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Rising before sunrise, professional photographer Zack Clothier and his wife Cortney hiked into a small lake. They day after their wedding, Clothier promised his wife that this would not be a photography trip. When they arrived at the lake, it was only filled to half capacity. Colorado had experienced extreme drought that year in 2018. Clothier sought out the right composition before the sun rose on this October morning. Focused on the cracked foreground that was typically at the bottom of the la...
SEELEY LAKE - Traffic on Highway 83 near Salmon Lake is experiencing disruptions resulting from a Department of Transportation project. Cameron Kloberdanz, Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) Geotechnical Engineer, said the project is intended to reconstruct the roadway section along Salmon Lake in order to make it safer, mitigate rockfall hazards and improve pavement quality. The project team is using designs to determine if they can install three to four foot shoulders on each side of t...
SEELEY LAKE - Residents voted to collectively work towards planning and developing Winterfest following a presentation from Red Ants Pants Founder and White Sulphur Springs resident Sarah Calhoun at the third and final session of Reimagining Rural Tuesday, Oct. 13. At the last Reimagining Rural meeting, it was announced that communities could apply for grants of up to $2,000 for local projects through an online grant application. Communities could only apply for the grant if they participated...
“I can’t believe we won,” said Olivia Bourne, daughter of Seeley Swan Pathfinder owners Nathan and Andi Bourne after the Seeley Swan Pathfinder received the top award for Division 1 in the Montana Newspaper Association 2020 Better Newspaper Contest. The Pathfinder received the General Excellence Award for Division 1 Thursday, Oct. 15 out of newspapers across the state that were recognized in the contest with general circulations of less than 1,250. In a virtual presentation, MNA Executive Direc...
We hear again about the availability of the public lands for use by the owners of that land ––the PUBLIC. Both candidates for Montana Senate seat indicate they feel public lands need to be open to the public. Who exactly are they talking about? The term public to me tends to be inclusive and not exclusive. The Bob Marshall Wilderness is considered by many to be “public” lands. The Bob Marshall is classified to be public but that is not really true. The elderly and handicapped (27% of the public) are categorically denied access to the Wildern...
Here is how I am voting: Judges, Propositions and Public Service Commission: http://kvs.org/vote/ballot-part1.pdf Five candidates: http://kvs.org/vote/ballot-part2.pdf My ballot: http://kvs.org/vote/ballot2020.pdf U.S. Senator: STEVE BULLOCK has done an outstanding job in difficult times. He expanded healthcare to 90,000 Montanans and kept rural hospitals open, balanced the budget and saved $60 million in our rainy day fund. His opponent takes credit for legislation he opposed, which passed anyway. He consistently votes against Montanans...
What do you think you're doing? You can't do that! I don't want you to do that! Do what I say! These are all expressions of authoritarianism. Often, these types of expressions are found in some form of relationship. The more personal the relationship, the more likely this type of expression is directed at the other person without any subtlety. The more distant the relationship, the more subtle the wording and manipulation, but the same authoritarianism is conveyed. In all cases, these are...
It is the harvest season, and a lot of living things, especially grizzly bears, have their minds on food. In the case of grizzly bears, the only thing they think about right now is food. While they think about food, I think about garbage. I work for the Living with Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with Flathead National Forest. I serve as the Swan Valley bear ranger, assisted by a dozen volunteers. We talk to campground visitors about grizzlies and garbage. Following last Sunday’s airing of “Coexisting with Grizzlies” on CBS 60 Minut...
I found the letter to the Pathfinder titled “Vote like life depends on it” interesting and I thank the Pathfinder for printing the varied views of the community. I do have several concerns about the view expressed. First, the author’s view is based on her Christian belief. As most of you are aware, our country was founded on the idea of the separation of church and state. Mostly this was out of concern that people did not want the state messing with their religious freedoms. I believe turnabout is fair play. Why should a church be able to ge...
If you got a mailer attacking my opponent, for the record that is not from me, and I disavow it. I do not do attack mailers, never have and never will. The interest earned off the current principle of the Coal Tax Trust Fund currently funds over 15 different programs in Montana. Those dollars back up Montana’s retirement systems, Montana’s schools, Montana’s Agriculture and infrastructure across the state just to name a few. Every session legislators try to spend that principle on all kinds of things, but Democrats in the legislature have done...
On Sunday, Oct. 11, the Missoulian endorsed me with the big bold headline: “Fielder is who PSC needs now”. Among other things, the well-reasoned endorsement acknowledged my “willingness to stand up to powerful interests.” Indeed, I have bucked the flow of big government and my own party at times – including my support for allowing all viable energy sources to compete in the marketplace and my strong stand against corruption. The Missoulian described me as “a fiercely independent thinker and a no-nonsense leader.” I analyze facts and put peopl...
LAKE COUNTY - Lake County Commissioners will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Swan Lake Community Center, 22778 State Highway 83, to discuss the possible closure of the Porcupine Creek Solid Waste Site. Lake County Commissioner Bill Barron said Solid Waste Board members recommended closing the site due to the area experiencing a large amount of illegal dumping, gate damage and vandalism from contractor use. During the Lake County Solid Waste Management Board meeting Aug. 12, board members said the site receives construction waste...
