Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
OVANDO - This week, retired smokejumpers returned to Seeley Lake, an area that many of them have a deep connection with, to continue to do work that protects and maintains public lands by volunteering for the Forest Service. The retired jumpers who volunteer their time on trail maintenance are called TRAMPS, Trail Restoration and Maintenance Program Specialists. This week they updated important infrastructural elements at the North Fork Trailhead. According to Barry Hicks, the squad's leader,...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council considered revisiting the speed limits on Highway 83 as it passes through town and voted to endorse the proposed Seeley Lake sewer project at its July 9 meeting. Council member Bruce Friede made a motion for the council to consider requesting the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) to reinstate the previous speed limits through Seeley Lake and instead take different measures to deal with speed and pedestrian issues. The speed limits were lowered based on the council’s recommendations in t...
bWOODWORTH – "Clear prop," said Rob Henrekin as he pulled his Kawasaki 440 engine to life on his powered parachute. The morning was cool July 12 as the sun rose above the mountains. Henrekin put on his helmet, strapped himself in and in less than 15 seconds was air borne. "This country is just fascinating to me. The part that is the most fun is flying over this country during a beautiful morning like this," said Henrekin who has lived on Woodworth Road since 1985. "Even though it is a motor, i...
What does the U.S. Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corp of Engineers all have in common? They are all involved in job protection regardless of the cost to the U.S. taxpayer. We all know about the Forest Service and their “We fight fires, we don’t put them out” policy. They certainly don’t manage the forest properly by thinning trees and underbrush to avoid the costly fires. The EPA and Army Corp of Engineers seems to have the same policy of always responding after the fact. The EPA doesn’t seem to care abou...
Patriotism, flag burning, anthem kneeling – emotional topics throughout history. Ironically, our country was founded by patriots who burned flags. And they endeavored to establish a new kind of country that protected cherished values like freedom of speech in an age when that was not protected so well by any other nation-state. As George Washington stated, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” Flag burning, like kneeling during the anthem, is a symbolic act of political resis...
SEELEY LAKE - There are consequences to inaction as well as action. In Seeley Lake we know we have a problem. Chemicals harmful to our health are just under our feet, in the groundwater under our town. Our wells are there too. A lake is next door. So far, it’s been left up to us to do something about it. People who work for us, mostly county employees, have helped us understand the size and scope of the problem and reviewed options. To slow the growth of the problem, those hired to protect us, in this case the County Health Department, have s...
Back when I was a lad and Shep was a pup, one of my greatest desires was a week camp'n out in the wilderness. And so one summer it came to pass that myself, brother Tom, cousin Snuffy and last but not least was cousin Johnny, a dyed-in-the-wool city slicker, planned our outing. Soon, however, Mom got involved. She sez, "You boys, all under 14 and no adults - You might get lost." I could see it coming. Mom being a lover of the things of old Mother Nature, as she called it, was not about to lose...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Volunteer firefighters responded to the Wilderness Sportsman’s Gun Range on Cottonwood Lakes Road July 12 around 12:15 p.m. for a tire fire. The fire was confined to the tires in the pistol range and one engine was able to extinguish the burn. Fire Chief Dave Lane said there was potentially a tracer round used in the pistol range. “We don’t know for sure but that would make sense,” said Lane after receiving conflicting witness statements. In the pistol range, the tires are behind the target. Lane said something...
MISSOULA - Fire officials with the Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA) have moved the fire danger rating to HIGH starting Monday, July 16. Hot and dry conditions remain in the forecast consecutively throughout the week and weekend with no relief in sight. Grasses and vegetation are rapidly drying out. Fire agencies responded to numerous debris burns this past week, one that burned almost two acres. Again, fire officials want to remind the public that open burning has been closed as of July 4th and will remain closed for the...
SWAN VALLEY - Please join us as Alpine Artisans Open Book Club presents "The Gathering Place, Swan Valley's Gordon Ranch" Saturday, July 21, at 7 p.m. on the lawn of the Swan Valley Historical Society Museum. The authors will read from the book and tell other stories about life at the ranch. Long before it was called the Gordon Ranch, this natural prairie in the Swan River Valley of western Montana has always been a gathering place. From the Pend d'Oreille people gathering to dig camas, to the...
SWAN LAKE – The 37th annual Swan Lake Huckleberry Festival is looking for bakers of all ages to enter this year's Huckleberry Baking Contest. The contest features an adult category along with a separate category for children age 10 and under. The valley's original Huckleberry Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 11 at the Swan Lake Day Park near mile marker 72 on Montana Highway 83. According to baking contest chair Sylvia Eliason, the rules for both children and adults are the same. B...
