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SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Ranger District (SLRD) is bustling with activity this summer! With the arrival of summer visitors and residents and more activity on your National Forest (NF) lands that surround the communities of Seeley Lake and extend to the upper Blackfoot, it seemed timely to provide another update on the happenings at the SLRD. It is an exciting time for us because our short field season is when all the planning for logistics and budget finally pays off in work on the ground! We are actively conducting programs and projects,...
SEELEY LAKE - The Nature Conservancy (TNC), with the help of partners and local contractors, are working on the Clearwater-Blackfoot Project, 117,152 acres of land acquired in the Blackfoot Valley from Plum Creek in October, 2014. This past week they were working with West Slope Excavation at Tupper's Lake, two and a half miles from Seeley Lake and two miles north of Placid Lake, in preparation for their annual Revive and Thrive Event July 24. Ever since the purchase of the Clearwater-Blackfoot...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) hosted discussion on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) trails maintenance and provided an update on its traffic study at its June 13 meeting. The council also endorsed the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project (BCSP). Seeley Lake District Ranger Rachel Feigley gave an overview of the trails on the district. There are 126 miles of trail in the Scapegoat Wilderness, 263 miles of hiking and horse trails outside the wilderness and 312 miles of snowmobile trails. Feigley explained that there are a...
SEELEY LAKE - An overview of the U.S. Forest Service’s trail maintenance plan for the area will kick off the next Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) meeting. Rachel Feigley, Seeley Lake District Ranger, will talk about how competing demands for firefighting and shrinking budgets will affect trail maintenance. Next on the agenda is the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project (BCSP), a decade-long effort that involves timber, recreation and conservation in a landscape-sized proposal and which enjoys the support of loggers, hunters, r...
HELENA – The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project (BCSP) announced a monthly video series to showcase the conservation, recreation and forest restoration plan the community has spent a decade vetting. The goal of the increased communication efforts is to influence the Montana delegation to move forward with a plan to see the citizen proposal completed through federal legislation. The first video in the series can be viewed at www.blackfootclearwater.org. “Enough is enough. Some of us are nearing the end of the trail and we can’t wait anoth...
SEELEY LAKE - Two years ago, “Outside Magazine” named Seeley Lake Elementary the best place to work in the entire country. Having one of the largest outdoor recreation publications pay us this honor was a testament to the amazing colleagues, supportive parents and professional development that make working at our school such a joy. It was also a testament to the breathtaking natural world right outside our school’s double doors. Over the past several years, we’ve incorporated that world into our curriculum. We take our students canoein...
SEELEY LAKE - Todd Johnson, Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) School Board Chair, will kick off the next Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) meeting with a discussion of the proposed SLE levy, which will be voted on in the May 3 Special Election. Filmmaker Jenny Rohrer will follow with the presentation of two movie shorts: “Keeping Clearwater” tells the story of the work that local volunteers and students are doing in collaboration with the Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) to learn about and protect local waters. The film illustrates how the...
SEELEY LAKE - Snowmobiles and Seeley Lake go hand in hand during the winter months. Our community sees an average of 125 inches of snow per year…making it a perfect destination for folks looking to unload their sled for a few days and venture into the backcountry. One of our biggest tourism drivers in the winter – which any seasoned Montanan knows lasts longer than our summers – is snowmobiling. Ten years ago, several diverse interest groups came together to strategize and plan for the long-term future of our public lands, in a method that...
The wood products industry has a rich heritage in Montana. Our forests have sustained Montana families for decades. Pyramid Mountain Lumber’s sawmill operation has provided employment for many in Seeley Lake and wages paid have provided countless opportunities to mill and woods workers and has sent many a Montana child to college. Montana’s timber industry remains an important economic engine in parts of Montana. The wood products industry works hand in hand with state and federal agencies and other stakeholders to keep our forests healthy and...
SEELEY LAKE — The Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF) is proud to announce its small grant awards for the cycle ending Jan. 31. The next funding cycle ends June 30. The SLCF is a locally driven and locally supported foundation that invests in the health and prosperity of the Seeley Lake Community. SLCF grants support art & culture, community & economic development, basic human needs, education and natural resources and conservation. Carla Schade, Board President said, “Recently the Seeley Lake Community Foundation received many wor...
Most Montanans have their favorite outdoor places. It might be a trout stream, a view from a mountaintop or a mountain bike loop. Wherever your favorite places are, chances are they are on Montana’s public lands. Management of our public lands is a hot topic. Some radicals want to control public lands unlawfully using guns. The American Land Council led by their new CEO, Montana state Sen. Jennifer Fielder, wants to take control of our public lands through legislation. Both efforts ignore the fact that the majority of Montanans treasure p...
CORRECTION: Tax Incentive Conservation Easement Article SEELEY LAKE - In the Feb. 4 issue of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder it was printed, “Agricultural landowners now have the opportunity to purchase a conservation easement on their land.” Conservation Easements are not purchased, they are donated for tax deductions in trade for a perpetual conservation easement on the land. Kennecott Exploration Hosts Public Update Meeting Feb. 22 POTOMAC - Representatives from Kennecott Exploration will present an update regarding their mineral exploration wor...
While presidential nominee hopefuls take turns slinging mud at one another and an armed militia declares a war on public lands, the Blackfoot Challenge and partners continue to work below the headlines, finding lasting solutions by working together. As this onslaught of “political theater” grabs the attention of the media, I’m reassured by the alternative approach many are taking, and have been for decades, to solving conflicts. I’m reminded of the 80/20 rule, coined by third-generation Helmville rancher David Mannix and Blackfoot Challen...
In recent years our local schools, teachers and students, school administrators and volunteers have worked to bring our local environment into the classroom. Or more accurately, to move the classroom outside linking students with the natural resources and remarkable place we call home. Recent examples include the work they are doing in our streams and watersheds, forests, trails and even within the business community via the new Seeley Lake Elementary Outside Learning Center. The students have...
There is nothing better than sitting down with knowledgeable people and picking their brains. That is exactly what I did this month. It started with a notice from Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation [DNRC] that Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc received their prestigious “Montana Forestry Partner Pioneer” award. It recognized Pyramid’s long time commitment to forestry. That led to a walk down memory lane. As I gathered together three men…the laughter started…names were remembered…and the years all rolled together. It culminat...
SEELEY LAKE - The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project (BCSP) Steering Committee recently updated their 2008 proposal addressing restoration and protection of the region's forests in a manner that promotes recreation opportunities, conservation interests and the local economy in the southwestern Crown of the Continent. Last week they submitted their 2015 proposal to Montana Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and Representative Ryan Zinke in hopes of gaining their support. In 2005,...
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...
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...
SEELEY LAKE - Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) presented the world premiere of the film "Students in Action with Climate Change," at their Pure Montana Tales event Oct. 29 at the new SLE Outside Co-op. Nearly 100 attendees watched the 15-minute film by Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) alumni and CRC intern Shelby Holmes. Attendees also were able to view the trailer for CRC's new film "2016 Keeping Clearwater." In 2014, CRC received funding from the Roundtable of the Crown of the Continent (RCC)...
When The Nature Conservancy acquired the 117,152-acre Clearwater Blackfoot Project in January, we knew that it would take some time on the ground to truly assess the condition of the property. We also knew that restoration and determining a long-term strategy for these lands would take a lot of help from everyone who cares about them. What we didn’t anticipate was the tremendous outpouring of support from community members and organizations. As we near the end of our first year on this project, we want to extend our sincerest thanks to the m...
