Sorted by date Results 1393 - 1417 of 6337
MISSOULA - Missoula County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rob Watson announced Feb. 18, that he is leaving his position with MCPS effective June 30. “It is with mixed emotions that I share this decision with you today,” Dr. Watson told District education leaders Friday morning. “My time with MCPS, including my former time as a principal, has been some of the most rewarding of my 29 years in public education. I will leave with many happy memories and proud to have served with each of you.” While he is resigning his formal role in public educa...
SEELEY LAKE – "I have a desire to create the opportunity for the kids to go 'What do I believe?'" said Bryce Smith, youth leader for Christ Unrivaled. "If this is it, then where does that take me?" Bryce and his wife Stefanie are looking forward to welcoming area youth in grades six through 12 to the new Christ Unrivaled Youth Hub Wednesday nights from 6 – 8 p.m. in the basement of Faith Chapel, 3260 Highway 83. Their mission at the Youth Hub is for the youth of the community to learn their iden...
WEST GLACIER - Glacier National Park announced that vehicle reservations, formerly known as “tickets,” required to access Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) and the North Fork area via the Polebridge Entrance Station from May 27 – Sept. 11 will become available on Recreation.gov starting March 2 at 8 a.m. Other areas of the park can be accessed without a reservation. This will be the second year of the reservation system pilot, designed to manage high traffic volumes within the park and avoid gridlock. Glacier National Park is consistently the 10th...
SEELEY LAKE – At their Feb. 15 meeting, Seeley Lake Fire Chief Dave Lane gave the Fire Board an update regarding the levy that was discussed last summer, proposed nearly doubling the ambulance rates to help offer a better salary for a full-time firefighter/paramedic and addressed the public concern regarding properties that could be a fire hazard. He also addressed comments made by the public at last month’s meeting that he felt were inaccurate. The board took no action on the increased ambulance fees or paramedic position. They asked for mor...
OVANDO - Nathan Graves came to Montana for its beauty and its education. He began his teaching career in the fall of 2021 with the fourth - eighth grade classroom in Ovando School. As an avid learner himself, Graves is excited for the chance to instill the want and need to learn in young people. Graves, originally from Illinois, was attracted to the beautiful campus and the Environmental Studies program at the University of Montana. Through working in the Missoula YMCA summer camp programs, he...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board moved forward with advertising a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and discussed water testing and an increase in eDNA testing at its Feb. 17 meeting. At last month’s meeting the Board discussed whether to send out a RFQ or Request for Proposals (RFP). District Manager Bill Decker wrote up a proposed RFQ for the Board to consider at this meeting. Director Cheri Thompson said the proposed RFQ was not specific enough and wanted specific details about the District in it instead of the entire com...
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: February 26, 1987 issue Letter to the Editor: Mt. Henry EIS The general enthusiasm for building a ski resort on Mt.... Full story
Snowshoe Hike, Feb. 27 SEELEY LAKE – Join Clearwater Resource Council and USFS Wildlife Biologist Scott Tomson on a two- to three-mile snowshoe Feb. 27 from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Participants will learn about winter ecology and identify tracks along the way. Please bring your own snowshoes and leave dogs at home. Please RSVP at http://crcmt.org/registration Updates will be posted on Facebook and sent via email to those who register. For more details visit crcmt.org or contact Amanda at crc.watshd.coord@crcmt.org/ 412-956-0208 Weekly COVID-19 upd...
With a slushy start and temperatures in the high 40s Saturday, Feb. 12, Seeley Lake musher Jessie Royer took an early lead in the 300-mile Race to the Sky and never gave it up. First to all the check points, she returned to Lincoln Monday night just after 6:30 p.m., more than four and half hours ahead of second place Josi Thyr of Olney, Montana. Rounding out the top three was Cindy Gallea, a musher who started her racing career in Seeley Lake in 1991 and now lives in Wykoff, Minnesota. Gallea...
With several special district governing board positions up for election within Missoula County in Potomac, Seeley Lake and the Swan Valley, the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board is the only election currently on the ballot for the May 3 election. However, write-in candidates can still file until Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. A write-in candidate could trigger an election if there are more candidates than vacancies. The School District candidate filing closes March 24 at 5 p.m. There are several positions up for election at Seeley Lake Elementary, Swan...
SWAN VALLEY - Even though three inches of fresh snow covered the ground, it looked like a crime scene. Spots of blood and clumps of hair were scattered over the hillside. Footsteps through the snow revealed stomach contents. Luke Lamar Swan Valley Connections (SVC) Conservation Director told the Wildlife Tracks and Signs class he saw an eagle and ravens flying in this area when he was scouting for tracks in the early morning Feb. 5. This is the big picture view that can start a tracking...
HELMVILLE - "I think supporting and encouraging the life and activities in our communities helps them to be stronger and to be more vibrant," said Jean Pocha, the Seeley Swan Pathfinder's newest reporter. "It is my hope to be a part of that." Pocha has lived in Helmville for more than 31 years. She looks forward to developing interesting stories that capture the happenings and people of the Ovando and Helmville communities. Since a young girl, Pocha said she has always taken notes and been a...
SEELEY LAKE – The overhead stage lights of the Seeley-Swan High School auditorium bounced off the bronze cone-shaped bells of seven tubas and five euphoniums Feb. 13 as University of Montana Euphonium and Tuba Consort performed for a crowd of more than 40 people (on Super Bowl Sunday!). According to Conductor Benedict Kirby, a tuba has a five-octave range, starting lower than the sound a piano can play. Its smaller cousin, the euphonium, starts an octave higher and has a four and a half o...
