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SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire Board offered Michael Greer an interim chief position for the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District pending finalizing the pay rate and job description. They also agreed to start advertising for a new fire chief and agreed to make preliminary comment on the 61-unit subdivision proposed in Powell County. Greer has been involved in emergency services his entire life and brings upper level management and leadership roles from his other work experiences. He graduated from paramedic school in 1996. He currently is a c...
HELENA – Resource Manager Gordy Sanders of Pyramid Mountain Lumber received the 2017 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Use and Promotion of Montana Wood. While Sanders was surprised by the recognition and appreciates that the Governor and others that recognized the work he has been involved with, he said the greatest success has been the various groups accomplishing their objectives while ensuring that the forest products industry remains fully integrated with outlets for all Pyramid p...
SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley American Legion Post #63 Commander Rick Ferguson spoke to those gathered at the Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 11 held at the Swan Valley Community Hall. He urged those present to remember and honor those who served and who presently serve their country and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Ferguson said, "It seems the United States never runs out of wars. "We step up to keep our freedom and preserve what we have." Those in attendance spoke of those who fought in past...
SEELEY LAKE – Veterans and members of the public joined together Nov. 11 at 11 p.m. to honor and thank the veterans in the Seeley Lake community. The Veterans and Families of Seeley Lake hosted the ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Park. VFSL President Barbara Knopp led the ceremony. "Today there is and perhaps there always will be conflict in the world," said Knopp. "But the United States fortunately enjoys peace and freedom. Like other things of great value this security did not come c...
SEELEY LAKE - This kind of opportunity to improve the community and prepare it for a long future will not come again soon, if ever. We are fortunate to have a generous grant to pay for a sewer system and the dedicated people willing to volunteer their time and skills to the effort. You can read about the benefits of the proposed sewer project in other letters and at www.seeleysewer.org. I am writing this letter as a personal testimony to these benefits. I have lived in two other communities that endured sewer and water controversies like this....
SEELEY LAKE - The Sewer Board has nicely stacked the deck for passage of its atrocious, expensive sewer proposal. Here’s how. By ignoring last December’s vote and opting for a “protest” procedure, the Board has effectively disenfranchised every business and residential renter in the district and made property ownership a condition of participation...that would be about 20 percent of the residents in the district. Further, by scheduling the protest period in November/December it has disenfranchised every “snowbird” who goes south for the win...
SEELEY LAKE - Response to this summer’s fires showed the resilience of people living in Seeley Lake. It is not something any of us want to see repeated. We all know how important Seeley Lake is to the community and local economy. Our forests became at risk due to decades of fire suppression and delays in thinning. The lake could suffer a similar fate. I was fortunate to serve as Director of the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks during the 1990s. Over my career, I came to appreciate that many of the challenges that nature faced were not t...
SEELEY LAKE - We are delighted to announce our new interim Fire Chief, Michael Greer. This is in response to our current community needs and the department in an effort to be expeditious and proactive in moving forward in protecting and servicing our community. Greer is also a Critical Care Paramedic/MD pursuing residency. He brings extensive skills in management, supervisory qualities and proven relationship building. Greer previously provided oversight under a Department of Defense contract with 120 + medics, doctors and mid-level providers...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board adopted a resolution at its Nov. 8 meeting to levy special assessments on property in the district to pay for construction of the proposed wastewater treatment plant and Phase 1 of the collection system. In other business, the board signed the inter-local agreement with the county. They also discussed a letter from landowners with wells near the proposed wastewater treatment plant that are concerned about their wells becoming contaminated. District Manager Greg Robertson explained that the resolution...
Have you watched and wondered how a flock of small birds just weave and turn as one headed for somewhere? Like some inner radar maneuvering this way and that. Just another wonder of Ol' Mother Nature. Every once in a blue moon a cock of the woods (Pileated Woodpecker) shows up. When I was a lad and Ol' shep was a pup, Uncle Tony, the hermit-my backwoods instructor, said, "When you hear that kak, kak, kak call it usually means rain." I sure didn't hear any this summer. I think maybe the smoke...
With this summer’s highly unfortunate fire activity, evacuation warnings and orders, we all learned important lessons: Being good stewards and neighbors is far more important than promoting negativity, pointing fingers and being critical of others. What we experienced this summer as a result of the significant threats to property and life, was people putting their differences aside, neighbor helping neighbor and the entire community of Seeley Lake coming together to assist one another through extremely challenging times. As we move forward f...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley-Swan High School senior Gabby Sexton has teamed up with KYSSMAS For Kids for her senior project. Her goal is to help the Missoula radio station 94.9 KYSS FM approach all the Seeley Lake businesses asking for donated auction items to raise more money to support children at Christmas and help promote Seeley Lake. KYSSMAS for Kids is a 13-hour, on-air auction Dec. 1. The live, call-in event features items from hotel packages to car detailing to memorabilia with all of the p...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School graduates Cole Jungers and Katie Hood were engaged Nov. 10. Cole proposed where they had their first kiss three years ago. They will be married by next summer but no date is set. Congratulations Cole and Katie!...
