V. Paul Reynolds

Christy and Mission Working Dogs

Submitted photos

Christina “Christy” Gardner is a 38 year old retired Army veteran from Lewiston, Maine. She was injured overseas in 2006 and spent nearly five years rehabbing before she was finally able to live on her own again and started participating in adaptive sports, thanks to her Service Dog Moxie. She’s now an assistant captain of the US Women’s Para Ice Hockey Team as well as working her way toward Tokyo 2020ne in shot put and discus. She also recently represented the USA at the Para Surfing World Championships back in March. Gardner has been training service dogs and therapy dogs for the past nine years but wanted to grow that dream to help more Mainers in need. Mission Working Dogs was founded earlier this year as a local non-profit to do just that. The organization serves to train service dogs and therapy dogs for the local community and hopes to build a new training center next summer. The current class of dogs will likely graduate next year as well.

MissionWorkingDogs. org

Christy Gardner

FEATURE COLUMN

The ruffed grouse blunder of 2020

V. Paul Reynolds

A number of years ago when I was a working newspaper editor, the silent unsung heroes of the newsroom operation were the “copy editors” on the copy desk. These word and fact sleuths did not wear green eye shades or elastic arm bands, but they were meticulous and detail oriented to a fault. They were the gate keepers — the final check before the news story went to press and then on to the readers.

Nothing got by the copy desk unchecked, and these yeomen checked for more than spelling, grammar and run-on sentences. If something didn’t add up or if a fact seemed suspect, their job was to challenge the reporter or the desk editor, who gave the story the green light.

Since then, for almost 30 years, I have been writing this weekly outdoor column for this paper and a number of others in Maine. I have no copy desk to “proof” this column before it is sent to my client newspapers. There is Diane, however. She is my wife of more than 50 years, my cribbage partner and extraordinary cook, she is also a second set of eyes to look over this column before it is sent out.

Her sharp eyes and grammar knowledge have saved me more than once. Editors at my client newspapers have also caught mistakes before they wound up engraved in black type for all to see.

Back in August, however, I made a beaut — a significant math error in an article about Ruffed Grouse that just slid on by me, Diane and, as far as I know, the client newspaper editors as well.

The piece in question was a tribute to Maine’s most popular and sought after legendary upland game bird. Sporting literature has over the years, with no small measure of hyperbole, helped along the grouse’s sterling reputation as exceedingly elusive, hunter wary and very fast. Inadvertently, I contributed to the myth building by stating that the grouse flew at 900 feet per second!

That number caught some readers’ attention. They wrote to me, “C’mon, man. They are fast, but not that fast!” Another wrote, “ Wow, no wonder I have such a hard time hitting them in the air.” A friend, who enjoyed poking me in the eye, observed, “At that speed a grouse could take off from Bangor International Airport and land in Rochester, New York in one hour!” My critic ground it in by reminding me that some handguns don’t shoot bullets that fast.

My face is red. In fact, a grouse’s top speed is 35 mph. If my math serves, and you might want to doublecheck me, that computes to 51.3 feet per second. A grouse that flies at 900 feet per second is supersonic at sea level, 613 mph, or as the test pilots say, Mach One.

So where did the 900 feet per second come from? We are still checking our research notes. In

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randy@turnerpublishing.net all probability, 90 feet per second was found by me in a grouse book that took liberties as well with grouse speeds. My clumsy typing style clicked in an excess zero that did not belong.

My apologies to all, especially to the Ruffed Grouse, who is a stalwart and impressive game bird in its own right and needs no marketing hoopla from me.

The author is editor of the “Northwoods Sporting Journal.” He is also a Maine guide and host of a weekly radio program — “Maine Outdoors” — heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on “The Voice of Maine News - Talk Network.” He has authored three books; online purchase information is available at at www. sportingjournal.com. Contact email is vpaulr@tds. net.

Scam Alert Bulletin Board

Facebook Marketplace

The holidays are getting close and many of us are looking for those last minute deals. One place people are turning to is Facebook Marketplace, but beware because scammers are lurking. The spike in online shopping has unfortunately lead many victims right to the criminals who off er deals too good to pass up. This fall, the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline has received a high volume of calls from people losing money to scams on Facebook Marketplace. Here are some tips to avoid online sales scams. Before making that purchase research what similar items are selling for elsewhere, the greater the deal the greater the likelihood that it could be a scam. Buy local versus having something shipped, and arrange to meet in a public space. Pay cash – if asked to pay by a payment app, wire transfer or gift card, refuse. Finally, if you need to get an item shipped, use a credit card which has fraud protections.

Be a fraud fi ghter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Western Maine Mountains

Executive home located in the Western mountains of Maine. If you're looking for luxury, privacy, peace and quiet this home's for you. Located on a private dead-end paved road. 2 miles from Black Mountain Ski resort and 4 miles from downtown shops and grocery stores. This executive modi�ied ranch style home is 3,600 S.F. with 3 acres of land. 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths. 2 car garage plus barn. 70 acres oppositional. Priced to sell at $439,000 �irm. High end furnishing-TURN KEY. FMI, email :mainelogging@gmail.com, call 207-357-4200 or 207 357-6777.