, Bob developed a special bond with animals and they became his thera- py for recovery. All the animals at D.E.W. have been given to them. Some are second generation having been born on the farm. Many have been rescued after having been given up by their owners. Even though it is illegal to own big cats, Miner says there are more illegal tigers in the United States than there are in the wild. Many of those at D.E.W. were such cats. “You have to respect what they are,” he said. “They are wild animals. They are not pets.” Bob has a special connection with the animals. They are like friends. And each one, no matter how big or small, has a name. The camels come up to the gate when he calls. He rubs their heads and talks to them. He takes out two hoses, and Eddie and Kimbowli, come up for a drink and a hose down. Camels can drink up to 30 to 40 gallons of water at once, he says. And if they were in the desert, they wouldn’t need to drink again for nine months if they had plenty of fruits and nuts to eat. It’s these tidbits of information that make D.E.W. such a special place. Both Bob and Julie are walking wonders when it comes to information about their animals. There’s the ring necked pheasant. Everyone thinks they are native to Maine, but they came from Asia, he said. Exotic means not indigenous to the area. So, he says if you saw a raccoon on TV in Korea, it would be exotic to that area. The definition of wild and domestic sort of speak for themselves. It’s this kind of information that one will receive on a tour through D.E.W. Animal
Spec iial mounta iin Places: D.E.W. An iimal K iingdom Kingdom. The Miners conduct fun, educational tours with schools, scouts, university students, senior citizens and others. In a way, “we act as sort of a shelter,” Julie said. “We take everything except dogs, domestic cats and people. We take ferrets, rabbits.” A woman, whose son was going away to college, approached them about taking in his chinchilla. They also help rehabilitate native Maine wildlife. Bob says he has nine different licenses under which he operates. Bob started D.E.W. in 1980 when a local school boy asked if he could visit the farm. He realized he could share his connection and knowledge of the animals and that could serve as his way back to people. D.E.W. Animal Kingdom is exceptionally clean. The ani- STRATTON DINER Brookside Dining in our new Expanded Dining Room Updated Breakfast & Lunch Menus More Upscale Dinner Menu Nightly Salad Bar Rte. 27, Main Street, Stratton, ME 207-246-3111 Open 7 days a week Wed. serving breakfast only Est. 1961 mals are in great condition. The paths are wide and woody. There’s plenty of shade. There’s even a pond where the tigers can swim and play in the water. While the animals can’t run free, they have plenty of space. Six years ago, it became apparent they needed more space for the animals, so they moved from Echo Lake to the 42 acres, and continue to meet the needs of the animals on a 24/7 basis. They show on less than half of these, 17, so there’s plenty of room to expand. And if we want to think “green,” D.E.W. Animal Kingdom is a living example of it. The farm is self-sustaining. The Miner’s built their house. They build the cages. They cut the wood for heat. They grow their fruits and vegetables. And local law enforcement gives dead animals to them for the big cats to eat. Julie describes their lifestyle as “waste not, want not.” New to D.E.W. this year are two monkeys, DeBrazza and a Spider Monkey, and the Marmosets recently had babies. Visit D.E.W. Animal Kingdom where every animal, no matter how big or small, has a name. Come and hear their stories be told through the Miners. For more information, log on to www.DEWAnimalKingdom.com or call 207-293- 2837. D.E.W. Animal Kingdom is open Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from May through September, on weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in October. Admission is $10 per person, 13 and up and $8 for ages 3 to 12. BRACKETT’S PUMPING & PORTABLE TOILET SERVICE FOR SEPTIC, CESSPOOL & HOLDING TANK PUMPING • ON-CALL 24/7 Services We Provide: Portable Toilet Rentals Leach Fields Lines Cleaned ME Certified Septic System Inspector Drain Lines Cleaned 864-3779 Serving the Western Mountains Region A “Flush” beats a full house anytime Products We Sell: Bacteria & Root Control Products Septic Tank Risers Septic Tank Baffle Replacements Presby Environmental Septic Systems Vent Pipe Odor Control Filters Maine Mountain Summer 2008 7
Page 1 and 2: Discover Summer in Western Maine’
Page 3 and 4: It ’’s summer iin the mounta ii
Page 5: Mounta iin Notes Home and garden to
Page 9 and 10: Old Fash iioned Out iings CruisE Ni
Page 11 and 12: Mounta iin Her iitage Wilhelm Reich
Page 13 and 14: Mounta iin Her iitage The Narrow Ga
Page 15 and 16: Backyard B iird iing Backyard Birdi
Page 17 and 18: WE SERVICE 18 Maine Mountain Summer
Page 19 and 20: Mounta iin golf more golf courses l
Page 21 and 22: Mounta iin Publ iic reserved land B
Page 23 and 24: Mounta iin Parks AN INDEPENDENT INS
Page 25 and 26: Summert iime Events WEDNESDAY, JUNE
Page 27: Great Listings Bear Mountain Road H

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