OVANDO – Leigh Ann Valiton is happy to welcome customers into the Stray Bullet Cafe in Ovando. While she has been a familiar face behind the counter since 2010, Valiton now owns the cafe after purchasing it from Colleen Stone Jan. 1. She looks forward to offering the same great service and food so people can enjoy their time in Ovando. Jessica Geary remembered starting the idea for The Stray Bullet in 2002 in the back room of the Ovando store when her parents Howie and Peggy Fly owned it. "I lik...
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: February 19, 1987 issue Dave Armstrong: 48 years of mushing Experienced mushers agree: the Governor's Cup 500 sled dog... Full story
Clarification of proposed “high-speed roundabout” at Clearwater Junction SEELEY LAKE – In the article “Roundabout at Clearwater Junction tops discussion” in the Feb. 10 issue of the Pathfinder, Robert Peccia & Association Engineering Firm Project Manager April Gerth referred to the roundabout proposed at Clearwater Junction as a “high-speed roundabout.” The project team requested clarification that the “high-speed” refers to Highway 200, not the roundabout. The 70 mile-per-hour speed limit will start decreasing 800-1,000 feet before the rounda...
BIG SKY LAKE – For anyone that has spent time southeast of Seeley Lake around Big Sky Lake, the view is changing. More than half of the properties are being treated through the Big Sky Lake Fuels Reduction Project. Landowners are logging and thinning to not only reduce the risk of wildfire but also improve the health of the forest. The Big Sky Lake Homeowners Association (HOA) conceived the project in May 2020. After months of outreach to the landowners around Big Sky Lake and collaboration w...
Playground construction and renovation, as well as improvements to a cherished community skating rink, are on their way to Missoula County residents thanks to more than $38,000 in matching grants funded through the Missoula County Parks, Trails and Open Lands Program. The Seeley Lake Lions Club has secured funding from the last two grant cycles for improvements at Clearwater Park, and their recent award of $16,988 will help them move forward with construction of a new playground. With plans to engage local students in choosing a playground...
SEELEY LAKE – After a hiatus for COVID last year, the Seeley Lake Biathlon returned this year Feb. 5. More than 90 racers took to the Seeley Creek Nordic Trails to test their skiing ability and marksmanship in the 21K, 9K and 3K races. Tim Swanberg was the only racer from the area that participated in the 21K. He finished in 1:32:52.18 taking second for the men. Representing Seeley Lake in the 9K Adult Female's race was Claire Muller and Ryen Neudecker. While both are avid skiers, neither had p...
SEELEY LAKE – The community is invited to join the Seeley Lake Community Council Feb. 14 to keep up-to-date on important issues. The Council will meet at the Seeley Lake Historical Museum and Visitors Center, 2920 Highway 83, at 6 p.m. with pizza and water served at 5:30 p.m. There will also be a Zoom link for those who wish to join virtually. The Council’s agenda for February includes: • Montana Department of Transportation/HDR Engineering: Salmon Lake Highway 83 Reconstruction project update • Alex Ramsing, Landlord Liaison, Homeword Inc: re...
The second happening of telling our stories, “Why Did We Come Here, Why Do We Stay” is just around the corner on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Community Foundation Building. Please join with us if you are able. Masks will be available. If you are not able, the Pathfinder is again allowing this Community event to be seen live on their Facebook page. In excess of 200 folks watched the full Oct. 13 gathering and we would love to have you join. Our October event had a good cross-section of our community telling their stories. What is cle...
SEELEY LAKE - Montana’s own Race to the Sky 37th anniversary sled dog race, will be held Feb. 11-15. This year there are 28 mushers in the field - 12 competing in the 300-mile race including local mushers Jessie Royer, Josi Thyr and past-resident Cindy Gallae, now from Wykoff, Minnesota. In the 100-mile, there are 16 mushers with the closest musher being Nicole Lombardi from Lincoln, Montana. This year’s race will pay tribute to Dave Armstrong. Armstrong passed away at age 100 last spring. He was one of the original founders of the Sac...
SEELEY LAKE - "If you come to the concert without expectations, you'll rapidly learn what's possible with a euphonium," states U of M Tuba and Euphonium Consort's conductor Benedict Kirby. "You'll hear soaring melodies and blazing technique. We're calling the concert Big Bop Nouveau Tuba! - because the concert will move through some funky styles. It will move through some jazz waltz. It will move through what we would call, perhaps, classical sounds. It's a tour de force." The concert will be...
MISSOULA – The fourth In the Footsteps of Norman Maclean Literary Festival announced its biennial gathering will be held June 24 - 26 at the Missoula Public Library. This year's Festival is named "Public Land & Sacred Ground: Western Writers Bear Witness" and will feature nationally prominent authors who will discuss the unique heritage of American wilderness, public lands and sacred grounds. The last day of the Festival, June 27, will feature day hikes in the Seeley-Swan. Admission is free t...
POTOMAC – Members of the Montana Department of Transportation Project Team (Team) for the Clearwater Junction Intersection Project met with the Greenough-Potomac Fire District Board to provide information and answer questions regarding the proposed roundabout. In mid-November 2021, MDT announced a high-speed roundabout, a roundabout on a high-speed roadway, was the preferred alternative of the six alternatives evaluated. The team has now entered the design phase and continues to encourage public input as they work to address safety, o...
