Articles from the September 21, 2023 edition


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  • DEQ: Holland Lake sewer could be contaminating area groundwater

    Griffen Smith, of the Pathfinder|Sep 21, 2023
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    Montana's environment agency said wastewater from Holland Lake Lodge could be leaking above state-approved levels after nonprofit Save Holland Lake made an official complaint that the site could be contaminating groundwater. The Department of Environmental Quality then asked the Forest Service in an August letter to complete an analysis of the site by Sept. 17. Officials from the Forest Service requested a two-month extension of the study, a letter from the Forest Service said. DEQ said in its...

  • Two regional land bills pass Senate Committee, could get final vote

    Griffen Smith, of the Pathfinder|Sep 21, 2023

    Both Montana Senators passed their separate public lands bills from a committee in the Senate, opening both bills up to a final vote as the federal government debates a potential shutdown. Sen. Jon Tester passed the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act (BCSA) out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, while Sen. Steve Daines passed the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act out of the same committee. The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act would reclassify roughly 79,000 acres near...

  • Hospital District adds two new members, prepares for talk on Lazy Acres RV Park

    Griffen Smith, of the Pathfinder|Sep 21, 2023

    The Seeley Swan Hospital district had a busy two-hour meeting last week, adding new board members, looking into maintenance and preparing to welcome Lazy Acre RV Park owner to its next meeting, with one member calling the upcoming talk “drawing a line in the sand.” The district approved two new board members, Martin DeHaven and Suzette Baker, to a three year term and eight month term, respectively. Martin took the position from Twyla Johnson, who wanted to leave the board. Suzette took over Bruce Richardson’s spot, who recently moved out of st...

  • Seeley council talks traffic

    Griffen Smith, of the Pathfinder|Sep 21, 2023

    Guest speakers at the Seeley Community Council’s latest meeting went over several big projects happening around town, from the Lazy Acres RV Park to the future of the Boy Scout Bridge. Traffic talk Shane Stack, director of public works at Missoula County, said a speed study along Highway 83 from Salmon Lake to Condon will likely take place next summer. The council previously recommended the county do a study of traffic near Double Arrow Ranch. “It’s kinda a long process,” Stack said. “I know (the Montana Department of Transportation) has a bac...

  • One person dead after accident at Pyramid

    Griffen Smith, of the Pathfinder|Sep 21, 2023

    A Seeley Lake man died on Sept. 12 after an industrial accident involving heavy machinery at Pyramid Mountain Lumber. Missoula County Sheriff's Office released the name of the man on Monday, Sept. 18. The man was identified as Matthew Raimondi, 56, from Seeley Lake. The sheriff's office said their heart-felt condolences go out to the family and friends during this very difficult time. Shortly after 5 p.m. on Sept. 12, members of the Missoula County Sheriff's Office, firefighters and EMS...

  • New laws already having a positive impact

    Sen. Jason Ellsworth, Montana Senate President|Sep 21, 2023

    The 2023 legislative session wrapped up less than five months ago. Many bills don’t go into effect until October 1st of this year, January 1st of next year, or later. But several of the bills that became law this spring and summer are already having a noticeable impact in Montana. Perhaps the most stark example of this is prosecuting human trafficking. Before the 2023 Legislature, no one had ever been convicted under Montana’s old laws against human trafficking, with the outdated laws not providing law enforcement the tools they needed. That ch...

  • Consumers will be the losers with new regs on credit cards

    Sen. Mark Noland, R. Bigfork|Sep 21, 2023

    The federal Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 (CCCA) has been touted as a means to reducing the credit card interchange fees businesses pay to process credit card transactions. But as can often be the case, government schemes to intervene in free-market transactions inevitably create distortions, misaligned incentives, and unintended consequences. Unfortunately, the CCCA would create more problems than it purports to solve. Interchange fees aren’t just arbitrary costs. They cover a plethora of services: fraud protection, transaction f...

