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SEELEY LAKE - Restoration work at the confluence of Trail Creek and Mountain Creek is nearing completion. The site is behind the Homestead Cabin on Double Arrow Ranch. The work is a result of more than 15 collaborators working to restore instream flows for Trail Creek and improve the irrigation system for the front nine holes on the Double Arrow Golf Course. After nearly 15 years of discussions between Double Arrow Enterprise and Double Arrow Land Owners Association (DARLOA), an agreement was...
SWAN VALLEY - Two arson-caused fires have been reported in the last month on Coyote Forest Lane in Condon. The first attempt to ignite a shed was unsuccessful. The second incident burned an office used to conduct online business. No one was injured. The incidents appear to be connected and are being investigated at the local, state and federal level. Sergeant (Sgt.) Robert Parcell received a call Sept. 21 from a worker on the property reporting burn marks on an empty building. Upon investigation, Sgt. Parcell reported the building was soaked...
MISSOULA - Hunters in west-central Montana enjoyed a harvest success above last year on the opening weekend of the big game general hunting season. An increase in harvest in the Blackfoot accounted for most of the bump. At the Bonner hunter check station, 1,378 hunters checked 21 elk, 14 mule deer and 56 white-tailed deer. Hunter trips through Bonner were higher than any opening weekend since 2010. In total, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) biologists and student volunteers from the...
If the Missoula County Public Schools' (MCPS) $70 million high school bond passes, will tax dollars from the local area be spent locally or will they be spent on schools in Missoula? That question was raised at the Oct. 12 Seeley Lake Community Council meeting where MCPS Superintendent Mark Thane was on hand to present information and answer questions. Thane acknowledged that there were pockets of homes with higher values that would pay more than average but he was unable to answer if the...
When The Lodges on Seeley Lake owners Kerry and Brian Bertsch first approached Nathan and me about the possibility of students writing for the paper we were reluctant. However, after establishing a system for students to submit their writing and finding volunteers willing to work with students to help polish their work, we were able to come up with a pilot program. The new program is called the Junior Journal and we are excited to launch it this November. The purpose of the Junior Journal is to...
Michael Ream of Condon, a 2009 graduate of Seeley-Swan High school, graduated from US Army Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. on Oct. 15. His parents are Ron and Michelle Ream of Condon and Aeran Ream of Columbia, S.C. Michael has a sister Angela of Condon, a brother Keith Woods of Condon, a 2014 graduate of Seeley-Swan High School, and two other brothers, one who lives in Texas and one in S.D. Michael is now stationed at Fort Lee, Va. for Advanced Individual Training.... Full story
I’m changing this up a bit from my usual dribble. I spent a little over 40 years in the feed and grain business along with milking cows. In 1971, I walked by the Ypsilanti Farm Bureau in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It was a full time feed and grain co-op. It was massive and from my apartment I could hear the grain dryers running or the feed grinders grindin’. I was looking for a job and, being from a very rural background in Ohio, I spent some time in a small feed mill. I thought, hmmm, maybe I should ask for a job. The big retail store was on one...
Nearly 150 community members filled up on spaghetti, enjoyed music by Tim Tanberg and bid on auction items to raise money for Seeley Lake resident Kerry Drew. Drew lost everything he owned in a house fire Sept. 23. He and his family were overwhelmed by all the support they received from the community. The raised more than $3,000 at the event. Drew's daughter Danielle Posthumus organized the event with the help of several family members and friends. She had never organized anything like this...
SEELEY LAKE - A mere five-minute drive from town, a myriad of carefully groomed Nordic ski trails rests peacefully. The trees spread their shady arms and Pyramid Mountain stands majestically above. Soon that peacefulness at the Seeley Creek Nordic Ski Trails will be pierced by the sound of swishing skis over bright white snow and the laughter of children. Every year, Seeley Lake residents and visitors look forward to this easy-access, affordable form of recreation. Last year, a new addition to...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Ecosystem Center (SEC) hosted a Walk in the Woods Oct. 22 to highlight the importance of forest stewardship and forest products in the Seeley and Swan Valleys. More than a dozen participants visited area businesses that are dependent on forest products and walked through two different forest stewardship projects completed through SEC. The tour was funded through a grant from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). The day started with a...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board of Trustees approved the fire district 2015-2016 budget of just more than $255,500 at their meeting, Oct. 20. They also voted unanimously to give all employees a 2.5 percent raise. The budget committee presented a balanced budget to the board for approval. Seeley Lake volunteer firefighter Michael Richards questioned the agenda’s wording that said the preliminary budget would be discussed. He felt there should have been more time for the public to comment on the budget. The board agreed t...
