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MISSOULA – While it was still dark Thursday morning, Aug. 6, Seeley Lake Trailblazer Dani Sexton was giving her steer Pickles a bath. It was the big day for him to show in the Western Montana Fair, something Sexton had being working on since purchasing him from Two Creeks Ranch this spring. He was loaded and rolling towards Missoula from their home in the Woodworth area south of Seeley Lake by 5 a.m. For the past 10 years the first week in August was all about the Fair for Sexton. However w...
SEELEY LAKE - The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Southwestern Land Office ended last week with 17 fires--12 lightning and five human caused. All are controlled or out except for the Elevation Mountain fire, which started Aug. 8 in the BLM Wilderness Study Area southeast of Greenough. The Elevation Mountain fire is approximately 10 acres, burning in heavy timber with a lot of dead and down fuels in rough and remote terrain. Two hot shot crews, the Deer Lodge prison crew, six jumpers, and a few overhead are working to...
Summer is in full bloom. Before you take a dip in the lake this summer, state agencies are urging Montanans to know the health risks of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Clearwater Resource Council received reports of possible blue-green algae in Seeley Lake. Water samples have been sent it to test for toxicity. The HAB website listed a report dated Aug. 6 that read, “No visible bloom, but a dog presented with acute neurologic signs and death in less than an hour after swimming in the river that leads into Seeley Lake. Last week a different dog s...
Governor Steve Bullock announced Aug. 6 that like the June primary, counties will be able to opt in to an all-mail voting system. He also directed early voting to be expanded based on recommendations from the Montana Association of Clerks, Recorders and Election Administrators. "The local election administrators stressed there is serious ethical concern about conducting an election under standard procedures," Bullock said in a press conference Aug. 6. "The risk of viral transmission and...
MISSOULA – That last phone call someone wants to receive is from the health department identifying them as a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. However, a phone call from a someone pretending to be involved with contact tracing could not only cause undue mental stress, it could also cost money unless identified as a scam. The Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCHD) laid out the process for identifying close contacts and testing requirements to help residents d...
Despite the pandemic, the Seeley Lake and Swan Lake Ranger Districts are seeing very high visitor use on roads, trails, dispersed camping sites and in the developed campgrounds. Both Districts are actively working to increase their presence to manage public safety, protect resources, work to benefit visitor experiences and accommodate the increased use they have been seeing this year. "I think it is really cool that the public is rediscovering their public lands. That is a very positive thing...
The phrase "that just makes me want to pull my hair out" has origins that go back to Egypt and Greece and the Christian Bible, but probably has most connection to an obsessive/compulsive syndrome disorder. In ancient Egypt, hair pulling was a customary part of a funeral ritual. A sculpture relief in Gizah clearly shows a man holding his arms up and pulling his hair in two opposite directions. Other reliefs and paintings show women in funeral processions plucking hairs from the top of their...
SEELEY LAKE – Everyone is invited to join the Clearwater Resource Council for its first annual lily removal competition Aug. 15 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Placid and Salmon Lakes. Please register at crcmt.org by 5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 14 to ensure they have enough lunches. Teams of two are encouraged to bring their own watercraft and will be provided with the tools and training to remove as many fragrant waterlilies as possible for the free event. Any type of watercraft is acceptable, but please make sure to follow clean, drain, dry procedures to...
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) has begun implementation of new load posting procedures on public bridges across the state as mandated by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As a result, motorists may soon start to notice new weight limits and signs on some bridges. The postings are part of recently updated federal requirements for bridge load rating and posting. Bridge weight restrictions are required when the engineering analysis of a bridge, known as a load rating,...
The Powell County Community Foundation is accepting grant applications from non-profits throughout Powell County. The PCF awards grants, usually ranging from $500 to $2,000, for charitable purposes in the following focus areas: basic human needs, arts and culture, recreation, and economic development. The application deadline is Friday, Sept. 11. The short application form is available by writing to the PCF at P.O. Box 834, Deer Lodge, MT, 59722 or by contacting board members Kirk Sandquist, Steve Owens, Mary Ann Fraley, Claudia Dippold,...
SEELEY LAKE – Monica Tranel, a two-time Olympic rower, a mother of three, and a candidate for Public Service Commission District 4, rode into Seeley Lake to meet with members of the community Aug. 4. This was on day five of her eight day, 550-mile 406 Connect bike tour across the seven counties of District 4 in an effort to learn what powers up and connects Montana communities. "Growing up with my nine siblings in eastern Montana, our family loved spending hours on Montana's open roads on our b...
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...
Sunday, Aug. 6, marked the 75th anniversary of the United States dropping an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Seeley Lake resident Cheri Thompson shared her father Ivan Odom's account of the aftermath. Odom served in the Air Force as a cargo pilot and flew C-47s during the Pacific Theater in WWII. He joined the Air Force in February, 1943 and received orders to return home in December of 1945. During his time in the Air Force Odom wrote many letters to his parents including one...