SEELEY LAKE – On the morning of Oct. 16, Mike Boltz, owner of the Seeley Lake Motor Lodge, looked out his kitchen window to see one of his septic tank pumps and its piping laying on the surface of the ground. Unfortunately it was not entirely a surprise for Boltz who said it was the fourth time his septic system has been the target of vandalism in the last six months. This time he reported the vandalism to law enforcement. Boltz said most of the vandalism is more of an irritation than an e...
4 REAL ESTATE SALES IN THE VALLEY WILL BREAK RECORDS As we all started to hear a little bit, then a lot about COVID-19 in March and April. The US economy appeared to be in for a big fall. When local state and county - imposed lockdowns began to occur, real estate sales appeared to be doomed as well. The lockdowns actually resulted in an unexpected result in local real estate. People all over the nation were either actually working from home or locked down with no ability to work. After talking with many of those that were working from home,...
SEELEY LAKE - Since its founding in 1993, Clearwater Montana Properties has emphasized community-building as a key component of its company culture. Through its Charitable Giving Program, the company’s Agents give back a portion of all real estate proceeds to the communities in which they were earned. To date, the program has produced over $600,000 in charitable donations to causes throughout Montana, Idaho and Washington. “Each year Clearwater and our agents give a portion of each commission earned to an entity of the agents choosing in the...
SEELEY LAKE - Humanities Montana awarded Alpine Artisans' Open Book Club the Montana Center for the Book Prize. This is the first time the Club has received an award like this. According to a press release, the Montana Center for the Book Advisory Committee "was impressed with the longevity of the program, the steady growth and the caliber of authors who have been featured over the years." The Club is one of three award-winning programs with the other two located in Belgrade and Billings....
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Historical Society is closing in on completing the largest undertaking they’ve ever undertaken. Construction of a replica 1920s cabin using logs from a 1920s cabin and a 100-year-old lodge is close enough to move in before a Seeley Lake winter sets in. The cabin is furnished with early 20th century pieces reminiscent of early day Seeley Lake settlers. What could be considered as the first business district of Seeley Lake began along Seely Creek (upstream of Highway 83) about 1920. This included rental cabins and m...
SEELEY LAKE - The Forest Service held a virtual meeting Thursday, Oct. 15 to gather public input and describe the details of the Westside Bypass Wildfire Resiliency Project on the Seeley Lake Ranger District. The project is located two miles north and northwest of Seeley Lake. Its intent is to improve forest health by addressing the future impacts of insects and diseases as well as mitigate hazardous fuel conditions that increase the potential severity of wildfires. The project proposes using commercial and non-commercial vegetation treatments...
SEELEY LAKE - Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick addressed affordable housing issues in Seeley Lake, Lolo and Frenchtown during Seeley Lake Community Council’s meeting Monday Oct. 12. The Council also received updates on countywide COVID numbers and received an update from Seeley Lake schools. Slotnick said money is available in the county budget to have a staff member exclusively focus on affordable housing beginning in January. He or she will determine ways on how more housing can be created in communities like Seeley Lake. Said h...
We are currently going through Senate Confirmation Hearings for a Supreme Court Nominee. In recent decades this questioning has often focused on the candidate’s view of privacy. This was a veiled (recently, not so veiled) way to ask the candidate about their views on hot-button issues. One of the effects of this activity on the national stage is that as Americans we become increasingly more protective of private matters in our lives—areas in which we believe no one or no entity has a right to intervene. This is a thought that I fully und...
During the fall in the Blackfoot Watershed, Isabella Tiger Moth and Spotted Tussock Moth caterpillars can be seen crawling in the sunshine across roads and over fences. These caterpillars are known as woolly bears. While some believe their coloring can predict the weather, other features of their life cycle push the boundaries of what some would think is science fiction. Many moth species have fuzzy caterpillars that go by the name of woolly bear or woolly worm. Woolly bear caterpillars are the...
POTOMAC – Potomac School Board offered their support for the continued planning of the eighth grade trip, the basketball season and Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) at their Oct. 12 meeting. They also refined their mask policy and voted to support teachers’ stipends for continuing education. Potomac eighth graders presented their three options for their eighth grade trip. Two of the three options required travel outside of Montana. While educational opportunities have not been fully explored for the three options, they told the board they unde...
If the early history of Seeley Lake is intertwined with the lumber industry, the rise of the United States Forest Service is incontrovertibly intertwined with Seeley Lake and in particular with the Big Blackfoot Timber Sale of 1907-1910. Historian and member of the Camp Paxson Preservation Board Gary Williams has been researching that sale. The Seeley Swan Pathfinder will be bringing some of the interesting bits of information he has discovered about logging in the Seeley Lake area and also...
SEELEY LAKE – As a young child, Julee Samuli loved to set up a classroom and teach to her stuffed animals. After getting a degree in music therapy in 1991 and then taking a break from teaching to raise her children, Samuli is back in the classroom teaching sixth grade at Seeley Lake Elementary. She looks forward to fostering success in her students academically, socially and emotionally while incorporating different learning styles, problem solving from different perspectives and teaching life s...
SEELEY LAKE – It was the second time the Seeley Lake Elementary Eagles faced Hellgate Elementary. With no points on the board and a fourth down, the Eagles connected. The ball was thrown up the flag route to the corner for a finger-tip catch by seventh grader Noah Stone. This set up eighth grader Tyler Haines for the only touchdown of the game. "That was the game of the year. It was a battle," said Head Coach Brett Haines. "It was incredibly exciting for us to win that one on the road." The Seel...