SEELEY LAKE - Alpine Artisans Open Book Club presents poet Mark Gibbons who will be reading and discussing his poetry Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., at the Grizzly Claw Trading Company. There is no charge to attend and all are welcome. Gibbons’ poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. He was the winner of the Montana Arts Council Innovation Award in 2013. He lives in Missoula, where he raised his family, and works as a delivery driver and teaches poetry. As an introduction to the subject of poetry at this Open Book Club, S...
With snow coming early this year, the 2017 aquatic invasive species sampling wrapped up at the end of October. Clearwater Resource Council AIS Specialist Joann Wallenburn, field technician Swan Valley Connections' Caitlin Mitchell and Blackfoot Challenge project leader Jennifer Schonnen led the sampling efforts this year with the help of volunteers from the Blackfoot, Clearwater and Swan Valleys. To date, there has been no evidence of zebra mussels, Eurasian milfoil or Curly Leaf Pond Weed in...
SWAN VALLEY - The final seventh element entitled Implementation was discussed, edited and accepted by the Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee at their meeting Nov. 8. The appendices, taken from text of three elements contained in the growth plan draft, were also accepted by the committee. The committee debated about accepting committee member Diann Ericson’s submission as to how to integrate the appropriate Implementation sections into each element of the draft plan. The committee eventually agreed with committee member Sara Halm to keep t...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake resident Patrick Constantinides knows some interesting inside information about the final stages of the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. Constantinides was the Assistant General Manager of one of the American banks in London during the time the hostage negotiations took place. A quick and vastly oversimplified background to the situation goes something like this: On Nov. 4, 1979, supporters of the Iranian Revolution overwhelmed the American Embassy in Tehran and captured 52 American diplomats and citizens. In retaliation,...
SEELEY LAKE – Ski-Doo® riders in Seeley Lake will not be left in the cold this winter. Seeley Lake residents Karl and Shannon ZurMuehlen opened Kra-Z's Service and Repair Nov. 1 in Seeley Lake in the building connected to Parts Plus. Through a partnership with Gull Boats, they offer Ski-Doo snowmobiles in the winter and watercraft in the summer. They also have Ski-Doo parts and services to keep riders on the snow in the winter and custom built stand-up watercraft, boat parts and services in...
MISSOULA – The Missoula Exchange Club is reaching out to Seeley Lake and encouraging the community to get more involved. Exchange Club member since 2002 and part-time Seeley Lake resident Larry Anderson said The Exchange Club serves all of Missoula County with their programs, "We want the area and the community to be aware of them so they will take advantage of them." Chartered in 1957, the Missoula Exchange Club is a group of men and women working to make the community a better place to live t...
Several short-term trends helped trigger Montana's remarkable homestead boom. The most significant was the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909, which doubled the free land available to settlers to 320 acres. In 1912, Congress went even further, lowering the required waiting period for land acquisition from five to three years, while also permitting homesteaders to be absent from their lands five months of each year. Together, these laws generated an eager response, ensuring that nearly 32 million...
OVANDO - On Nov. 8 at the beautiful age of 98, Margaret Frances McLean Copenhaver peacefully passed away at home surrounded by family. Margaret, daughter of William McLean and Mayme Superneau McLean, was born Aug. 2, 1919 in Granite, Mont. She attended school in Phillipsburg until she was a freshman in high school. Her family then moved to Missoula where she graduated from Missoula County High School. After high school, she worked at The Mercantile in Missoula until the Second World War broke... Full story
And now I want to urgently remind you, dear friends, of the old rule God gave us right from the beginning, that Christians should love one another. If we love God, we will do whatever he tells us to. And he has told us from the very first to love each other. (2 John 1:5-6) Grace and peace to all through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Like many of you over the last week and a half, I have been praying and pondering over the details of the stories emerging from Sutherland Springs, Texas where a man came into a church and shot and killed 26 people and...
Seeley-Swan High School Leos Club Turkey Drive, Nov. 17 SEELEY LAKE – In the spirit of giving, the Seeley-Swan High School Leos Club will be collecting turkeys Friday, Nov. 17 from 4-6 p.m. at various locations in Seeley Lake. All donations collected will be distributed through the Seeley-Swan Community Food Bank. Leo Club members will be at Rovero’s, Cory’s Valley Market and the Seeley Lake Post Office on Friday to collect donated turkeys. Their goal is to collect 25 turkeys. The club asks that the turkeys are frozen. Money will also be accep...
