14
in other words
august7
2014
Creature Comforts:
The Dog Days of Summer
By Michal Smith
During these dog days of summer, it’s
very likely that soaring temperatures will take a
toll on our animal’s comfort and overall health.
Heat exhaustion, dehydration and even heat
stroke are conditions we need to be mindful of
when taking advantage of the weather to spend
outdoors together with our pets.
Dogs are notorious for wanting to
participate in high energy activities no matter
what the temperature as long as they’re with
us. Limit activity to the coolest parts of the day
(usually morning or evening hours) to avoid
heat exhaustion, and always have water and
shade available. During activities, carry water
with you and if you see your dog panting
excessively, it’s time to take a break.
Many small activity sessions are
better than one long one. A dog should drink
approximately 1 ounce of water per pound of
body weight per day. IF a dog overheats to the
point of a heatstroke he may show
signs such as unsteadiness, heavy
panting, vomiting, and dry gums.
Try to cool the dog by removing
him from the heat, apply wet cloths
to the coat, and get to the vet! And
as always never leave a dog in a
parked car during summer months.
Other safety and health
risks to our pets are sunburn and
pavement burn. There are many
products on the market designed
to protect dogs and horses, or any
Old Grads Picnic is August 17th
animal that has exposed pink skin, from the
harmful rays of the sun. There are sunscreen
sprays, creams, and masks. These should be
used regularly for best results. If pavement is
too hot for you to walk barefoot on, then it’s
too hot for your dogs’ pads to walk on without
protection as well.
A good preventative measure for
all of us in the heat is to drink water-it helps
keep bodies cool from large to small-human
or animal. Creatures pet store carries portable
water drinkers for dogs that are handy to take
with you on hikes or in the car. We also carry
pet and equine sunscreens and masks, as well
as dog booties for the feet.
And remember, nothing else says “cool
me down” like a bath! Call for a grooming
appointment or U-Wash for your pet and check
out the new products in the store every week!
WE’RE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK: Mon-Fri
10-6; Sat 10-5; Sun 12-4! 503-429-PETS
(7387).
The Annual Picnic of the Vernonia Society, VHS "Old
Grads" and Oregon-American Alumni will be held Sunday,
August 17th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Anderson
Park. Registration begins at 10. Coffee will be provided
by the Vernonia Pioneer Museum. Bring a picnic lunch
or purchase a hot dog, chips, pop, and/or cookies from
the Vernonia Chapter of P.E.O. Proceeds go towards
scholarships for VHS graduating seniors. All former and
current Vernonians and their families are invited.
WOEC Annual Meeting- August 16th
The West Oregon Electric Cooperative Annual Meeting will be
held on Saturday, August 16th, at the Cabin in Vernonia (Scout
Cabin), 901 Park Drive. This year marks WOEC’s 70th year
anniversary. Registration starts at 10:00 AM; meeting begins
at 11:00 AM. BBQ lunch will follow the meeting. Districts 3
(Vernonia, Keasey area) and District 7 (Manning, Hagg Lake,
Yamhill County area) are up for re-election.
Vernonia’s 16th Annual
Community Wide Garage Sale
The annual Community Wide Garage Sale will be held on
Saturday August 23, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Any
resident or business wishing to be included on the map can
sign up by calling Helen Bateman at 503-429-6203. Deadline
to sign up is Wednesday, August 20th. The map showing sale
locations will be available Friday, August 22nd and the day of
the sale at Vernonia Realty, 953 Bridge Street.
VHS Student Interns continued from front page
around $10 an hour for twenty hours for
the six weeks the program is scheduled
to run.
A recent visit to Stub Stewart
Park found Steward out on the trail con-
ducting trail maintenance duties. Proj-
ect supervisor Miller says Steward and
Skanes are learning about general park
operations and attend and participate in
regular crew meetings, safety meetings
and training classes. Miller says both
students are gaining experience in the
maintenance shops, and are learning to
properly store equipment, tools, and ve-
hicles after use.
Among their other duties, Stew-
ard and Skanes will perform custodial
duties, cleaning restrooms, disposing of
garbage, and tidying campsites. The in-
terns will also do minor building main-
tenance and repair. A large part of their
duties involve trail construction, mainte-
nance and restoration.
Intern Steward, who completed
forestry classes while a student at VHS,
says he just returned from working with
the Northwest Youth Corp where he per-
formed trail building and maintenance
and invasive species removal. Steward
says he is already enrolled in the For-
estry program at Mt. Hood Community
College this fall where he will study For-
estry Management.
Miller says the students who ap-
plied for the internships at Stub Stewart
Park were put through the exact same
interview process that all applicants for
seasonal Assistant Ranger positions go
through. “This way they received real
experience in job interviewing,” said
Miller. “We’re trying to give them a
real job experience. This is a true job
and they’re actually doing work that the
regular crew does. We’re going to try
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to get them into all aspects of the park,
including participating in an interpretive
program.”
Miller says the interns will also
be responsible for a trail assessment
project in the park. “They will be given
a GPS unit and will go out and assess a
trail, decide what needs to be done and
then do the work,” explained Miller.
The student interns are provid-
ing extra manpower and allowing all
three agencies to get more work done
this summer. “It’s difficult with our
limited staff to have someone out hik-
ing all twenty-three miles of trail here in
the park,” explains Miller. “That’s what
these interns can do.”
Miller says the School District
intends to partner with Stub Stewart
Park to apply for a grant through Or-
egon State Parks to continue and ex-
pand the program. Miller says the ap-
plication would be a collaborative effort
that would include equestrian, mountain
biking and disc golf advocates and user
groups. “Part of that grant will be for
a crew specifically from Vernonia High
School to continue this work here,” says
Miller.
The CTE grant the School Dis-
trict received is just for one year but
Vernonia School District Superintendent
Aaron Miller says he plans to try to find
funding to continue the internship pro-
gram at the District and at the UNWC as
well.
New City Administrator
continued from front page
are concerned about. So I can immedi-
ately articulate recommendations to the
Council to be implemented to immedi-
ately create a solution. Here I will do a
little bit of everything and make full use
of my skills. And obviously I recognize
that there is tremendous potential for
this community.”
On his resume, Mammone lists
the following as skills he possesses:
excellent technical writing; public
speaking and public relations skills;
expertise in developing fiscal policies
and budget management; experience in
business retention, expansion and at-
traction; experience in downtown/main
street development and redevelopment,
urban renewal, and private and public
development; experience in land use,
planning and transportation projects
and programs; knowledge of civil engi-
neering and public works infrastructure
practices. He also received a ‘Certifi-
cate in Professional Fundraising’ from
Boston University in 2012.
Mammone echoed Parrow’s
sentiments when it came to length of
service. “I am also looking for a long
term relationship at this point in my ca-
reer,” said Mammone. “I understand
my position in the hierarchy of this or-
ganization. It’s a special relationship
between the City Council and the Ad-
ministration for working together.”
Mammone noted that his con-
tract requires him to live within the City
of Vernonia within six months of start-
ing his job. “I’m looking to be an in-
volved citizen, not just within City Hall
but also outside City Hall. This is a
good place to live and I hope to be here
for a long time.”
