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MISSOULA – Widespread precipitation and cool temperatures have lessened the fire danger in the Missoula Area to the extent that fire managers are able to lift Stage II fire restrictions Wednesday, Aug. 29 at 12:01 a.m. Stage I restrictions were not implemented this year, so Stage I restrictions will not be in effect on Wednesday. The public is reminded that county bans on open burning persist across most of western Montana. Agencies rescinding Stage II Restrictions Aug. 29 • MT-DNRC Northwestern Land Office Plains Unit (State Land & Pri...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake's newest deputy Ryan Dunster took to the streets of Seeley Lake for the first time Sunday, Aug. 26. Dunster is looking forward to becoming a part of the community with his wife and three children as well as enjoying all of the recreation opportunities the area offers. While Dunster was a counselor with the Yellowstone County Youth Detention Center in 2005, he visited with an officer about a career in law enforcement. "He thought that I would be a good fit so I applied,"...
"I took off and rode up the main line trail and into the Lander's Fork trail. That's where I hit the [Canyon Creek] fire. It was roaring pretty good then," said Jerry Burns recalling Sept. 6, 1988. "Some logs were burning in the trail and so I knew I had to keep going." Burns was working as a mule packer for the Forest Service in Lincoln, Mont. during the summer of 1988. His actions saved two trail crew members from being overrun by the Canyon Creek fire that burned more than 200 square miles...
SEELEY LAKE – Alpine Artisans' 2 Valleys Stage introduced its 2018-19 performance season Aug. 23 with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks' production of "The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice." Affiliated with Montana State University, MSIP has traveled for 46 years throughout Montana, as well as into border communities in Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming and Washington to bring free professional performances of Shakespeare and other plays. This marked the first year they have produced "...
Last week’s article “Petition calls for change” brought up strong emotions for many in the community and created significant discussion. We appreciate all of the dialogue we have had with concerned and even angry members of the community – you help make us better at what we do. However, because of the questions and attacks, we feel we need to offer a little more explanation. Contrary to several readers’ beliefs, the petition requesting the Lolo National Forest leadership to remove the current Seeley Lake District Ranger is not a small iss...
I read in the Aug. 16 Pathfinder about the 20-year-old man who was lost on Nine Mile Prairie Road. According to the article, he drove his motorcycle around the gate meant to keep him out and preceded up the road until he ran out of gas. Then he started a fire--luckily for us it didn’t turn into a forest fire! Instead of staying with the cycle and the fire, as any smart person would, he wandered off again going the wrong way from home. (Don’t you think he could have followed the tracks of his motorcycle to get back to Point A?) Searchers wer...
To say that I am distressed to read the Pathfinder’s banner headline and article referring to the deceptive and inaccurate petition that is circulating in the community, would be an understatement. As a community resource the Pathfinder is beholden to write the truth and the news in an impartial way and to impart to its readers, the people, reasons and facts about local life. To be a platform for some shoddy local impulses to besmirch the behavior and character of an appointed Federal officer is certainly not in the interests or support of t...
When I arrived three and a half years ago to my dream job as the Seeley Lake District Ranger, I was privileged to step into a world of collaboration and partnership that has taken years to build. People interested in actively engaging in the work that not only the Forest Service does but also that of other Federal, State and private landowners continue to demonstrate how important it is to work together to achieve common goals. Where there are competing interests or legal frameworks surrounding decisions, it is critical to determine how to...
Your Missoula County property taxes just went up another 4.85 percent. The Commissioners quietly raised them last week with little debate or fanfare. That’s on the heels of a $138 million school bond issue two years ago and just before a new proposal to buy more “open space” for urban dwellers. Now, at the local level, commissioners and the Seeley Lake Sewer District Board have proposed a nearly $100-a-month raise for property owners unlucky enough to live in that district. Time for you local taxpayers to get off your duffs and be heard. The r...
SEELEY LAKE - Most of you know that a petition has been circulated at a number of businesses that aims to have the Forest Service remove our current Ranger Rachel Feigley. Without mentioning her by name and in no specific terms, Rachel is being accused of incompetence, negligence and acting in ways that are detrimental to the health and well-being of Seeley Lake. Some storeowners, when asked, were not sure who the Ranger was and what he/she did to warrant the petition, and it is obvious that many people signed the petition without a clear...
What draws more than 12 million guests to Montana each year? Why has Missoula County grown in population by almost 50 percent since 1990? Why has the outdoor recreation industry grown to be our state’s largest industry? Why is Missoula County so appealing to residents and guests? My guess it is not the traffic on Reserve Street that appeals to folks. All indications are it is our open and wild spaces that generate the Montana magic that draws people to Missoula County. Our open and wild spaces require attention and appreciation if they are t...
Kudos to Curtis Friede and his petition to remove the current Ranger of the Seeley Lake Ranger District and hopefully any others in the National Forest Service responsible for recent decisions made by the United State Forest Service. However, anyone who has had any recent dealings with this agency knows that this Ranger and at least her next two supervisors are mere puppets. They are indeed team players who cannot or will not think and/or act outside the box. An example is Seeley Ranger supervisor Ranger Garcia and his defense of the Seeley...
