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POTOMAC – There is a new sign on Highway 200 that welcomes motorists to the Potomac Valley as they travel east and wishes them "Happy Trails" as they leave the valley. After the nearly two year permitting process, the Potomac Valley 4-H Club (Club) is excited to not only identify the area as people pass through and welcome them to the community but also make it known there is an active 4-H Club in the Potomac Valley and demonstrate the pride the Club has in their community. "4-H is entwined i...
SEELEY LAKE – In less than 30 minutes chainsaw artist Scott Thompson turned a five-foot pine log into a gnome sitting on a mushroom. His sense of humor added laughter and conversation to the demonstration as he shared his passion and knowledge of sculpting with a chain saw. Thompson was one of 15 artists that shared their work in their studios, galleries and museums scattered throughout the Seeley-Swan and the Blackfoot Valleys for the Alpine Artisan's 18th annual Tour of the Arts Oct. 9 -10. T...
"We did it, we made it to Canada," 20-year-old Seeley Lake resident Kyle Peltier said as he approached the northern terminus monument at Canada. After five months and one day hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), 2,650+ miles from the United States southern border to Canada, Peltier met his goal. Not only had he pushed his body physically but won a mental battle that gave him a stronger sense of identity and a better understanding of a simple life. Peltier started the PCT April 11 with a goal...
What a glorious September we had: sunshine, minimal smoke and still a busy economy. I recently had a lovely visit with Grace at Mission Mountain Mercantile and Nathan, wearing his hat as chair of the Seeley Lake Chamber of Commerce. I appreciate their time and dedication to our community. If I haven't reached out to you yet and you have something to share, please call me and let's set up a time to visit! Government is here to help, not hold you back with red tape and taxes. Okay, speaking of tax...
Lime green lichen grew between the hooves, shreds of faded hair and rawhide still clung to them and gnaw marks from mice and grizzlies had long ago turned gray against the white bone. I was surprised that the elk hoof bundle was still there. Time had changed the forest, and through the falling snow, I had taken a while to find the tree in which it hung. The old No. 9 lookout phone wire had held tight though and there it was. I remembered back to the day I’d hung it up, was it really almost 40 years ago? The bull had known I was on his trail. I...
Patti Chamberlin had a visitor to her place. While no damage was done, the black bear's curiosity was definitely peaked by the bear statue on her porch....
SEELEY LAKE – It is Homecoming week in the Seeley-Swan and the community is invited to come out and support the Blackhawks Friday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct. 16. Friday night the Blackhawks take to the field against Flint Creek at 7 p.m. Seniors will be recognized prior to the game. The Seeley Swan Boosters Club will also be offering a “bagged” barbecue at the football game, similar to last year. It will include a burger, bag of chips, cookie and a drink for $5. Saturday morning the community is invited to attend the Homecoming Parade on Highwa...
Livingston poet Marc Beaudin will read from and discuss his new collection, "Life List: Poems" on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the West Wing of the Seeley Lake Community Foundation. The free event begins at 7 p.m. and is open to the public. A kind of field guide to the birds in poetry, "Life List" includes over 70 poems that each feature a bird from Beaudin's own life list (currently at nearly 400 species). According to the publisher, the book "pays tribute to the birds that have flown through Beaudin's...
This past week Missoula County again broke several COVID-19 records. Also, in an effort to streamline case investigations and contact tracing efforts, the Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCHD) is implementing several changes. Friday, Oct. 8 Missoula County broke the record for the daily COVID-19 cases at 178 and the incidence rate of 96 cases per 100,000 people per day over the last seven days. Missoula County is one hospitalization short of tying the patient record of 57. Furthermore, seven Missoula County residents have died from...
AmeriCorps is a network of local, state and national service programs. Over the last few years, Montana has proven that national service is something that is very important for our residents. In 2015, Montana ranked in the top three states (along with Vermont and West Virginia) with AmeriCorps members. Since then, our generous state has been able to stay in the top 10, last year taking the sixth spot. In this state, there were 3,549 members and volunteers, 532 service locations and a total of...
As wildfire season slows down, firefighters across the Lolo and Flathead National Forests have shifted their focus to prescribed burning operations. This will reduce hazardous fuels, restore wildlife habitat and better protect communities from future wildfires. Fall prescribed fire projects will be conducted when weather, fuel conditions and air quality become favorable. Smoke will be visible from various places in the Clearwater and Swan Valleys depending on the location of the burn units and...
