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SEELEY LAKE - On April 27 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Game Warden Bill Koppen was called to a residence on the Double Arrow Ranch. A bear had been shot after getting into garbage and dog food on the porch of the residence. While the family had a license and tagged the bear, they were still cited, given a $135 fine and the hide and meat were confiscated. Koppen reminds everyone that feeding wildlife is illegal and will cause problems, not only for the wildlife but puts pets and people...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) continued their implementation and training for the Challenge Success program. A team of ten students, faculty, staff and parents attended the second training for SSHS at the end of April at Stanford University. For the students, the training reaffirmed their direction for the program and narrowed their focus for what can be effectively implemented at SSHS. Challenge Success partners with schools and families to provide students with the academic, social and emotional skills needed to succeed. The p...
SWAN VALLEY – Mikkie Gleason claimed the American Legion Post 63 Chili Champ for 2017 at the 27th annual Chili Cook Off May 6 in Condon. She shared the podium with second place Patti Maurer and Andrew Anderson in third place. There were eight entries this year. After five years of bringing chili to the cook off, Gleason took home the $50 third place earnings last year for the first time. This year she finally claimed the Chili Champ trophy and the $150 grand prize. She said her white chili h...
A lot (perhaps too much) has been said, written and broadcast about the upcoming special race for Montana’s lone Congressional seat on May 25. While I disagree with some of Rob Quist’s positions, and even more so with Gianforte’s views, the race comes down to a single issue in my opinion. Rob Quist is a true Montanan, who has lived among us all his life and encountered many of the difficulties and challenges that the average Montanan faces. Gianforte, on the other hand, is a billionaire, moved from New Jersey, who is now on his second attem...
Since its founding in 1994, Clearwater Montana Properties has emphasized community-building as a key component of its company culture. Through its Charitable Giving Program, the company's 80 agents give back a portion of all real estate proceeds to the Montana communities in which they were earned. To date, the program has produced more than $427,000 in charitable donations to causes throughout the state, including more than $77,000 in 2016 alone. "Being a positive force in our local...
SEELEY LAKE & SWAN VALLEY – According to the unofficial results of the May 2 Special District Elections, Nathan Richardson was elected to the three-year position on the Swan Valley Community Council and newcomer Rita Rossi and incumbent Scott Kennedy filled the two, three-year seats on the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board in the May 2 special district elections. -Of the 421 registered voters in the Swan Valley, 214 voters, 50.83 percent returned their ballots. Richardson won the Swan Valley Community Council three-year position with 110 o...
MISSOULA - The largest elk ever taken in Montana will go on display for a few weeks at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) beginning Monday, May 8. Montana resident Steve Felix shot the bull on public land in eastern Montana while on a solo hunt in September 2016. “This bull is a reflection of the importance of quality habitat, wildlife management strategies and hunters who provide funding for conservation efforts through excise taxes on guns, ammunitions and archery equipment, as well as the purchase of tags and licenses,” said Steve Dec...
MISSOULA - The Potomac School Parent Teacher Club (PTC) is hosting the 14th Annual Bingo Night at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula May 13. A team effort of more than 10 PTC members guaranteed organization of the event. The venue had to change from the Potomac/Greenough Community Center to the North Reserve street location because attendance had risen to the point of capacity for the Potomac building. Having bingo at the Hilton Garden Inn allows for more than 500 people. According to PTC member Allyson Nelson the event previously exceeded...
HELENA - Montana State Parks announced that 54 trail organizations, communities and various land-managing agencies throughout Montana will receive federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) federal grant awards for their projects in 2017. This included Swan Valley Connections and the Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Club. Sixty-nine RTP applications were received this year from a variety of eligible applicants, including federal and state agencies, towns, cities, counties, and private trail clubs and organizations. The funds are appropriated to the...
SEELEY LAKE - Alpine Artisans’ second Alpine Review hits the stage Friday, May 12 at 7 p.m. with a full program of music, poetry, art, scholarship awards and laughs. The doors at Seeley Lake Community Hall open at 6:30 p.m. to enable ticket buyers to bid on the silent auction, which will feature several dozen items of unique and valuable local art and homemade items. Raffle tickets will be sold until the drawing at intermission for five items: a Jennifer Dyer basket, a one-hour scenic plane flight for two donated by Scott Newpower, a h...
SEELEY LAKE - Happy spring! Thanks to the Pathfinder for allowing me this opportunity to provide an update on what’s happening on the Seeley Lake Ranger District. I want to provide what I hope is valuable information as you plan your summer activities whether you are working or recreating as year-round or seasonal residents or Forest visitors. Upcoming road work this summer will improve road-driving conditions and also provide some resource protection for local streams. Planned work includes road blading, road surface improvement, basic d...
SWAN VALLEY - Nearly 80 people attended the showing of the movie "Bud's Place" May 5 at the Swan Valley Community Hall. The 60-minute film, sponsored by Alpine Artisans, Swan Valley Connections and the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society, told the story of the late Swan Valley resident William "Bud" Moore, a renowned forester, conservationist, teacher and the author of "The Lochsa Story: Land Ethics in the Bitterroot Mountains." Moore's son Bill introduced the film and spoke about his father...