I feel it important to state that I support the US Forest Service (USFS) and specifically, the Seeley Lake Ranger District and its District Ranger. Briefly, my background: From 1975 to 1985 I was a wildland firefighter and conducted industrial fire inspections, all on the Lolo National Forest (USFS), on three different Ranger Districts. I was a Federal Wildlife Officer on several National Wildlife Refuges (US Fish and Wildlife Service). And I was a law enforcement ranger for the National Park Service in Yellowstone NP and bear management...
This letter is in support of our District Ranger, Rachel Feigley. I understand that a petition has been circulated negating the works of Ms. Feigley. I would like to confirm her positive attitude and ongoing interaction in the community to promote the role of the Forest Service in maintaining public lands for multiple use. After the Rice Ridge Fire in 2017, some residents needed to place blame for the loss of revenue. In addition, the road closures and campground closures were seen as the sole responsibility of the Ranger. While many of us know...
There is an open space bond issue for Missoula County voters on the November ballet. What does this mean? Voters have the opportunity to continue a fund that was established over a decade ago for the use of preserving open spaces for agricultural uses, wildlife habitat, clean sources of water and habitat for native fish and plants. Even in rural communities like Seeley Lake, Condon and Potomac, important wildlife areas, rural lifestyles and family ranches are threatened by sprawl and development, and this fund has preserved that vital habitat....
You might remember from previous articles that psychological projection occurs when we experience another person, object or situation in a way that is influenced by our unconscious (hidden) psychologies. This is similar to a movie projector casting an image on a screen. We see the image but not the screen. During projection, unconscious content is experienced but not the actual person, object or situation. In other words, we see and experience parts of ourselves through our projections. When...
SEELEY LAKE - A recent statement that residents are drinking water contaminated with raw sewage made by the Seeley Lake Sewer District Board attorney Jon Beal has raised a few eyebrows in town. Seeley Lake Water District Manager Vince Chappell contested these statements saying that there are no contaminants related to sewage in the potable drinking water for the town of Seeley Lake. In an email to the Pathfinder, Missoula City/County Health Department Sanitarian Jim Erven agreed with Chappell. Erven said he reviewed the last two years of Water...
SEELEY LAKE - Pure Montana Tales presents the film, “Walking Bear Comes Home: The Life and Work of Chuck Jonkel” Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Community Hall. This film premiered at the 40th International Wildlife Film Festival in 2017, a festival which Jonkel founded in 1977. Jonkel was widely known as Montana’s “bear expert”, a role now filled by his son Jamie Jonkel, the current bear manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 2. Barring any bear emergencies, Jamie will attend this screening along with Frank Tyr...
SEELEY LAKE - Missoula County Commissioners are looking to fill Lee Boman’s position on the Seeley Lake Community Council. Boman resigned effective Sept. 30. The application deadline is 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25. The SLCC is comprised of seven members who are registered voters within the boundaries of the Seeley Lake School District. Members are elected to advance and promote the interests and welfare of the citizens of the Seeley Lake community by providing useful, beneficial and helpful information for Missoula County Commissioners to c...
SEELEY LAKE – The discussion at the Seeley Lake Elementary School Board meeting focused on the proposed ice skating rink and staff changes at their Aug. 21 meeting. The Board will vote on whether to allow a temporary ice rink for this winter at their September meeting. The board received eight letters in favor of the proposed ice rink. Chair Todd Johnson said the only negative comments the board has received is from SLE staff. Organizers for the proposed rink Scott Eggeman and Gary Swain offered more information and answered questions. Swain s...
OVANDO - Ovando School welcomed nine students this year for the start of school Aug. 27. While many things will remain the same as last year, there are a few changes that will shake things up. Supervising Teacher Leigh Ann Valiton will be teaching the older students in the big room and teacher Andrea Tougas will teach the younger students in the little room. The schedule will be the same as last year going five days per week the first semester and four days per week the second semester. “It worked really well. We get a good start on e...
Getting a start on managing the vegetation on your property can be challenging and expensive. Missoula County Weed District's Grant Programs were established to help guide landowners through the planning process as well as offset some of the cost associated with improving the vegetation on one's property. The Landowner Grant Program was established in 2002, since the program's inception Missoula County Weed District has assisted hundreds of landowners in Missoula County at decreasing the...
SWAN VALLEY - "This is where the water lily was last year," sighed Fish Biologist Beth Gardner, pointing to a small cove in Holland Lake's south shore. The water lily. Singular. Today, water lilies abound there, in a growing patch the size of a Chevrolet Suburban. And there are other patches around the lake's edge, wherever the water is shallow and still. Granted, Beth may have missed a plant or two last year, or mistaken it pre-flower for our native yellow pond lily. But this year, in shock at...
SWAN VALLEY - Flathead National Forest, Swan Lake District Ranger Chris Dowling was introduced at the Swan Valley Council monthly meeting Aug. 21. Dowling recently replaced newly retired Ranger Rich Kehr. He named ongoing projects in the Swan Valley and answered questions from those in attendance. Dowling discussed four main projects in the Swan: Cold-Jim, Glacier Loon, Beaver Creek and Mid Swan. Based on the objectives for different projects, activities include restoration for forest health, fuel reductions, precommercial thinning and tree...
There is a tension between liberty and security, between our freedom and our safety. Of course, we would all prefer, and choose if we could, to have both complete liberty and complete security. However, that is not the world we live in. For example, we desire for others to not steal our possessions, so we secure them, with locks or cases. But in order to secure those possessions with a lock or in a case, we give up a little bit of our freedom to have easier access to those possessions. Most of the time we weigh the cost of the freedom that we...