  • A vision for a people-oriented Secretary of State's Office

    Jesse James Mullen, Owner of Mullen Newspapers|Sep 21, 2023

    (Disclosure: Mullen is the owner of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder and several other local newspapers in western Montana. The Pathfinder is editorially independent from Mullen) Montana holds a special place in our hearts. It’s not only a place of breathtaking landscapes, rugged mountains, and endless horizons - it’s where I’ve built my life, my business, and where I’ve witnessed, time and time again, the strength and resilience of its people. I’m Jesse James Mullen, and I’m running to be your Secretary of State because I believe in Montana’s p...

  • Dental health for healthy life: what is a cavity?

    Heather Myre, Dental Hygienist|Sep 21, 2023

    One of the most common reasons people go to the dentist is to “see if they have cavities,” but do most people really know what a cavity is or how they can be prevented? The short answer is, maybe, but most people probably don’t know much more than the fact that a cavity is a hole in the tooth that will need an anesthetic injection and drilling to fix. While this is often true, do you know why you get cavities? Do you know that they can be reversed in early stages? Did you know that they are 100% preventable? Check it out! Simply defined, a cav...

  • Missoula County Sheriff's log for Sept. 21

    9/8 1:26 p.m. Trespassing 400XX Paws Up Road, Greenough 9/8 2:14 p.m. Offenses Against Family/Children 4XX Pine Drive, Seeley Lake 9/9 7:34 p.m. Suspicious Activity 343XX Ninemile Prairie Road, Greenough 9/10 10:30 a.m. Trespassing 6XX Glacier-Elk Creek Road, Condon 9/10 11:19 a.m. Intimidation 1XX Chipmonk Court, Seeley Lake 9/10 4:46 p.m. Accident - Injury Camas Road, Potomac 9/10 5:20 p.m. Disturbance 33XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake 9/10 9:59 p.m. Accident - No Injury ` 30XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake 9/11 7:36 a.m. Accident - Injury 5X Highway...

  • Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Call Log for Sept. 21

    9/11/2023 Accident Highway 83/Hemlock Drive 9/11/2023 Medical Highway 83 9/11/2023 Medical Evergreen Drive 9/12/2023 Medical Highway 83 9/12/2023 Medical Boy Scout Road 9/12/2023 Accident Morrell Creek Road 9/13/2023 Medical Hauser Drive 9/14/2023 Accident Highway 200 9/14/2023 Medical Boy Scout Road 9/14/2023 Medical Whitefish Drive 9/15/2023 Medical Highway 83 9/16/2023 Medical Highway 200...

  • Thought for the day

    Rev. Jon Bergen, Seeley Lake Baptist Church|Sep 21, 2023

    I bought a used snowblower on a 78 degree day. End of summer in Montana, I think we spend six months planning for winter and six months living winter. Everyone is buying, cutting, splitting and stacking firewood in anticipation of snowy cold weather. Amazing. Last week it was 9-11, a day that lives in our memories and we all have stories to tell about where we were and thoughts evoked as the news got out. After that day, the thoughts that have woven their way throughout our society and way we live, are interesting to contemplate. There are...

  • The history of being bear smart

    Sharon Teague, Seeley Lake bear smart group|Sep 21, 2023

    This article is the second in a series of articles intended to inform the residents of the Clearwater Valley about the Bear Smart working group and invite anyone interested to join in the community wide efforts to reduce bear-human conflicts in the area. The first article summarized the mission of the group and shared the work and activities to date. This article will focus on the concept of a Bear Smart community and the history of the Bear Smart movement. Based on historical data and the events of last summer it is evident that there are...

  • Blackhawks soar over Sheridan for homecoming

    Griffen Smith, of the Pathfinder|Sep 21, 2023

    The Seeley-Swan High School football team took a big win at home, taking down Sheridan 42-12 on Sept. 15 for homecoming weekend. The Blackhawks looked for a much-needed victory after going 1-1 on the road, first winning against Powell County High School and then losing to Manhattan Christian. Seeley-Swan took control of the game early with a touchdown by Kolten ZurMuehlen, followed by a two-point conversion run by Seth Dunster. The Blackhawks found paydirt again with a long run from Cannon...

