Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
SEELEY LAKE - Many residents in Missoula County were awakened Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, Nov. 17-18 by the sounds of trees snapping and, what some described, as "a freight train" roaring through the area. Missoula Electric Cooperative (MEC) had system-wide power outages. The outages extended from Superior, Mont., to the Bitterroot Valley, north to Swan River Youth Camp and east to Ovando and Helmville, Mont. MEC reported between 3,000-3,500 customers without power due to the...
SEELEY LAKE - Approximately three miles of the Cottonwood Lakes Road (#477) on the Seeley Lake Ranger District will be closed beginning Dec. 1 for public safety while log truck traffic associated with the Mountain Creek Stewardship project is occurring on the road. The closure will remain in place until the work is completed, which will be no later than March 31, 2016. If the work is completed before March 31, the road will be opened. The road will be closed to snowmobiles from milepost 1.2 (the junction with Road #4353) to milepost 4.7. Other...
HELENA - The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Montana was awarded the prestigious 2015 National Land Protection Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This competitive award is presented annually to one nominee for significant contributions to land protection in partnership with the USFWS. This year's award highlights the Conservancy's work in Montana's Crown of the Continent, including conservation easements, land purchases and restoration, community engagement and stewardship work...
The Rapid Forest Assessment (RFA) in the Auggie fuel treatment area near the Morrell Creek Ski Trails in Seeley Lake, Mont. will assist everyone in knowing what is in our forests. A control plot is an area of land in the forest that has not been logged. A treatment plot is an area that has been logged. The Auggie fuel treatment is an area logged one year ago in order to improve forest health and reduce the fuels for a fire. To determine if the Auggie fuel treatment worked in the treated areas we...
SEELEY LAKE - I have written to the Montana State Land Board which consists of the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Insurance and Securities Commissioner. I also included the head of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) with my concerns. So far I have been totally ignored. No response. My concern is that the Land Board, in conjunction with DNRC, is in the process of perpetrating a gross injustice on one of my neighbors who has applied to purchase the leased lot that...
Back in those times, early 70s, we lived in a small rural village somewhat akin to Ovando. We lived in town in the old parsonage. That didn't stop me from bringing home mules, cattle, horses and of course turkeys. Along with my full time work at the mill, I thought if I raised some turkey poults I might make some extra cash. I did this for many years until it dawned on me it was not the money makin' venture I envisioned and yes sometimes I am a slow learner. So it was that mornin', as I fed the...
Campbell Soup Company is voluntarily recalling 14.2 ounce cans of SpaghettiOs Original due to a potential choking hazard posed by pieces of red plastic found in a small number of cans. This plastic material is from parts of the can lining which may peel off. The affected 14.2 ounce SpaghettiOs Original product has a date of Feb. 22, 2017 which is stamped on the base of the can, and a UPC code of 51000 22432 printed under the bar code. The issue was identified after the company received consumer complaints. This recall affects 355,000 cans and...
When most people think about Thanksgiving, images of turkey, stuffing and time spent with loved ones typically come to mind, not fire hazards. However, an increased risk of fire is, in fact, a reality of Thanksgiving. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), three times as many home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving as on a typical day. NFPA’s latest estimates shows that there were 1,550 cooking fires on Thanksgiving in 2013, reflecting a 230 percent increase over the daily average. Home cooking fires also spike on o...
HELENA - Governor Steve Bullock, joined by Sen. Ed Buttrey and Holly Blouch, announced that Montana’s innovative plan to extend health coverage to thousands of the state’s residents has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “For nearly three years, thousands of Montanans have worked and waited for our state to extend health coverage to our friends, neighbors and family members. I’m pleased to say that wait is over,” Bullock said. “This plan will bring Montanans’ tax dollars home to expand access to quality affor...
SWAN VALLEY - In October, Roger Donald generously donated an original homestead cabin to the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS). The cabin, locally known as Grandma Whalen's cabin, will be moved from its current location off Kraft Creek Road to the site of the Swan Valley Historical Museum. Mary Ann McKenzie Whalen and her husband Roderick moved to Missoula from Michigan in 1917. Mr. Whalen was a building contractor with the Northern Pacific. Several of their children were living in...
HELENA - Governor Steve Bullock, along with a group of Montana-based organizations, is seeking nominations for the “Montana Neighbor Awards.” The awards give recognition to landowners who work collaboratively with their neighbors to enhance Montana’s sense of community. The group is seeking nominations of landowners from across Montana. Winners will receive specially printed and framed Montana Neighbor Award certificates signed by Gov. Bullock and awards committee members. The Montana Neighbor group includes Artemis Common Ground, The Natur...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board of Trustees accepted Rod Stevens’ bid for snow plowing both Station 1 and 2. Rod Stevens Construction was one of two bids received for the 2015-2016 snow-plowing contract. Stevens has held the contract for the last several years. Also at the Nov. 17 meeting, under the recommendation of Fire Chief Bob Vanden Heuvel, the board also agreed to suspend the cadet program until further notice. There were no questions or further discussion from the board on the decision. Vanden Heuvel also a...
As the voice for our nation’s entrepreneurs, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) celebrates all small businesses on a daily basis. When our small businesses do well, our communities do too. Therefore, as part of our annual tradition, I encourage you to join millions of Americans and “shop small” on Small Business Saturday®, Nov. 28, to complete (or start) your holiday shopping. On the heels of Black Friday, shopping small is a concrete way to support small businesses – the same businesses that generate two of every three net new jobs...
