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The average age of the crowd listening to Bill McKibben speak at the Wilma Theater in Missoula over the weekend was probably close to his age - 63. But McKibben grasped that, and took it in a particular direction. As the keynote speaker for the fifth In the Footsteps of Norman Maclean Literary Festival put on by the Seeley-Swan Valley's Alpine Artisans, McKibben said 70 million Americans are over the age of 60. (In Montana, over 20% of the population is 65 or older.) This demographic "punches...
The Blackhawk football team remains undefeated going into homecoming this weekend. On Friday night at 7 p.m. the Blackhawks will take on Valley Christian, who is also undefeated this season, on their turf. Last weekend's game against St. Regis-Mullan was the closest so far, Coach Jacob Haley said. By the end of the third quarter, the Blackhawks were only up by 10. St. Regis is a "well-coached ball club," Haley said, and the 1 p.m. kickoff on a particularly warm fall day tested the team. Haley...
The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District added three new firefighters and a new paramedic to its team. Now, the department has 28 volunteer firefighters on the roster, four paramedics and one advanced emergency medical technician. Jon Espenscheid, Seppa Francis and Brandon Johnson were acknowledged at a badge pinning ceremony during the September fire department board meeting. These three completed their task books, which include a variety of safety trainings like ambulance driving and entry level...
The Swan Valley Community Council met last Tuesday evening and received updates on the Condon Work Center, heightened bear activity, incorporation and a community questionnaire. Sara Lamar, managing director of education with Swan Valley Connections, gave an update on the Condon Work Center, which the Northern Region of the Forest Service — based in Missoula — decided to put up for conveyance, or transfer of ownership, at the end of June. Swan Valley Connections, who uses the space for its operations, was given a move-out date of the end of...
The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board met last Thursday to discuss the process of selecting a wastewater treatment plant site, heard about funding updates and announced the resignation of the board’s secretary and manager. Bill Decker, the sewer district’s manager since the end of 2022, announced his resignation at the meeting on Sept. 19. Decker told the Pathfinder he started to feel like he was going in a different direction than the board, and that it was his time to step down. As a part-time Seeley Lake resident and one that doesn’t live...
Blackhawk football and volleyball teams are rolling past a month of games and remain undefeated. Football Coach Jacob Haley said this is the first time in 20 years the Blackhawk football team has been four-and-zero to start the season. "So far this season, in terms of the games, we've gotten off to fast starts, and we did again this game as well," Haley said. In Friday's match against Arlee, Haley said he knew that team had some pretty good runners and the Blackhawks had to lock in their...
The fifth annual Mike Haley Memorial golf tournament took place in Seeley Lake on Sept. 15 and raised over $6,000 for youth sports in the Seeley-Swan valley. The money goes directly to the principal of Seeley-Swan High School and in the past has been used for a shot clock and scoring table in the basketball gym. Jacob Haley, son of the late Mike Haley, said he's not sure what the school will use the money for this year. "I like to do it to keep my dad's name around," Haley said. "It means a lot...
The Clearwater Resource Council hosted a day-long conference on Sept. 6 focused on watershed hydrology, how water moves throughout the Clearwater Basin, the potential for it to pick up pollutants and how septic systems can play into those processes. Other topics included presentations on invasive fragrant water lilies and shoreline conservation. Experts emphasized the connectedness of the watershed. Karen Williams, aquatics director with the Clearwater Resource Council, said while much of the...
The photo of the handmade sign and snapdragons planted near the corner of Boy Scout Road and Highway 83 by a light pole was missing a bit of information in last week's Pathfinder. Zelda Haines wanted to make sure that Cole and Keanna Henrekin were given credit for their contributions. Cole made the sign in his shop, Peak Fabrication, and donated it in memory of Zelda's husband, Kim, who was a principal at Seeley-Swan High School and a beloved track and field coach before he lost his battle with...
Hype is building in Seeley Lake for the Blackhawk football team. So far in the season, they're undefeated. "It's been awhile since we've started out three-and-o," Jacob Haley, Blackhawk football coach, said. Last weekend the team faced off against Mission, who was also undefeated until they went up against the Blackhawks. Mission's offensive was pretty good on film, Haley said, but the Blackhawks' defense was phenomenal. The game started out a little rough, but at halftime the Blackhawks had...
A Condon resident was severely injured after wind storms with speeds up to 70 mph swept through the Seeley-Swan valley on Aug. 23. Chris Soelter, who is a construction worker in the valley, received a call from a local business in Seeley Lake. The business had some roof damage after the storm and Chris and his son, Brandon, were leaving Chris's home in Condon to get to the job on the day of the storm. Brandon left the house a few seconds before Chris, according to Chris's brother, Mike, and...
Karen Dove's hands shake when she starts talking about what it takes to keep a rural pharmacy open. Each day, she orders drugs customers need at the Seeley Swan Pharmacy. She pays for the drugs before she gets reimbursed and before a customer uses insurance to compensate for what it doesn't pay. Dove doesn't get repaid the full cost of the drug, though, and has to choose an amount she's going to sell a drug on which she's willing to lose. Dove spends money when she's buying drugs and loses it...