  • Wildfires and proactive fire defensive measures: what can you do?

    Jon Haufler, President of Clearwater Resource Council|Sep 21, 2023

    The abnormally wet August and early September put an end to the wildfire risks that Seeley Lake was again facing this summer. The Colt Lake and Big Knife fire starts brought back memories of the Jocko Lakes, Rice Ridge, Liberty, and other fires that threatened the community and produced evacuations, closures, and other impacts. Without this year's timely moisture, these fires could have put the Seeley Lake community in another tenuous position. What can we do to reduce wildfire risks to our...

  • Can you say... paraleptophlebia? Or hecuba?

    Chuck Stranahan, The Fly Fishing Journal|Sep 21, 2023

    When he was a young boy, my son Matthew spent Saturdays at the fly shop with daddy. He had just turned four when he approached my fly tying bench and asked, "Daddy, what kind of a bug is that you're making?" He called all flies that we tied bugs, and enjoyed tying his own - with a little assistance when needed from daddy. We'd fish our bugs on these latesummer and fall evenings. We'd find places where he could fish with little or no wading on the inside corner of a gentle riffle, where he could...

  • 'Cold Millions' digs into northwest labor history

    Carrie Benton, Seeley Lake Librarian|Sep 21, 2023

    Beautifully written, The Cold Millions by Jess Walter invites readers to take a deep dive into early 20th century America. The setting is Spokane, Washington and the extreme tension between the captains of industry and the cheap labor they relied on for their wealth. There are even brief scenes in Missoula and mention of Butte. The book opens in the year 1909. Spokane had just outlawed public speaking. As the tensions surged, unions geared up for protests and police were ready to knock them all...

  • Locals to Gather for 23rd-Annual Community Firewood Day

    Swan Valley Connections|Sep 21, 2023

    Condon, MT – Community Firewood Day has lived up to its name by becoming a staple in locals' calendars each October. Swan Valley Connections celebrates the small-but-mighty populus of Condon (a mere 350 people) by hosting an annual volunteer event to provide firewood for people in need in the area. For the last 22 years, Community Firewood Day has provided an average of 20 households with one or more truckload(s) of firewood, delivered and stacked as the resident requests. Volunteers gather at t...

  • Bear resistant garbage cans considered for county health code

    Jean Pocha, of the Pathfinder|Sep 21, 2023

    Requiring bear resistant garbage cans across parts of the county was discussed at the Missoula County Commissioners meeting Sept. 14. The Commissioners expressed their intent to adopt resolutions to the City-County Health Code requiring bear resistant garbage cans in Missoula and Potomac's Bear Buffer Zone. "There was a time in the past when saying thou shalt have a bear resistant garbage can was unthinkable," County Commissioner Josh Slotnik said. "It's only because of time spent working in...

  • Clearwater Resource Council seeks more volunteers

    Dave Torell, Executive Director of Clearwater Resource Council|Sep 21, 2023

    The Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) is expanding its watershed and forest health programs to better address the driving natural resource issues that are harming the ecological health and beauty of the Clearwater Valley. Our goal is to work on behalf of our community to assess and educate people and develop projects that benefit natural resources and the rural lifestyle of the Clearwater Watershed for present and future generations of people to enjoy. With this in mind, we must create innovative approaches to engage and educate people and...

  • Archives for Sept. 21

    Sep 21, 2023

    Twenty Years Ago Thursday, Sept. 18, 2003 Volunteer crews grinding out new Lake Trail system By Ron Cox What caused the long narrow strip of trees to fall down alongside the Boy Scout Road from Highway 83 to C Street? A tornado? No, a whirlwind crew fell the trees Sunday, Sept. 14. The trees were cut to begin the clearing on an all-purpose trail for bicycles, snowmobiles, walkers, joggers, horse riders and others off road. Eventually the trail will reach clear around Seeley Lake. Another...