The Montana Trappers Association (MTA) is hosting a free Pet Release Clinic Oct. 18 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Community Foundation West Wing. This is an educational opportunity to learn how to release a pet if it is caught in a trap. Also across the state, the Montana Fur Harvesters and MTA are hosting educational clinics on the responsible strategies and techniques for snaring wolves. Ovando Trapper Bob Sheppard will teach the Pet Release Clinic on Monday. The clinic will cover...
MISSOULA - Richard (Dick) Alburn Ainsworth, lifelong Missoula resident, died Sept. 26 at St. Patrick’s Hospital of complications following a heart attack. He was 80 years old. Although a Missoula resident, over the course of his life he had a long affiliation with the Placid-Seeley Lake area. Dick was born in 1941 at St. Pat’s to parents A.L. (Bud) and Kay Ainsworth. He attended kindergarten on the Montana State University campus (now U of M), Paxson grade school and Missoula County High School, now Hellgate High. Following graduation, he enr...
We are in the middle of autumn here in the Swan Valley. The leaf trees are just getting past their peak color and the larch needles are just starting to turn yellow. Thinking about the process of leaves (and needles) changing colors, it is a bit ironic that the process that brings out the beauty, is also the one that leads to their ultimate demise. The color change happens as the life-giving green chlorophyll breaks down and disappears. This reveals other often brilliant colors that are in the leaves as well. However, inevitably, the leaves fal...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake native David Cahoon is looking forward to working as the Seeley Lake Elementary kindergarten – eighth grade (K-8) physical education teacher, a position he has been waiting for since he got his teaching degree in 2017. His hopes his students will learn healthy interactions and balance through the units as they grow physically and mentally. "[Teaching them] You aren't going to win every time, you aren't going to lose every time. It is how you react and come out of tho...
Beginning Oct. 24, all local calls in Montana must be dialed with the 406 area code to connect. Montana’s 406 area code currently allows seven-digit dialing to complete local calls. That will change this month due to a Federal Communications Commission order designating 988 as the new, nationwide, 3-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Some seven-digit phone numbers in Montana’s 406 area code begin with 988. To prevent misdialing the 988 Lifeline, all local calls in Montana must be dialed with the area code. The 10-...
SEELEY LAKE – The community is invited to join Seeley Swan Pathfinder Publisher Nathan Bourne Thursday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. for an informational presentation on how to use the community events calendar located at SeeleySwanEvents.net. This event will be held via ZOOM to allow attendees to actively participate in the training on their home computer. The idea for the online community calendar came about in early 2020 when Alpine Artisans’ Program Director Jenny Rohrer invited representatives from several local groups to discuss creating an all-incl...
MISSOULA – The University of Montana-sponsored Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana has expanded its resident physician medical services to Partnership Health Center's Seeley Lake Clinic. The expanded service was made possible by a federal grant through the Health Resources & Services Administration. The residency program is one of 20 organizations nationally to receive the HRSA grant, with the goal of increasing rural training and exposure for resident physicians specializing in f...
GREENOUGH: Monday, Oct. 4 third grade students from Bonner learned more about their surroundings and the recreation offered at Montana State Parks. Developed by State Parks AmeriCorps member Hillary Sward and led by State Park staff and other AmeriCorps members, the first "Junior Ranger Day" held at Salmon Lake State Park taught students about camping, fishing, water safety and their natural surroundings. Prior to becoming an AmeriCorps volunteer, Sward taught 5-12 grade bands. She attended the...
SEELEY LAKE – With only one scheduled game left, the Seeley Lake Elementary flag football season is winding down. Assistant Coach Jimmy Boyd said it has been a great season with great weather for football and players that have really grown as a team. There were more than 20 fifth through eighth graders out for the team this year. Stacked at the top end, were nine eighth graders. Bradley Miller stepped in as the head coach with Boyd and Greg Neudecker remaining assistant coaches. Boyd said t...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks found success early in the week taking down Superior Oct. 5 in three sets 25-19, 25-9 and 25-13. They hit a stumbling block when they hosted Granite Oct. 7. Granite's only loss this season was to the Lady Blackhawks on Granite's home court in mid September. The Lady Blackhawks trailed Granite early in the first set but tied up the game at 12-12. They tied it up again at18-18 before Granite pulled ahead to a 21-25 victory. The second set played out...
In celebration of 35 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 35 years as documented by the Pathfinder. 35 years ago: Oct. 16, 1986 issue - Community Survey First impressions Computers began to digest the preliminary data from the...
Drought Management Plan webinar, Oct. 14 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is working with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the Governor’s office, regional stakeholder groups and the public on updating the statewide Drought Management Plan. The public is invited to join an informative webinar Oct. 14 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. to learn more about the update and the many ways to get involved. Stakeholder engagement and participation in the planning process are central to building and enhancing Montana’s drought res...
