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POTOMAC - Two female grizzly bears were trapped Sunday, May 29 on private property up Twin Creeks Road. One was relocated to a remote area the next day and the other was euthanized in Missoula due to an old injury that led to a serious infection. According to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear management team, on Wednesday, May 25 the two-year-old bears were in the Johnson Creek drainage moving east. The grizzlies remained close to homes along Highway 200. One bear was missing a foot....
SEELEY LAKE - With a turn of their tassels and some parting words from Dr. Seuss, 30 Seeley-Swan High School seniors closed a chapter of their academic careers at the school's graduation ceremony Sunday, June 5. The commencement featured some inspirational speeches, a presentation of roses and a senior slideshow. After SSHS senior Sara Stevenson performed the Star Spangled Banner, senior Chase Haines thanked SSHS faculty and encouraged his peers to keep pursuing their dreams during the 2022...
SEELEY LAKE - The Mountain Lakes Presbyterian Church (MLPC) will raise the pride flag on June 12 at 10:30 a.m. to welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community and honor Pride Month. The plan was set into motion May 8 when members of the Mountain Lakes Presbyterian Church council unanimously approved a proposal to fly the flag year-round. The pride flag, or rainbow flag, has been an iconic symbol of solidarity, inclusion and acceptance for the LGBTQ rights movement since the 1990s. Out of the 18...
SEELEY LAKE - Thirteen Seeley Lake Elementary students completed kindergarten Friday, June 3. The completion ceremony commenced with a brief introduction by Teacher Sheila Devins, followed by a slideshow of pictures of fun activities students participated in throughout their kindergarten year. Devins then led the students singing the "Montana Ballad'' before handing each student their kindergarten completion certificates. Students and their families asked for hugs and pictures when the ceremony...
The day after my wife Kathy died, which would have been her 66th birthday, as morning rose the Sky wasn’t as Big. With the utmost respect for all of you, for me Kathy was Montana. I just didn’t realize it until she was gone. It’s the things we take for granted that we miss the most when they’re gone. I want to thank everyone for all the support and help you gave Kathy and also all the support you gave me when I was the Seeley Lake Fire Chief. We, as a community, went through a lot together but it’s time for me to move on. I’ll be leaving See...
SEELEY LAKE - The Fourth of July Committee and the Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce have been working for the past month to organize this year's Fourth of July celebration in Seeley Lake. This year's theme is "Summer in Seeley - From Pirates to Patriots" with Pyramid Mountain Lumber's Roger Johnson and his wife Rhea honored as the Grand Marshals. This year the Seeley-Swan High School Art Class students made posters to help promote the Fourth of July activities. The Committee selected Aubrey...
SEELEY LAKE - The June meeting of the Seeley Lake Community Council will be held at the Seeley Lake Historical Museum and Visitors Center, 2920 Highway 83, on Monday, June 13. Pizza will be served starting at 5:30 p.m. with the meeting following at 6 p.m. Featured speakers are as follows: • Karen Hughes, Assistant Director of Missoula County CAPS: updated land use fees • Lori Freeman, Trust Montana: community land trusts and affordable housing • Jamie Jonkel, Region 1 Bear Management: Preventing bear issues • Seeley Lake Chamber: Fourth...
SEELEY LAKE - The final storytelling for this season occurs 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 15 at the Seeley Lake Foundation Building. We started this community event last fall with the belief that stories can bring a community together. Some may be controversial; most are not. Many are about experiences we find as common while others may seem less so. But, everyone needs to have the opportunity to respectfully offer their thoughts and experience with others respectfully listening. How do you create the atmosphere where a meaningful dialogue occurs? Whe...
MISSOULA – About 12.5 million nonresidents visited Montana in 2021 and spent around $5.15 billion in the Treasure State, according to estimates by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana. The number of travelers visiting the state in 2021 increased 12.5% from 2020, bringing the number nearly back to the pre-pandemic visitation levels. This recovery performance far exceeded most of the nation. Those 12.5 million travelers made up 5.6 million travel groups in Montana during the year. Nearly half of those t...
We never know what the upcoming wildfire season will hold for us but we do know one thing: It will come and fires will burn. It is inevitable, especially in this beautiful, historically fire prone area. This can be hard to remember when the grass is green and growing, the balsamroot is blooming, and the larch are awakening. But now is a critical time to prepare for wildfire. As June slides into July it is also an important time to remember to do our part to prevent human caused wildfires as well...
A new Montana-based project with podcasts and documentary videos about Montana lands, waters and communities is now online. The project features stories from the heart of the Seeley-Swan Valley. Spearheaded by Project Director and Montana Filmmaker Lara Tomov, the Life in the Land project features four documentary videos and 19 podcasts about four different regions across Montana: the Central Montana Plains, the Blackfeet Nation Amskapi Piikani, The Big Hole Valley and the Seeley-Swan region. The project explores the success and value of locall...