West of the Mississippi…? In Montana…? In the last year, I have heard the phrase Clearwater Chain-of-Lakes many times by local residents. I’d never heard it used prior to last year. The phrase is always followed by some superlative like “the biggest in Montana” or the “last west of the Mississippi” or ??? Lots of question marks. Anyone who knows me knows that I do my homework. I won’t repeat such a superlative without first verifying that it’s true. Since I’m very much in favor of any claim that will help support the special nature of our lakes...
SEELEY LAKE - The Clearwater Resource Council held their annual Celebrate the Clearwater community event Sunday, July 15. The celebration included a presentation of awards, the naming of a new executive director and a presentation by Kate Davis of Raptors of the Rockies. "We do enjoy getting together every year with everybody, having time to mingle and have some food and some interesting programs," said CRC president Jon Haufler. In his opening announcements, Haufler told the crowd the CRC had...
SEELEY LAKE - When Seppa Francis was six years old, her father suffered a traumatic brain injury from a motorcycle accident. Francis and her younger brother blamed themselves for years and Francis's anger grew. Along with the emotional stress, the family experienced significant financial loss after the accident. Francis felt bullied in school and her younger brother watched as a classmate repeatedly bullied others with no lasting repercussions. While the family reached out for help through...
My brother-in-law was a true intellectual. Having served as a past dean of the faculty at Cornell University, he was a truly humble man. He was always more interested in what he could learn from others than in telling others how much he knew. This always felt to me like a point of separation between a true intellectual from a pseudo intellectual. You’ve no doubt heard the expression, “Remain quiet and people may think you ignorant, or speak up and remove all doubt.” My father used to advise me, “Know what you know and know what you think a...
Even though it would be impossible for every citizen to attend every meeting of every local, county and state government body, believe it or not, it is every citizen's right to access and participate in these meetings, under almost every circumstance. Each Montana citizen is guaranteed the right to attend all meetings of public bodies or agencies of the local, county and state government by sections eight and nine of Article II of the Montana Constitution. Under this law, all meetings must be...
SEELEY LAKE- Last Sunday, community members and Montanans from all over the state gathered to work in Lost Horse Meadow in order to prepare it for a prescribed burn in the fall. The Nature Conservancy, Blackfoot Challenge and Five Valleys Land Trust worked together for the sixth annual Revive and Thrive work party and celebration Sunday, July 15. Volunteers pulled noxious weeds and cut down trees in order to help restore a native plant, blue camas, to the meadow. "This is a really exciting...
Diabetes is a metabolic disease leading to high levels of sugar in the body. It is one of the most commonly encountered chronic diseases identified by health care providers including dentists. What many people might not realize is that uncontrolled blood sugar levels can cause problems for oral health and poor oral health can make it harder for a diabetic person to control their blood sugar levels. There are many complications from diabetes for the mouth including: xerostomia or dry mouth,...
Previously: The story of a mentally ill Livingston woman, "Sarah," underscored the challenges Montana's mental health system faces as community-level providers are rocked by political battles over public spending. Now: How two of Montana's most recent budget fights have swung the state toward more health spending - and away from it again. A pair of sweeping changes have rocked Montana's healthcare system, including mental health services, over the past two-and-a-half years - first state-level...
SEELEY LAKE – Having conclusively traced his ancestry back to the Revolutionary War, part-time Missoula, part-time Seeley Lake resident Warren Little became an official member of the Sons of the American Revolution July 4. Little said he had relatives who were members of the Daughters of the American Revolution and therefore was aware of his probable eligibility in SAR, but he only recently completed the necessary genealogical research. He said he had always been interested in the o...
SEELEY LAKE - The 14th annual Montana Bandmasters Seeley Lake Rendezvous was held at Camp Paxson June 18-21. The MBA Rendezvous is a professional development conference with graduate credit available through Montana State University or Office of Public Instruction Renewal Units required for teachers to renew their certification. The event, developed and coordinated by Bob Green, hosted 48 instrumental music teachers from three states, and for the first time, An American Department of Defense...
Wildlife Awareness Campfire Talk, July 20 SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley Connections will host a Campfire Talk on Wildlife Awareness on Friday, July 20 at 8 p.m. at Holland Lake Day Use Area in Condon. Learn about recreating with bears, lions, wolves, moose and other wildlife and birds - what to do in an encounter and how to tread lightly in their habitat. The presentation will be given by the Swan Lake Ranger District. Campfire Talk presentations are free. Everyone is welcome. Attendees are...
