Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 135
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Elementary School's gym and junior high classroom were transformed Saturday, Dec. 3 into a bustling holiday Frostbite Festival put on by the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS). Included in the festival was something for all ages. The school gym was filled to near capacity with hand made crafts, photography, stain glass creations, gift books, and direct sales vendors. Also featured was food catered by Mike and Pat Smith of the Swan Valley Center and...
SWAN VALLEY - Justin and Crystal Taylor of Condon enjoy their hobby of working with their horses and competing in rodeos and jackpots in their spare time. While Crystal's focus is barrel racing and Justin's specialty is team roping, they enjoy the love of horses and passing that love to their children. Both Taylors started riding horses at a young age. Crystal said that she probably began riding her family's horses when she was about three years old. "My mom, [Lily Wood of Condon], gave me my...
SWAN VALLEY - At their Nov. 15 meeting, the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC) voted to form an Ad Hoc committee to research issues that came from the proposed renovations to the Swan Valley Library and the septic system used by the Community Hall and library. SVCC chair Ken Donovan said the purpose of the meeting was to identify issues facing the community hall and library and offer solutions to be considered. “We need to consider our options as a community.” The nearly 25 attendees discussed their thoughts on how to spend the $100,000 set...
SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley residents gathered in front of the Swan Valley Community Hall Nov. 11 to honor the valley's veterans. Speaking to the nearly 65 people in attendance, American Legion Post 63 Commander Rick Ferguson said: "The purpose [of this day] is to celebrate and honor all of America's veterans for their patriotism love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. I salute our local veterans and those who passed before us, who are now held in reverence on...
SWAN VALLEY - Edits made with the input of local loggers to the 2.0 Economic Opportunity Element were accepted at the Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) meeting Nov. 2. SVRPC member Diann Ericson enlisted the help of local loggers to add their expertise to the section entitled 2.2 Potential of Past and Current Economic Activity. The loggers’ edits changed the focus of the paragraph from the industry declining due to pests, disease, climate change and the continuing mechanization to providing economic opportunity through r...
SWAN VALLEY - Missoula County Public Library (MCPL) Director Honore Bray presented about the MCPL Bond and Swan Valley Library improvements to nearly 40 attendees at the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC) meeting Oct. 18. Swan Valley resident Rick Ferguson also presented the idea of a shooting range in the Swan Valley. Bray explained the $30 million library building bond that appears on the ballot this November. Bray explained that the present MCPL building is out of space. There are requests every day for more books for which there would be...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) met Oct. 12 and revisited residents’ responses regarding what was envisioned for the Swan Valley. The envisioning process was intended to be the foundation of the Swan Valley Draft Plan. Members of the SVRPC reviewed the envisioning questions to see if the draft plan is in agreement with what the community wants for the Swan Valley. They also wanted to apply it to the 2.0 Economic Opportunity Element on which they are currently working. The SVRPC members discussed balancing e...
SWAN VALLEY - American Lands Council (ALC) representatives Kerry White and Jennifer Fielder spoke to nearly 100 people at the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC) meeting Sept. 20. They were invited by the council to provide information and answer questions about the ALC. White and Fielder expressed concern for public lands in Montana that are federally managed and talked about transferring federal public lands to willing states. Montana State Senator Fielder, Republican from Thompson Falls is also CEO of the Utah based ALC. White is a Montana...
SWAN VALLEY - Staff from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and Missoula County presented information to Swan Valley residents about the proposed updates to the Swan River Floodplain and the impacts to individual Missoula County property owners Sept. 20 at the Swan Valley Community Hall. In 2014, the updated draft floodplain mapping project began. The updated maps will eventually replace maps produced more than 30 years ago. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), DNRC and Missoula County utilized more...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) began discussion of the economic climate in the Swan Valley at their Sept. 14 meeting. Editing of the second element of the draft plan, Economic Development, was begun. Topics addressed during the meeting were 2.1 Economic Activity in the Swan Valley and 2.2 Barriers to Economic Development. Resident Marcia Tapp said, “We [the valley] need some stimulation to our economy. The tax base is shrinking and those who live here can’t afford the taxes. We need some viable businesses and...
SWAN VALLEY - Republican candidate for the Missoula County Board of Commissioners Todd Geery of Bonner, Mont. spoke at the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC) meeting Aug. 16. Swan Valley Fire Chief Randy Williams and Quick Response Unit (QRU) Medical Chief Dan Maloughney also commented on the issues they see with the proposed Flathead National Forest (FNF) Plan. Geery said his reason for joining the race is a deep passion to make a difference for all 111,000 residents of Missoula County. “I don’t want to be a politician, which can become a j...
SWAN LAKE - The Swan Lake Huckleberry Festival, held Aug. 13, celebrated 35 years. The Swan Lake Chamber of Commerce and Community Club (SLCC&CC) sponsored the event, emphasizing family tradition. Nearly 50 canopies belonging to vendors and organizations dotted the day use area on the shores of Swan Lake. An array of items were for sale including furniture, works of art in various mediums, food, ice cream cones, face painting, jewelry, basketry and many others. Organizations such as the Swan...
SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley resident John Keller spoke about his observations of the Missoula County growth plan process and gave his recommendations to help improve the Swan Valley Regional Plan (SVRP) at the Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee meeting Aug. 3. Chair Ken Donovan said he invited Keller to speak about what he has learned about the county plan and how it can be applied to the Swan Valley growth plan. Donovan said, “John has been to most of the [Missoula County Growth Plan] meetings and I think his observations will benefit o...
SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley Connections presented a Mussel Dog program at the Holland Lake Boat Launch area July 26. Two "mussel" dogs, three-year old Labradors, with their handler Deb Tirmenstein demonstrated how they can sniff out aquatic invasive zebra and quagga mussels on watercraft. The dogs using their keen sense of smell save watercraft inspectors time and money. They can more quickly identify the invasive mussels which are located in places on the watercraft that are hard for humans to...
SWAN VALLEY- Amy Robinson with the Montana Wilderness Association (MWA) related information about the proposed Flathead National Forest (FNF) draft plan to nearly 30 people at the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC) on Tuesday, July 19. There was also a discussion about biker and traffic safety on the Swan Highway. Robinson said she wanted to speak to the council about how to participate in the Forest Service (FS) public land process. The FNF draft plan is a framework on how the lands will be managed for the next 20 years. Robinson said that...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) met July 13 to consider public comments and Missoula lawyer Colleen Dowdall’s edits to the draft regional plan. The committee addressed and edited sections in the Natural Resources and Environmental Element including Ground Water Quality, Noise and Light Pollution. The committee voted four to one to delete the entire Climate Change section. The SVRPC voted with two opposed to accept Dowdall’s edits to the first three paragraphs in Ground Water Quality which removed excess verbiag...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) met June 24 to revise the draft plan. They addressed sections of the Natural Resources and Environment Element. Changes were applied to sections pertaining to fencing, timber management and air quality. After consideration of submitted comments, some of Missoula attorney Colleen Dowdall’s edits were used as well as SVRPC member Dave Johnson’s additions and rewording. The SVRPC agreed to take out the word stock to describe fencing. According to SVRPC member Dwayne Forder, the...
SWAN VALLEY - Nearly 65 people gathered on the lawn of the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS) museum June 3 to hear stories about the former Rustics of Lindbergh Lake (Rustics) from people who were employed by the log home company. USVHS president Steve Lamar said log crafters started settling the Swan Valley one hundred years ago. He shared how Rustics got started when Jim Busch had an idea for a way to make a living and at the same time help valley residents gain employment. Jim...
SWAN VALLEY - Former Swan Valley resident and centenarian Queveene Talley reached one hundred years of life March 16, 2016. She has outlived her siblings many of whom lived into their 90s and two of her three children. Talley's response when asked how she has lived so long: Hard work, luck, believing that things will get better when things were hard and not giving up. Talley was born in Kalispell, Mont. in 1916. She was the fourth of seven children born to Walter and Hattie Aleatia Colby who...
SALMON PRAIRIE – Graduate Addie Anderson's friends and family filled the Salmon Prairie one-room schoolhouse June 2 to participate in her eighth-grade graduation. Anderson spoke of her two fondest dreams. She wants to audition for "The Voice" and have a successful singing and songwriting career. She said she hopes to travel to Nashville, Tenn., work hard to get a record deal and record an album. Anderson also wants to go to Paris, France. "It sounds like such a beautiful and magical place full o...
The Swan Pond is a spring fed gravel pit owned by Montana Department of Natural Resources (DNRC) It has been open since 2005. The Swan Pond is for the benefit of young people. Anglers 15 years of age and younger can keep one fish a day. It is catch and release for those older. Trout culturist Mark Setzer from the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks hatchery in Anaconda, Mont. (left) prepares to send the 500 westslope cutthroat trout into the Swan Pond through the pipe. The tank, which held the...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) meeting held May 26 was led by the new chair Ken Donovan. Edits to the draft regional plan continued focused on recommendations from the Swan Valley school board. The SVRPC made edits to the Draft Plan using comments from School District No. 33 School Board. The school board pointed out in its comments that the word ecosystem was not used correctly in the 1.0 Element named Natural Resources and Environment. According to the comments, ecosystem is too broad a term to use when...
SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley Elementary (SVE) School students, from preschool to eighth grade, performed in their annual spring concert for family and friends May 17. This year's concert theme was "Color Our World" in which the students displayed their musical skills they had acquired under the direction of music director Kaytee Ambrozich. Most of the selections had to do with color while others according to Ambrozich, the students chose themselves. They decided on "Stand" and "Brown Eyed Girl."...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) met to address and edit more of the Swan Valley Regional Draft Plan (SVRP) May 11. Edits and comments from Swan Valley Elementary District No. 33 School Board and residents were utilized. The committee voted to table Section 1.2 Habitat Types of the SVRP until the next meeting. It was agreed the comments needed further study. SVRPC member Dave Johnson said that since none on the committee were well versed in habitat types, the committee should come back to it. He said the...