POTOMAC – Kenny Brown operates the Potomac Bar and Country Store with manager Christine Yedinak. Brown took ownership of the former Cully's business in April and hopes it will continue to be a place for locals and visitors alike to meet, socialize and purchase the supplies that they need. Originally from Bonner, Montana, Brown moved to the Potomac area 16 years ago. Brown wanted to keep the business local, so he purchased it. "I want a place for community people to meet," Brown said. Brown a...
Have you ever had these moments in your life where you find yourself pleading and begging to understand why you are downcast? Well the Psalmist who wrote Psalms 42 definitely has. I often find myself in seasons of my life where I become downcast and heavy laden but as a believer in Christ, shouldn't I be filled with this overwhelming joy all the time? Yes! And no...Allow me to explain why. Joy is a long-term expression of gratitude and elation. The presence of despair and downcast is not somethi...
SWAN VALLEY - Patricia Maurer took home the coveted title of Chili Champ for the second year in a row in the American Legion Post 63 31st Annual Condon Chili Cook-Off June 4. Three additional chili contenders tied for second and third place out of nine chili entries. Second and third place winners Marie Geisler, Jody Sullivan and Ronda Feucht each won $50, while Maurer claimed $150. Along with judging the chili, attendees were eligible for door prizes, participated in the 50/50 drawing and...
SEELEY LAKE – Author Betty Vanderwielen met with Seeley Lake Elementary school students May 25 to share about her new book "Raccoon Summer." Students not only learned about how she came up with the idea for the book but also the process of getting it published. In the mid-1970s, the Vanderwielens volunteered with an animal rehabilitation program through the Kalamazoo Nature Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan. For nearly 10 years, they took in small animals including raccoons, birds, possums and squir...
MISSOULA – Return to Big Skies: Miss Montana to Normandy documentary film includes a bit of Seeley Lake history. The film directed and photographed by E. W. Ristau and produced by Geneva Ristau and Jenny Rohrer is now available on Amazon Prime for viewing. The filming project started in late 2018 with a goal to chronicle the grassroots efforts of an aviation community comprised of mechanics, pilots, smokejumpers and everyday Montanans. The group worked in a hangar at the Museum of Mountain F...
SEELEY LAKE - Eight seniors at Seeley-Swan High School received scholarships from organizations within the Seeley Lake community and beyond for their outstanding academic performances, athletic achievements and participation in extracurricular activities. Some local businesses and organizations that funded the scholarships include Alpine Artisans, Inc., Loving Hearts Thrift Store, Grizzly Claw Trading Company, The Seeley Lake Rural Fire Department and the Seeley Lake Lions Club. Loving Hearts aw...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley-Swan High School senior Walker McDonald has seen a lot of success throwing for the Blackhawks during his high school career including setting a new State record in Discus a few weeks ago. Now he looks forward to continuing his throwing career at the University of Montana next fall after signing with the Griz Track & Field team. "I've always wanted to throw in college since I realized I had some sort of talent," McDonald said. "Plus it is in Missoula which is where I wanted t...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary School with Seeley-Swan High School band and choir students combined efforts with Swan Valley Elementary to put on an end-of-the-year concerts for the communities. The concert on May 31 was performed at SSHS auditorium. SLE/SSHS music teacher Janet Morgenstern and SVE Music Teacher/Principal Aaron Morgenstern led the students who performed music from Disney productions. Disney was the theme for the evening with music from the Avengers, Pirates of the C...
OVANDO - With the sound of wolves yipping and woodpeckers hammering away, the SSHS Discovery Days began in Mollett Park on the Blackfoot Challenge Community Conservation Area (BCCA) May 25. Students arrived by school bus to the open grassland area with wetlands and forest skirting the sides. Discovery Days is planned yearly by Trace Stone, Seeley-Swan High School teacher, as a means to get students outside and experience new things. This year, Elaine Caton, Education Coordinator of the...
Blackhawks Skills Football Camp, June 17-18 SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley-Swan High School football program is offering a Blackhawk Skills Football Camp June 17-18 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the SSHS football field. Third through eighth graders are invited. Registration is $25 before June 12 and $35 after June 12, including June 17. The Blackhawk Skills Football Camp will focus on the fundamentals of offense and defense as well as special teams. The Campers will receive instruction from the Seeley Swan Blackhawk Coaching Staff as well as the pla...
In celebration of 36 years of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, each week we will run parts of articles that appeared in the issue 35 years ago and 20 years ago. The entire issue will be uploaded to our website seeleylake.com for you to enjoy. We hope you will enjoy the journey with us as we follow our community through the past 36 years as documented by the Pathfinder. 35 years ago: June 11, 1987 issue New pastor for Faith Chapel The Reverend Gary Wayne has been called to serve as pastor for Faith...
