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GREENOUGH - The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and local volunteer fire departments have responded to five lightning-caused wildfires in the Clearwater/Blackfoot area in the wake of a widespread lightning storm Thursday, May 5, All of the fires were less than an acre except for one near Elbow Lake that grew to 5.9 acres. The five fires included: Ashby Creek, 0.1 acres; Garnet Range Road, 0.1 acres; Boot Tree Road, 0.1 acres; Elbow Lake, 5.9 acres and Snowmass,...
Members of the Seeley Lake community took to the polls May 2 to vote on Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) general fund levy and elect two SLE School Board of Trustees. Those in the Swan and Potomac Valleys voted on a mail-in ballot for two representatives for the Swan Valley Community Council and one person for the Greenough/Potomac Fire Board of Trustees. The SLE general fund levy passed by 84 votes. There were 288 votes for and 204 against the $17,056 levy. This will increase taxes on a $100,000 home by $2.98 and on a $200,000 home by $5.96...
SEELEY LAKE – Construction has begun on a new trail connecting Montana Highway 83 to the curbed sidewalk just west of Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) on Locust Lane. The project is funded by Missoula County through a combination of Federal Community Transportation Enhancement and county road funds. No county parks bond funding has been used. According to Missoula County Director of Public Works Greg Robertson, the location was identified years ago as a potential project. "It made sense to c...
SEELEY LAKE - The Biggest Loser Challenge at Optimal Fitness in Seeley Lake returned for its fourth year. This year Seeley Lake resident Susan Bracha walked away with the first place, $500 cash prize, while Noreen Shamanski took second and Jeromy Stevenson placed third in the challenge. Participants weighed in at Optimal Fitness before Jan. 31 and returned 12 weeks later for their final weigh-in. The winner was determined by percent of weight lost, not total pounds. This year 26 people entered t...
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) Water Compact is much more than just a piece of legislation—it is a negotiated agreement that ensures the future of agriculture in our state. Without the Compact the Tribes would have to define their water rights through litigation in the Montana Water Court—a costly, time consuming and uncertain process that would have dire impacts for Montana taxpayers, landowners and water users across our state. The Tribes would have the earliest priority date of any water users. Failure to ratify the Com...
I live in a rural area of Missoula County where sometimes it’s de rigeur to complain about the policies, directions and goings on “in town.” But I love Missoula and I fiercely love Missoula County. Our issues do not have black and white solutions, nor even gray ones. Our solutions must be more kaleidoscope in nature, structured but brilliant and varied. Missoula County is diverse, complicated and our County Commissioners maintain the necessary tension that makes this place so livable. Dave Strohmaier is endorsed by Montana Conservation Voter...
The excitement the weeks before the temptation to run screaming fearing you'll explode from the anticipation daydreaming of warm weather and sandy beaches hoping to get a tan even though pale skin won′t let you the countless hours spent up at night thinking of what you'll need you're vibrating with excitement jumping with joy your time waiting is almost up! eyes peeled open all night you repeat in your head spring break's almost here, spring break's almost here for two weeks you're free! no b...
So with me at the helm and Ruth navigating, we arrived in Ludington, Michigan at the dock. It was kinda like crossing the border into Canada or Mexico...ya just can't drive up and pull onto the ferry. There were two check stations to encounter before you drove onto the ferry and parked your vehicle. There was quite a line of vehicles to board, so after perhaps 10-15 minutes we drove up to check station #1. An official Border Patrol type uniformed gal walks outta the little shed, approaches the w...
HELENA - Shed-antler hunters and other recreationists planning to visit a Montana Wildlife Management Area (WMA) are reminded that while many popular WMAs open at noon on May 15 including the Blackfoot-Clearwater WMA aka the Game Range, several do not open until June 1. It is illegal to enter a state WMA prior to its formal opening day. Buck deer and bull elk and moose grow antlers each year, some to magnificent size, which drop off to regrow each spring. Hunting for and collecting these “shed” antlers in spring has become a popular act...
SEELEY LAKE – Tuesday, May 3, Seeley Lake Elementary School (SLE) teachers were directed to bring their students to the multi-purpose room for a school assembly. Most of the teachers were puzzled, not knowing the reason for the meeting, though many of the students were in on the secret. Standing alone at the microphone on stage, fourth-grader Ava Thornsberry waited for everyone to be seated. "Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day," Thornsberry announced. "Kids in the school drew pictures f...
The deadline for this article is four hours away and I still can't decide which of many topics to write about. We live in a wonderfully diverse place which is only adding to my decision problems. I started with the intention of writing about the Western Spruce Budworm infestation that is going strong in our area, only to discover that Andi Bourne wrote a terrific article about it just last July. There isn't much more to add to her article except to stress that the best weapon against the wide...
GREENOUGH - The evening of May 6 the reception barn at The Paws Up Resort in Greenough was decked out with paintings, drawings and art auction items plus 3-D faces and collaborative murals. The student artists from Ovando and Sunset schools hosted an exhibit of their art at the local ranch. More than 40 people attended including families and friends of the 12 students. Guided by art teacher Ashley Mitchell of Missoula, the students at both schools have the opportunity for a regular art program....