Produce boxes available at Seeley-Swan Community Food Bank SEELEY LAKE – Thursday, Aug. 13 at 4 p.m. there will be produce boxes available at the Seeley-Swan Community Food Bank, next to the multi-purpose room at Seeley Lake Elementary. There is a limited number of boxes available and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. Veterans Memorial Gardens preparing for new kiosk SEELEY LAKE – In preparation for the new kiosk, some of the arches at the Seeley Lake Veterans Memorial Gardens north of Seeley Lake have been removed. The...
SEELEY LAKE – As of Tuesday, July 21, Missoula Emergency Services Incorporated (MESI) and Life Flight Network will no longer automatically respond when an Advanced Life Support (ALS) call is dispatched in the Seeley Lake Fire District. Instead, MESI will respond as mutual aid resource when requested and Life Flight will be on standby. Seeley Lake Fire Chief and Paramedic Dave Lane requested the change to automatic dispatch that has been in place for more than 30 years. “In my mind, these are changes that are going to reduce public safety iss...
CHOTEAU - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Monday still had five grizzly bear traps east of Choteau where a grizzly mauled rural Teton County resident Shanun Rammell on July 27, but a ground and air search has failed so far to find the bear. Rammell, who was hospitalized at Benefis Health System in Great Falls, was bitten on both hands, his forearms, his shoulders and his back and sustained scratches, gouges and puncture wounds. He underwent surgery to repair the damage to his right hand. He...
Could senior cooperative housing, a model gaining popularity in states with aging populations, be the solution to alleviating social isolation and population loss in Montana's rural small towns? In Montana's rural counties, where demographic trends show large numbers of young people leaving for the state's fast-growing urban areas, the need for elderly housing solutions is going to become increasingly important. These communities are losing population and growing older. But many seniors in...
SEELEY LAKE - Racers clad in wetsuits waited patiently under the starting arch of the Youth For Christ Seeley Lake Challenge Triathlon on Aug 1. The race, located on the River Point Campground and parts of Boy Scout Road, featured triathletes from all across Montana. "I'm just glad we were able to give people an opportunity to choose to race if they wanted," Race Organizer Cheri Thompson said. "A lot of people trained for races and they have not had any outlet." Thompson said the event was not g...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 SLCF Scholarship. Hunter Shelmerdine, Lily Mercer and Chance Johnson each will receive $500 towards university expenses. These students had to learn how to navigate their freshman year of college during a very unusual time due to COVID-19. Shelmerdine graduated as valedictorian of the Seeley-Swan High School Class of 2019. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Mo...
POTOMAC – Two political signs promoting Trump for President were defaced with spray paint last week in Potomac. Both signs are visible from Highway 200 and were on private ground. One was lit and the lighting was also vandalized. The Missoula County Sheriff's Office reminds the public that political signs are private property. If a sign is stolen, it can be reported as theft. If a sign is defaced or vandalized, it is considered criminal mischief. If the land is posted with "No Trespassing" s...
SEELEY LAKE - Friday, July 31, the National Park Service recognized the Seeley Lake community as a participant in its Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Sustainable Community Partnership Program. The Program celebrates Seeley Lake historic connection to Lewis and Clark’s 1803 expedition, known popularly as the Corps of Discovery expedition. In order to qualify for this designation, the National Park Service requires that a community demonstrates its connection to the Corps of Discovery and that the connection is showcased and celebrated i...
MISSOULA – The Lolo National Forest protection area received over 300 lightning strikes from storms on the night of July 30. Firefighters responded to and rapidly contained four small fires across the Forest since the storm. Although firefighters were able to effectively contain and control these fires, fire officials would like to remind the public to remain vigilant and cautious with the persistent hot and dry weather. The Lolo National Forest remains in HIGH fire danger. As of July 30, there have been 44 small wildfires on the Forest; 38 h...
SEELEY LAKE - On Friday, July 24th, a ROCKS work party spent 50+ hours on the new “Lakeview” trail just north of Placid Lake State Park. This work-party improved drainage on the trails that ROCKS constructed last August-September and pulled weeds. This is the second time this summer that the “Youth In Restoration” group associated with the Missoula County Weed District has helped ROCKS with the Lakeview trail. In June 25 volunteers from this same group pulled weeds along the trail. Last fall ROCKS scheduled three different weed-sp...
In a normal year politicians running for office are often speaking to potential voters, canvassing neighborhoods and holding fundraisers. But with COVID-19, local candidates have to try to connect with voters without seeing them in person or at least in large crowds. "You don't have the audience, you don't have the ability to meet one-on-one with a lot of people or address groups, and you cannot attend meetings," said Missoula County Commissioner candidate Alan Ault. Without face-to-face...
MISSOULA - 4-H Club members across the area are having a busy week for the 2020 Western Montana Fair. This year's Fair situation presented unexpected challenges and will hold a unique place in history. The theme, "Farm to Fair," is a timely tribute to the importance of agriculture during moments of crisis. When one door closes, a window opens. For safety reasons, the general public will not be allowed to attend the Fair this year or access the Fairgrounds. Instead, the Fair will be available onl...
