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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2018)
August 24, 2018 T he C olumbia P ress Girls Build: Learning the power of power tools Continued from Page 1 consider it.” The weeklong camp for girls ages 8 to 14 is sponsored by Hampton Lumber. On Wednesday, the 41 girls in the program were going through work stations to get experience in a variety of fields. All 16 staff members and volunteers are women working in construction and other hands-on jobs. Olivia Merila, 10, of War- renton got to lay the foun- dation for a playhouse the group will donate to Head Start Preschool. Others built the walls, installed windows and put on a roof. “It was really fun to learn how to work the big machin- ery,” Olivia said. Other stations explored woodworking, solar-panel in- stallation, copper soldering, plumbing, firefighting and making sheet-metal lamps. Everyone got a chance to put on volunteer firefighter Billie O’Bryant’s yellow jack- et and hat and operate a fire hose. “I just love doing this kind of stuff,” O’Bryant said. “Girls can do anything they put their minds to.” She is one of two wom- en with the Warrenton Fire Department and she hopes some of the camp’s partic- ipants will be persuaded to consider her field. Warrenton Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press Lizzy Trickey of Portland helps Lilyann Duncan, 11, of Astoria use a circular saw. needs more volunteers. “It’s great to see the girls get familiar not only with tools, but the whole experience,” said Hallie Sweet, a Warren- ton Public Works office assis- tant. Sweet and analyst Trisha Hayrynen were showing the girls how Public Works em- ployees repair leaks in city water pipes. “My daughter is here par- ticipating,” Hayrynen said. “Yesterday they got to oper- ate an excavator and other heavy equipment. That was her favorite part. Once they got in the seat and realized All dressed up, nowhere to go Mike Balensifer of Warrenton snapped this photo of a bull elk that got snagged in fishing floats earlier this week. the power they had, they were empowered by it.” Kamryn Wade, 10, of As- toria liked learning how to solve problems. “I thought it was real cool how you could fix the water leak by putting clamps on it,” Kamryn said. “I like building things.” Sahalie Heavenrich, 9, of Astoria is glad her mom pushed her to come to camp. “She knows it’s hard for me to do things with other peo- ple. I like to do things by my- self,” Sahalie said. Operating an excavator was awesome and twisting bolts on the wa- ter leak simulator is a good skill to have, she added. This summer, Girls Build will have other camps in Portland, Josephine County and Seattle. Warrenton “has been lovely to say the least,” Hughes said. “They were ex- cited to have us and ready for us. Hampton made it very easy for us.” Other local camp sponsors are Warrenton Fultano’s, Warrenton Mini Mart, War- renton Subway and Action Sign Works. 5 Toxins found in Cullaby Lake The Oregon Health Au- thority issued a health ad- visory Tuesday for recre- ational use of Cullaby Lake due to a cyanobacteria bloom, or toxic algae. Water monitoring con- firmed the presence of the bacteria, according to the health authority. The con- centration of toxins found can be harmful to humans and animals. People should avoid swimming and high-speed water activities, such as wa- ter skiing or power boating. A second advisory was is- sued for high bacteria lev- els in ocean waters at Nes- kowin Beach, in Tillamook County. People should avoid the beach there because of fecal bacteria, which can cause di- arrhea, stomach cramps and skin rashes. The higher lev- els could come from ocean sources or inland sources, such as storm runoff, failing septic systems or livestock waste. The toxins at Cullaby ar- en’t absorbed through the skin, but people who have skin sensitivities may expe- rience a puffy, red rash at the affected area. Drinking water directly from Cullaby Lake is especially dangerous now. Public health officials advise campers and other visitors that toxins can- not be removed by boiling, fil- tering or treating water with camping-style filters.