MISSOULA – Permits for mushroom harvesting will be available at all ranger district offices of the Lolo National Forest starting April 17. Commercial permits are being sold only at the Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger District and will be for use only within the Copper King Fire perimeter on that district. Those interested in harvesting non-commercially and in small amounts may harvest up to five gallons (about two grocery bags) for the season. This is considered Incidental Use and no permit is required but no more than one gallon of mushrooms i...
If you take a walk through the woods right now and look close to the ground you'll see tiny, chaotic puffs of creamy yellow at or near the top of what looks like blades of bunchgrass. But they aren't bunchgrass – they are sedge plants. Sedge flowers don't have showy petals so if you move too fast you'll miss them. But go slowly and use a magnifying glass or hand lens and you'll see that those puffs are made up of stamens coated with yellow pollen (the male part of a flower) and clear white p...
SEELEY LAKE – With the onset of summer come bugs and other diseases that have been continually affecting trees in area forests for decades. Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) Forest Pathologist Katie McKeever shared some of the trends and treatment options for beetles, budworm and black pineleaf scale at the annual log seller, contract logger and landowner meeting hosted by Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc. May 5. Western Spruce Budworm Western spruce budworm was detected in 890,194 acres in 2016. While budworm does n...
BOZEMAN - After low flows in some of Montana’s rivers last summer caused issues for irrigators, anglers and recreationists, the spring and summer runoff this year looks to yield above average streamflows, according to snowpack data released by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Snowpack across the state is above normal for May 1 in all but a few sub-basins. Basins west of the Divide, which typically peak during the month of April, are all above normal with high elevations still gaining as of the end of the month. East of t...
SEELEY LAKE - Heather Mincey is the new District Clerk/Business Manager for Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE). She brings 18 years of experience working in finance and accounting at the University of Montana (UM). She is looking forward to being able to be more a part of the community and help SLE continue to think outside the box when it comes to dealing with the biggest challenge, money. Mincey was born in Missoula and was raised in Potomac. She has lived in Seeley Lake for the past 21 years....
SEELEY LAKE – It's that time of year where local groups and organizations clean the ditches of Highway 83 to help beautify the valley. The Seeley Lake Lions Club is no exception. This year, they had five Leos join them for the Leos' first community project. The objective of the Leo Club is to provide youth with the opportunity for development and contribution, individually and collectively, as responsible members of the local, national and international community. The Leo motto is Leadership, E...
SEELEY LAKE - On May 4, guitar and banjo players, vocalists, pianists and an accordion player joined the Seeley-Swan Mountain Bells in presenting an evening of Music Galore. This is the fifth year the Mountain Bells have hosted the free event that invites local musicians to show off their skills and entertain the community. The 10 members of Seeley-Swan Mountain Bells introduced the wide-ranging scope of the program by playing three distinctively different songs. The first, "Apassionata," an...
HELENA – Montana State Parks announced that it is seeking public comment on the 2017 Biennial Fee Rule, an assemblage of user fees and associated rules for the Montana State Park system. Public comments will be accepted through Wednesday, May 31 at 5 p.m. The proposed user fees include adjustments to premium site and backcountry camping fees and establishes a pet fee for yurt, cabin and tipi rentals. The proposed fee rule also clarifies language regarding peak season dates at individual parks. Specific highlights include: • Modifies pre...
Richard Hext was born into an impoverished family with crippled hands and feet. After four years and 10 surgeries, he was eventually able to stand upright but unfortunately was never able to use his hands. However, a nurse had taught him to use his mouth to write and from this he developed a love for art as well. After attending an academy for seven years, he was able to fulfill his dream of becoming a painter. Such was his skill and love for his work that he gained a notable place in the world of English art, with some of his paintings...
SEELEY LAKE - Charlotte Ann (Bridgewater) West, 76 of Seeley Lake, passed away Friday, April 28, 2017 at St. Patrick Hospital of heart failure. Charlotte was born Aug. 22, 1940 in Livingston, Mont. to Gerald Bridgewater and Delores Miller Bridgewater. She graduated from Park County High School in Livingston and married Jon Guy West on July 7, 1959. Early in their marriage, Charlotte and Jon lived in Glasgow and Circle. They settled in Fort Benton, Mont. from 1968 to 1988. During that time,... Full story
FRENCHTOWN - The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks ran, jumped and threw to new levels setting personal records (PR) and in the process, breaking two school records at the Kim L. Haines Memorial track meet May 6. Lady Blackhawks Cera Strumpfer and Alex Bohlman each set new school records. Strumpfer cleared 9 feet, 10 inches to break Shawna Nemmers 1996 record of 9 feet, 9 inches. The jump earned Strumpfer first place in the event. Bohlman took first place and furthered her own school record from last week...
MISSOULA - Golfers from nearly a dozen schools took to the fairways of the Ranch Club Golf Course and Canyon River Golf Course for the Loyola Invitational May 1 and 2. The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks came out strong on day one of the tournament. All four Boys shot 88 and under at the Ranch Club. Their combined score of 334 put them in second just 2 strokes behind Loyola in first place. They had a solid 8-stroke lead over third place Shelby. McKinley Nicholas led the Blackhawks after 18 holes at the R...