SEELEY LAKE - The Bernstrauch family will be hosting their annual Mama B’s haunted house again this year, Oct. 31 from 7-9 p.m. at 449 Grizzly Drive. Organizer Charmin Bernstrauch said it is twice as big as last year and they are “upping the scare factor.” Last year Mama B highlighted her Field of Screams. There was a walk through in the light for those who did not want to be too scared. This year, Bernstrauch is not giving any sneak peaks into what the haunted house holds. There will not be a no-scare walk through. Anyone who wants to parti...
SWAN VALLEY - At the Oct. 20 meeting of the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC), the council discussed concerns about high water washing out the road near the Cold Creek Bridge and received a progress report on the traffic safety issue on Highway 83 in front of the Swan Valley Elementary School (SVE). Kali Becher from Missoula County Community and Planning Services (CAPS) and land use planning consultant Dave DeGrandpre also spoke to attendees about the Missoula County Growth Plan Survey due by Oct. 30. Chair Ken Donovan told attendees he was...
We are getting into the time of year where the signature look of the hunter moves from camouflage to orange. When it comes to hunting, there is a tradeoff between not being seen by the animals and being visible to other hunters who might otherwise shoot in your direction. When it comes to Christianity, there might be a similar debate when it comes to how much we should look like the world around us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it clear what he expects of us. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be h...
SEELEY LAKE - On Oct. 20, 13 Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) students from grades five through eight tied on plastic aprons, slipped their hands into disposable food preparation gloves and transformed themselves into the SLE Culinary Club. The club is one of the afterschool offerings made possible by the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. In keeping with the community focus of the grant, participating students were welcome to invite one adult family member to attend the two-week, Tuesday...
POTOMAC - Crissina Quinn is the new coordinator and teacher for the Friday Potomac School Explorers Program. Quinn grew up in Missoula and graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman. She completed her student teaching at Seeley-Swan High School the fall of 2014 and graduated that December with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education focusing on Social Studies broadfield. The students have already had lots of fun adventures since school began, according to Quinn. They learned about...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Ranger District typically holds a yearly “open season” from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15, during which time interested parties can apply for permits to hold recreation events on National Forest lands. In an effort to streamline the application process and better accommodate permit applicants, the District will now be hosting two open seasons per calendar year. A fall open season will run from Nov. 1 – Nov. 30 for winter recreation event permit applications and a spring open season will run from March 1 - March 31 for...
Greetings from the Seeley Lake Ranger District (SLRD). As the temperatures drop and the larch begin to change, so does use on the National Forest. Here is a quick update of current happenings around the district. • A limited number of seasonal gate closures went in to effect on Oct. 15. These closures occur on an annual basis and are in accordance with the Lolo National Forest (LNF) Travel Management Plan. Travel management maps are available free of charge at the District office that outline all closure dates and locations. • Seeley Lake Cam...
Goal: Eagle Port Lodge provides comfortable, elegant lodging for fly-in or drive-in guests located in the heart of Seeley Lake's recreational opportunities. With full kitchens and spacious rooms overlooking the Seeley Lake Airport to the west and mountains to the east, owner Brian Bertsch said, "Even if you live in town it's a great get away. Experience something local. Experience the Tower." History: Owners and operators Brian and Kerry Bertsch "took a stab at living and investing in Seeley...
The Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) Blackhawks cross country team travelled to Great Falls to compete in the state meet, Oct. 24. Nearly all of the Blackhawks ran new personal records (PR). Senior Stephanie Robbins and junior Cera Strumpfer made the podium with their third and 11th place finishes, the first time SSHS has ever had two runners on the same podium at state. The girls team took fourth while the boys took 11th in the Class C meet. Head coach Zelda Haines said it was a fast course with...
The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks wrapped up their season hosting the Plains Horsemen Oct. 23. The Blackhawks found themselves trailing early in the game as the Horsemen completed long passes and made big plays when they needed. Plains took advantage of an interception near the Blackhawks end zone to gain a 12-point lead. The Blackhawks had a better second quarter, scoring early on a 6-yard pass from Shane Lindemer to Bradley Miller. The teams traded touchdowns throughout the quarter but by halftime...
The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks finished out their regular season with a split week. The Ladies lost a close match to the Valley Christian Eagles before defeating the Granite Prospectors. The Lady Blackhawks took third place in the district for the regular season and head to District 13C Tournaments in Victor with an overall record of 12-4 and in-conference record of 10-4. Versus Valley Christian The Lady Blackhawks traveled to Missoula to take on the Eagles of Valley Christian Oct. 22. The Eagles are one of two teams that have given the Lady...
Seeley Lake Library News SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Library Book Club will be discussing Margaret Atwood’s “Cat’s Eye” Thursday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. “Cat’s Eye,” a finalist for the 1989 Man Booker Prize, is the story of Elaine Risley, a middle-aged painter, who reluctantly travels back to the city of her youth for a retrospective of her art. While there, Elaine must come to terms with some painful memories of past friendships and the girls who initiated her into the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of longing and betrayal. “C...
