Sorted by date Results 1 - 17 of 17
SEELEY LAKE – Around Father's Day, Federal Officer Tyler Robinson responded to a call north of Seeley Lake. A homeowner left more than six bags of trash out on their porch and a black bear found them. Robinson tried to run the bear off that night and it continued to return. While he had permission from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to dispatch the bear, it was too dark. The next day Robinson cited the homeowner for $230. He also asked them to call when the bear returned. Even though he is c...
GREENOUGH – A hopeless romantic Don Johnson was inspired to surprise his wife Ruth with a dip kiss. While she was doing dishes in the kitchen, he snuck up behind her, spun her around, grabbed her and as he went to dip her, he stepped in the dog dish and they both crashed to the floor. "He grabbed me, turned me around and threw me on the floor," Ruth said laughing at her perception of the event. "I said, 'What on earth are you doing?'" "I've never been able to live that down," Don said l...
SWAN VALLEY – Expansion plans for Holland Lake Lodge (HLL) were met with opposition from locals at the recent scoping open house held at the lodge Sept. 8. Over 100 area residents and users of Holland Lake expressed concern regarding change, increased traffic and potential environmental impacts to the area. Representatives of the Flathead National Forest along with representatives of POWDR and Christian Wohlfiel, Holland Lake Lodge (HLL) owner, meet with public members to present information r...
SEELEY LAKE - On the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, members of the Seeley Lake Fire Department stood for 102 minutes on Highway 83 in front of the Post Office. This was the amount of time it took for the first of the two Twin Towers to fall. This was the 14th year the Department has helped the community never forget the sacrifices and loss that happened that day....
During my law enforcement career, I served in many capacities. The last seven years were spent as an administrator serving as Patrol and Administrative Captain. It was during these years that the Jail Diversion Master Plan (JDMP) was developed, something that we at the Sheriff’s Office are proud to have been part of. Jail diversion was created out of necessity. It was something wanted by the public, needed for overcrowding issues and became essential when COVID was at its peak. The purpose of jail diversion is to provide alternatives to i...
As the Pathfinder has been documenting over the years, the Sewer District has been testing and testing and testing. The question the sewer board has been discussing heavily is the validity of the results of this testing. The decision is that although there is a lot of test results there really isn't much depth. There is a lot of data for a very few points. This has led to a substantial discussion concerning the true point of the lake contamination. Is it downtown and the business district? Is...
MISSOULA – Hot and windy conditions are drying fuels out, prompting Missoula County fire protection agencies to raise the fire danger in the Missoula area to VERY HIGH. Very high fire danger means that fires start easily from all causes, immediately spread rapidly and increase quickly in intensity. There are no fire restrictions in place in the County at this time but outdoor burning by permit remains closed. Residents and visitors are urged to use extra caution when outdoors due to the dry fuels and windy conditions, and to visit w...
MISSOULA — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public input on revisions to the statewide Elk Management Plan last adopted in 2005. FWP began work on the revised plan in 2020, when a citizen’s group was convened to develop guiding principles for the new plan. At this point of the process, FWP is seeking input on the existing elk population objectives and local elk management challenges that should be considered in the revision. The scoping period started earlier this summer and continues through Oct. 15. “We’ve been hearing concern...
As passersby take in the Blackfoot watershed's forests, waterways and wildlife, many have no idea that a unique concept to benefit all community members came to life in the heart of the watershed – with the creation of a community forest known as the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA). Back in 2003, recognizing the increasing potential for habitat fragmentation, the Blackfoot Challenge and The Nature Conservancy initiated a large-scale land acquisition effort known as the Blackfoot C...
SEELEY LAKE – Resident Kim Van De Riet has formed a partnership with her son Corey, Kalispell, to open VDR Realty, part of the eXp Realty family. The Van De Riets look forward to listening to their customers and helping them find what they are looking for in Northwest Montana and beyond. eXp Realty, LLC is a nationwide brokerage company with a supervising broker covering the state of Montana. "Our brokerage is a little bit different because we don't have to be brick and mortar," Van De Riet s...
SEELEY LAKE – Students at Seeley Lake Elementary begin the school year with no COVID restrictions in place. “We will follow quarantine guidance from the Missoula County Health Department,” said Josh Gibbs, Principal/Superintendent. “As always, if your child is sick please keep them home.” For the past couple of years students have enjoyed the free breakfast and lunch programs funded by the Federal government due to COVID. Those programs have ended with the start of school this year. “We are excited to have our students back in the building,...
SWAN VALLEY - In May Town Pump awarded the Swan Valley Community Library with a $1,000 grant to support their Summer Reading Program. The goal is to get the community children reading as much as possible on their summer vacation. Children from the Swan Valley and Salmon Prairie schools were all invited to participate. Twenty-eight students signed up for the program and 12 students returned their reading logs. Once the student read 75 units, one unit was either one book for the little children...
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. 35 years ago: September 17 , 1987 issue 1987 gravel pit saga continues in opinion pages Gravel pit: Pro It never ceases to amaze me of the squeals of emotional indignation by comparative newcomers to this area when they are outraged by something so commonplace a...
SEELEY LAKE – Senior Ava Thornsberry led the Seeley-Swan High School volleyball team in assists with 20 in their win over the Darby Tigers Sept. 8. The Lady Blackhawks won all three sets 25-17, 25-20 and 25-11. Cora Stone had seven kills and Dani Sexton led with 16 digs and eight aces. Two days later the Lady Blackhawks defeated Valley Christian on the Eagles' home court in four sets 25-20, 16-25, 25-18 and 25-18. This week, the Lady Blackhawks will play in Philipsburg on Sept. 15. The JV g...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley-Swan High School cross country runner Wesley Stevenson set a personal record on Sept. 9 at the Flathead Invitational with a 27:52.7. Conner Chadwick ran the event in 23:52.4. Lady Blackhawk Kyla Conley joined the team and ran a 26:08.7. The Blackhawks’s next meet is at the University Golf Course in Missoula Sept. 17. The Boys run at 11 a.m. and the Girls start at 11:45 a.m. Then the team is off to the Thompson Falls Invitational on Sept. 20....
The Missoula County Community Justice Department is seeking public input for a survey about public safety. The department will use responses to the survey to inform new definitions and measurements of public safety in Missoula County. People 18 or older who live or work in Missoula County are invited to participate in the study by taking a five-minute online survey available at https://umsl.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1WShvegCWtZdxqe. The survey is open through the end of September. Participants can remain anonymous or provide identifying...
Swan Valley Community Council to meet Sept. 20 SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Community Council will meet in-person Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. in the Swan Valley Community Hall. The agenda includes presentations from Swan Lake District Ranger Chris Dowling and Missoula County CAPS Laurie Hire. Dowling will discuss the Holland Lake Boat Launch and answer questions. He is also willing to field questions concerning the proposed expansion at Holland Lake Lodge. Next on the agenda, Hire will discuss the Council's By Laws. There will also be an...