SEELEY LAKE - Quinn Marie Hamilton was born March 30 at 1:36 a.m. to Derek Flahive and Amie Morton. She weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20 inches long. Proud grandparents include Amy and Ken Vernarsky of Seeley Lake and Patricia Hammond of Hamilton, Mont. Welcome to the world and to our family little one.... Full story
SEELEY LAKE – Nearly a dozen organizations filled the bays of the Seeley Lake Fire Hall for the Community Fire Preparedness Day May 7. The community was invited to get information about how to protect their homes in the event of a wildland fire and how to protect themselves and their family during a structure fire. "We are trying to get the community to realize and understand the risk that they live in in the wildland urban interface. Fire can happen at any time, whether human caused or by l...
You are a very rare person, indeed, if you have never faced a difficult time in your life such as death of a loved one, divorce, loss of home, unemployment…etc. I could list many possible events in your life that would give you extreme sorrow in some way or another. Just look at the tragedies that are in the newspaper every day that kill or severely injure thousands of people. I can’t remember how many times people have asked the question “Why would a loving God allow that to happen” after a major loss of life has occurred. After all, isn’t G...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) met May 4 to continue edits to the Swan Valley Regional Plan (SVRP). They considered comments from residents and Missoula lawyer Colleen Dowdall. Comments from Swan Valley residents about the definition of the word goal on page 61 of the draft were discussed. SVRPC member Dwayne Forder said that the definition as written was hard to interpret and gave too much leeway for interpretation when the county considers the plan. “We need to make it [the definition] more clear,” For...
Gifford Pinchot, who later became chief of the U.S. Forest Service, was working for the National Forest Commission in 1896 when he traveled south through the Swan Valley with Jack Monroe, a trapper and guide. In the previous installment of the 7-part series, they had failed to reach a deserted cabin where they could find flour, and they had been unlucky hunting bear. We were not more than six miles from Camp Plenty when we started, as we found later on, but at ten a night we were still traveling. The worst of it was that we had had little or...
MISSOULA - Mark Sweeney, who is running for the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) District 4, has decided to do things a bit differently out on the campaign trail. Aside from spending a lot of time talking with potential voters in the urban areas of Missoula and Hamilton, he decided to take the campaign into the classroom in the more rural areas of the district. PSC District 4 is Montana's western-most District which serves seven counties including Granite, Powell, Ravalli, Missoula,...
SEELEY LAKE – The Alpine Artisans Inc. (AAI) Art Auction and Talent Show Friday, May 6 offered something for every palette. Attendees were able to enjoy and bid on local artists' work while munching on treats and listening to local musicians and poets. All proceeds for the event went to support the AAI student grants, scholarships and outreach activities. AAI Vice President Dona Aitken conceived the idea for the event as a replacement for Wine and Chocolate. "The concept for this event was to p...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) band hosted their spring concert May 3. In addition to songs with the entire band, the twelve members, from fifth through eighth grade, played solos and small group ensembles as a section. Music Director Kaytee Ambrozich had each of the students introduce themselves and the piece they were going to play to the audience before performing. Many added information about the piece and why they chose it. "Being able to introduce themselves and talk a...
OVANDO - Mark "Mr. B" Braun gave new meaning to the term tinkling the ivories as he filled the Ovando School gymnasium May 5 with foot-stopping, piano rocking, get-up-and-dance blues and boogie-woogie music. Sponsored by the Ovando School Cultural Enrichment Committee, Braun spent the day with the students and offered a free concert Thursday evening in Ovando. He also worked with students in Lincoln and Potomac and gave concerts in Lincoln and in Missoula over the weekend. Braun calls himself an...
Wow, just finished a great week at the clinic here in Seeley Lake, Montana! What a great place to live and what a great place to work. With the advent of spring, we've seen the typical springtime ailments, allergies, tendon problems from track and we are already seeing some springtime trauma-let's be careful out there this season. This week, we've heard from a lot of people concerned about catching MRSA (methicillin resistant staph aureus). This is not just a springtime problem. It's a yearlong...
Goal: Owner Todd McNutt says whether trimming hooves or shoeing horses and mules, he takes his time with each one at every visit. He tries to make it a positive learning experience and to build a strong foundation of trust with each animal he services. History: In 2001, McNutt began shoeing horses while he was working as a guide for Swan Valley outfitters. When they were 20 miles back in the wilderness his horseshoeing skills were invaluable to the outfitters when a horse or mule lost a shoe....
SEELEY LAKE - Eleven teams from Class B and C schools gathered at the Double Arrow Golf Course in Seeley Lake Tuesday, May 3. The day was clear and sunny, just right for a golf match. "The kids are playing good and we're getting excited for State. It was a great day," said Head Coach Wayne Cahoon. The Blackhawk gentlemen took fourth place overall with two players in the top 10. Junior McKinley Nicholas took the seventh place spot after shooting an 81. Senior Jacob Haley wasn't far behind as he...
MISSOULA - The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks competed at the Kim Haines Memorial Meet May 7. The meet drew 27 teams from A, B and C class schools. The Lady Blackhawks took second overall, just three points behind Plains. Alex Bohlman led the Ladies, taking first in the 200-meter, second in the 100-meter and third in the javelin. She joined Cera Strumpfer, Lily Mercer and Andi Bohlman for first place in the 1600-meter relay. Strumpfer earned a first place in the pole vault while Stephanie Robbins took...
