The INDEPENDENT, August 1, 2012
Page 5
Building Girls Summer Construction Camp helps girls learn trade
As they wrapped up a week
of learning about construction
careers in the construction in-
dustry and some basic skills
used in these trades, 40 middle
school-age girls from the Port-
land Metro Area received a vis-
it from one of Oregon’s work-
force development leaders: La-
bor
Commissioner
Brad
Avakian, who runs the state
Bureau of Labor and Industries
(BOLI) and heads the Oregon
State Apprenticeship and
Training Council. The BOLI-
ODOT Highway Workforce De-
velopment Program has con-
tracted for two such camps
over the next two years to raise
awareness and promote oppor-
tunities for young women to ac-
cess the living wage career
path of a skilled trades worker.
Non-profit Oregon Trades-
women, Inc. (OTI), runs four
“Building
Girls
Summer
Camps” each year.
“Programs like those offered
by OTI are invaluable to our
state’s workforce,” Avakian told
the girls, their parents and OTI
staff. “Oregon needs to do two
things immediately: create
more opportunities for young
people to get hands-on training
and job skills so they’re ready
for the workforce sooner, and
end wage discrimination to
make equal pay for equal work
a reality in Oregon. By bringing
more young women into the liv-
ing wage jobs of the construc-
tion trades, working on our eco-
nomically vital highways and
bridges, OTI is with me on the
front line for both priorities.”
The Building Girls Summer
Construction Camp is a day
camp for middle and high
school girls to learn construc-
tion basics in a fun environ-
ment. Girls learn basic math
and measurement, construc-
tion basics (such as measuring
Here are some things that help identify this as a canine track.
A: The claw marks. Dogs usually show claw marks in their
tracks. However, it is possible to see claw marks in cat tracks,
but this is usually when the animal is running or pouncing.
B: The lack of a third lobe on the hind edge of the heel pad.
See cat tracks below for the difference. Although it is visible in
some dog tracks, the third lobe is located higher, not aligned
with the other two as it is in cats.
C: The shape of the leading edge of the heel pad is a single
lobe. See cat tracks for difference.
D: The alignment of the front two toes. They are side-by-side,
or very close to it, in dogs tracks. There are exceptions, such as
when the animal is making a turn or walking on a slope.
E: The almost triangular shape of the pads of the outer two
toes. Take a look at the photo to see this more clearly as my
drawing is not the best for indicating this feature.
F: Dogs have a little point where the heel pad turns. Cats
share this feature.
Front tracks are usually larger than hind tracks. This is true
for both dogs and cats.
wood, using a skill saw, and
hammering nails), how to safe-
ly and properly use hand and
power tools, and other building
skills. The week of camp in-
cludes visits to construction
sites, teamwork, and project
planning, and culminates in a
cooperative building project.
This summer, the girls have
built a playhouse structure
which is being donated to the
Immigrant and Refugee Com-
munity Organization (IRCO).
“With the addition of the
BOLI-ODOT contract, we have
95 middle- and high-school
girls participating in our con-
struction camps this year,” said
Connie Ashbrook, Executive
Director of OTI. “Commissioner
Avakian’s emphasis on job
skills training for all young Ore-
gonians is a great support for
our mission.”
Visit www.oregon.gov/BOLI
for more information about
aBOLI’s work to promote em-
ployment
opportunities
throughout Oregon.
Cougar spotted in Vernonia city limits
From page 1
pets indoors at dawn, dusk and
night, don’t leave food or
garbage outside, install motion-
activated outdoor lights, and
move livestock to sheds or
barns at night.
If you encounter a cougar,
ODFW advises:
• Cougars will often retreat
given the opportunity. Leave
the animal a way to escape.
This is the track made by the front left foot of a cougar.
A: Note that the front two toes are not lined up side-by-side
as the dog prints were. The toe that is further forward is analo-
gous to a human middle finger (your longest finger). The align-
ment of this toe will tell you whether you have a left or right
track. This toe is the inner toe of the leading pair.
B: The leading edge of the heel pad has two parts, or lobes.
C: The hind edge of the heel pad has three parts, or lobes.
They are aligned with each other.
D: This is the front track. One clue that tells you this is that
the edge of the heel pad is relatively straight. See hind track for
difference.
E: Cats have a little point where the heel pad turns. Dogs
share this feature.
Front tracks are usually larger than hind tracks. This is true
for both dogs and cats.
• Stay calm and stand your
ground.
• Maintain direct eye con-
tact.
• Pick up children without
bending down or turning your
back on the cougar.
• Back away slowly.
• Do not run; running triggers
a chase response that could
lead to an attack.
• Raise your voice and
speak firmly.
• If the cougar seems ag-
gressive, raise your arms to
look larger and clap your
hands.
• In the rare event of an ac-
tual attack, fight back with
rocks, sticks, tools or any items
available.
No other cougar sitings have
been reported recently in Ver-
nonia and this animal may
have left the area as their terri-
torial ranges generally encom-
pass up to 100 miles.