SEELEY LAKE – Former Seeley Lake resident Donna Love has written a number of picture books introducing young children to elk, herons, osprey, loons and national parks. Her most recent book, "Santa and the Missing Christmas Bells" ("Missing Bells"), is a chapter book targeting a third-grade reading level, though in interest level it will also appeal to younger and older children. Love will be at the Grizzly Claw Trading Co. Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 2-5 p.m. to talk to visitors about her book and t...
It was a scene straight from a Leanin' Tree Christmas card. The five-by-five bull elk was moving uphill on a well-traveled path through lodgepole pine while snowflakes as large as dollars and wetter than kisses pasted his sides. He was so close it seemed I could reach out and tickle his ribs with my gun barrel. I had a cow tag so the bull was not mine to take, plus I was guiding a trophy hunter from Florida for whitetail, not elk. The bull moved on never knowing I was there but years later I...
SEELEY LAKE - The Nature Conservancy (TNC), in collaboration with The Blackfoot Challenge, held a public meeting Nov. 16 to provide updates on the Clearwater-Blackfoot Project. TNC had purchased 117,000 acres in January 2015 from Plum Creek. TNC discussed what they worked on during the field season, shared their goals for stewardship work in 2016 and opened up the meeting for discussion and questions about the project. TNC Western Montana Land Steward Steve Kloetzel highlighted the accomplishments for 2015 and goals for 2016. He said that 2015...
POTOMAC - The Potomac/Greenough Community Center (PGCC) in Potomac is undergoing changes and improvements. Jeanne Hall, PGCC chair, said the projects will support and benefit all the groups that use the center. The center has been in use since 1978. Among the many groups using the PGCC is Potomac School, which uses the facility for two classrooms, physical education and sports in the gym and as a lunchroom. The Potomac Valley 4-H Club also uses the building for 4-H meetings and the...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee discussed the Implementation Element at their last meeting Nov. 19. Planner Robert Horne expects to have a complete draft for the committee to review at the December meeting. The Implementation Element outlines the processes and procedures and identifies the partnerships and collaborations needed to get things done. In the opening paragraph it states there are multiple methods and techniques to implement the plan but the community has opted not to recommend regulations. Swan Valley...
It is one of my favorite holidays this week - Thanksgiving. Between feasting, family, friends, floats, furlough and football, it always seems to be a fabulous time! There is a long tradition of Thanksgiving in our nation, dating all the way back to the Plymouth Plantation in 1623. Although it is not a holiday found in the Bible, giving thanks is certainly a very biblical thing to do. After celebrating a day of Thanksgiving on a couple of different calendar days, it was in 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, by act of Congress, that...
SEELEY LAKE - Ryan Donald Greenwood, 23, joined his keeper of the stars Sunday, Nov. 15 due to a tragic vehicle accident. Ryan was born May 30, 1992 to Robert Greenwood and Rendie Connell, in Missoula, Mont. They made their home in Seeley Lake, MT for four years. Ryan was determined at a very young age to excel beyond his older brother and sister. Didn't matter what they could do, he could do it better. Things that most youngsters can't begin to do, Ryan had mastered. He moved to Juneau, Alaska... Full story
SEELEY LAKE – Born May 9, 1931, at home in the small town of Mekinock, N.D., it was debated for years whether Rodney Allen Kvamme actually arrived on Mother's Day or not. His mother Hilda Kvamme and father Martin Kvamme debated for years as to the actual day, as it was never actually recorded on his official birth certificate until the late 1960s in order to establish a passport. So, May 9 it is. Rodney passed from this earth Nov. 8, 2015, at age 84 (plus or minus that actual day). He follows h... Full story
The Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) fall sports awards banquet was held Nov. 17 at Seeley-Swan High School. The banquet was held to present varsity letters, pins, chevrons, All-Conference and Academic All-State awards to members of the SSHS varsity fall sports team members. 2015 SSHS Cross-Country Name Grade Awards Stephanie Robbins 12 Pin; Academic All-State; All-State Cera Strumpfer 11 Chevron; Academic All-State; All-State Elizabeth Done 10 Chevron; Academic All-State Cameron Haines 10...
We’ve missed him for a few years and were saddened to hear of the passing of long time Seeley Lake resident and Seeley Lake Historical Society supporter, Pastor Rod Kvamme. Rod was instrumental in forming the Seeley Lake Writers Club and acted as chair of the informal group, providing advice and encouragement. That encouragement was key to the club publishing “Cabin Fever,”-- the best collection of stories ever written conveying the feelings, emotions and flavor of life in the Clearwater, Blackfoot and Swan Valleys during the first 100 years... Full story
SWAN VALLEY - Newly elected Missoula County Commissioner Stacy Rye spoke at the Nov. 17 meeting of the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC). She told those in attendance that the commissioners supported the citizens concerned about the danger to buses and drivers pulling in and out of the Swan Valley School (SVE) on Highway 83. The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) responded to Swan Valley citizens’ letters about the SVE safety issue in a letter sent to SVCC member Marcia Tapp. The MDT letter indicated that the no passing zone would b...
Goal: Seeley Lake Antler Crafts owner Wade Rathbun's goal is to offer a unique craft for others to enjoy and use in their homes. He uses the freshest antler sheds possible offering a high quality product where the antler component has not been altered. History: Rathbun started creating antler art with his ex-wife's grandfather and father between 1995-1996. Together they attended large craft shows in California offering antler-handled fire starters. "It's interesting and fun to work with antlers,...