The last units of lumber were processed at Pyramid Mountain Lumber on Friday. No more production will continue at the mill. In March, Pyramid Mountain Lumber announced their closure due to workforce shortages. The high cost of living in western Montana was cited as one of the main reasons for closure. Pyramid was the largest employer in Seeley Lake and has been family-owned for the last 75 years. Pyramid has been winding down through a five-part plan and are now in the final two stages, which...
A wind storm with gusts up to 60-70 miles per hour burst through Seeley Lake on Aug. 23 and left thousands without power, some going days before the lights came back on. The storm postponed the beginning of Seeley-Swan High School's school year. Freshmen were to have started school on Monday, and as of press time Monday afternoon, it wasn't clear when classes would begin either for the high school or the elementary school. A couple of log storage sheds at Pyramid Mountain Lumber were damaged...
Shortly before 10 a.m. on Salmon Lake, an eagle swooped in front of a boat that started collecting water quality data a couple hours earlier. The bird of prey dipped into the water, grabbed a fish and flew away. "You don't see that every day," Colleen Stone, who was volunteering that morning with the Clearwater Resource Council, said. Later on, a herring flew across the width of the six-mile long lake. Brea Dehm, aquatic technician with the Clearwater Resource Council, said these moments, and be...
The Seeley Lake Pickleball Club is trying to get more people on the courts. About 55 people are members of the club and they play Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8 a.m. until noon behind Seeley Lake Elementary School next to the baseball diamonds where there are six outdoor courts available for pickleball playing. Since the club practices at this time, members are required to have insurance, so each person pays $30 each year to cover those costs. People can play outside of those...
Potomac Elementary School wrapped up its third summer food program two weeks ago. Over the eight week summer break, over 24,000 meals were served to kids 18 years and younger in Potomac, but also in Seeley Lake, Condon, Bonner, Clinton, Missoula, Lolo and Victor. The program is made possible in part by a program through the United States Department of Agriculture, which provides some funding in the form of reimbursements to support getting breakfast, lunch, fresh fruit and vegetables and milk to participating families seven days a week during...
The Blackfoot Challenge hosted its annual community appreciation event on Aug. 16. A silent auction, food trucks - Rockstar BBQ and Balsamroot Catering - drinks provided by Trixi's Antler Saloon and the Stray Bullet and music from Tanner Laws and friends made for a jovial mood. Seth Wilson, executive director of the Blackfoot Challenge, stood on the stage and thanked the Challenge staff, board of directors and various event volunteers and sponsors. "I just want to thank the community of the wate...
Drivers may have encountered some construction relief around Salmon Lake over the past week or so. The Salmon Lake Highway Reconstruction project isn’t completely finished, but Kiewit, the construction company partnering with the Montana Department of Transportation for the project, is getting close to its ending point. Lisa Gray, communications associate with engineering firm HDR, said work is expected to wrap up by mid-November, weather permitting. Final striping, seeding and fertilizing through the construction area is still underway. A...
A missing swimmer was found drowned near the west end of Seeley Lake on Aug. 5 shortly after 8 p.m. The swimmer was identified as a 15 year old male from Washington state. 911 dispatch received a call reporting a missing swimmer near the west end of Seeley Lake at approximately 5:15 p.m. on Aug. 5, according to a press release from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue and Missoula County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the Seeley Lake Campground to search for the missing swimmer. Missoula County Search and...
Even after a rainy Tuesday, the Blackfoot River looked low on July 31 as experts and community members gathered to talk about the record drought in the watershed. Data from the United States Geological Survey showed an increase in river flows after the rain, and at 10 a.m., when the press conference started, the Blackfoot River was at 476 cubic feet per second. The last time the river dropped below 500 cfs was in 2015. Montana is the epicenter of drought in the western United States right now,...
A couple hours before a thunderstorm with hurricane level winds crashed through Missoula County on the evening of July 24, the Missoula National Weather Service posted an update on its Facebook page about a cluster of thunderstorms moving northeast through north-central Idaho with winds that have historically hit 50 to 60 miles per hour. The post instructed readers to secure outdoor items before the storms arrived, and was just about spot on with the time estimate - 9 p.m. Wind speeds of 81 mph...
Close to 15 years ago, Condon residents were ready to get out of Missoula County. A Missoulian article from 2009 highlighted the Swan Valley Preservation Group, then led by Ken Donovan, which hoped to join Lake County, looking for less regulation and less taxes paid for things the group felt were never realized an hour and a half away from the city of Missoula. Quite a bit earlier, during the first Constitutional Convention for the state of Montana in 1889, convention delegate Martin Maginnis from Lewis and Clark County yearned for a state of...
The Seeley Lake Water District will increase rates for water users as the anticipated closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber looms this fall. Per information from a notice sent out by the water district this month, the mill consumed 20% of the water the district produced each month and used about two million gallons of water monthly. The loss of that production for the district is expected to amount between $50,000 and $60,000 in total. The notice stated the mill intends to shut off its water supply at the end of the year, which is likely when...
Editor's note: Weekly deadlines are tough for providing quick, current information as it relates to the fire season. The Pathfinder's Facebook page (Seeley Swan Pathfinder ~ Seeley Lake, MT) is a good resource for information on new starts, fire conditions, restrictions and evacuation notices, as is mtfireinfo.org and the Lolo National Forest's Facebook page. We will publish updates similar to these as often as is necessary and useful. Weeks of persistent hot and dry weather, with a bit of...
