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Livestock Industry’s War on Wildlife at Montana Legislature At Gov. Greg Gianforte’s behest, the Montana Legislature’s anti-wildlife bias was on full display this session. It’s easy to see the direct connection between a number of extreme anti-wildlife bills and a small cabal of privileged ranchers who exploit our public lands for their private profit. These ranchers want Montana to be the last best place exclusively for their sheep and cattle, at the expense of native wildlife and their habitat, and the people who value Montana’s unique tr...
Theft and vandalism of local art is disrespectful Dear Editor, Most residents of Seeley lake are aware of the Disney, Comic book heroes, and many other cartoon characters. I am sure many of you residents have seen and enjoyed the wood carvings displayed on property along Double Arrow Road, especially the children passing by. I know my grandchildren look forward to seeing them when they visit Seeley Lake. I can’t Imagine the time spent by this elderly gentleman to produce such impeccable craftsmanship. However, recent theft and vandalism to t...
Seeley Lake readers are in for a special treat this month as Jamie Ford returns to the Alpine Artisans Open Book Club to read from and talk about his latest novel 'The Many Daughters of Afong Moy'. Jamie will be reading on Saturday, May 13 at 7 pm at the Seeley Lake Community Foundation building. Jamie’s initial and epic visit to the AAI book series was soon after the publication of his first novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (currently being made into a feature film), and those w...
A memorable experience in my teenage years was a strenuous hike up Mount Rainier in Washington State. I ascended the mountain to an elevation of just a little over 10,000 feet at Camp Muir. This camp contains shelters that are important staging camps for mountaineers desiring to summit the peak of Mount Rainier. Those planning to reach the summit of the mountain rely on the refuge of Camp Muir to provide shelter while awaiting a mountain summit. There is no way to accurately plan or predict...
As winter stubbornly makes its exit, many of us are busy making plans for summer adventures. The wealth of public land that surrounds our community means we don’t have to go too far afield to enjoy the great outdoors and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is happy to have played a part in ensuring our access to some of those places. Most recently, we completed an exciting two-phase transfer of approximately 11,000 acres of land on Game Ridge, above Nine Mile Prairie - stretching from Dunnigan Gulch t...
Why is it important to know the difference? It’s due to the fact that life is full of experiences, both while we’re awake and sleeping. Reading, watching a movie, reviewing a dream, fantasizing, imagining, listening to music and much more make up our experiences. Each experience is filled with symbols, signs or both. Signs are most familiar to us. As an example, a stop sign comes to mind but our language also includes signs. Each word has a specific meaning. This specificity indicates the wor...
Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume” tries to use dazzling shots and brilliant colors to make up for a silly story but ends up conveluted and full of cliches. Diehard anime fans might enjoy this adventure story for its dedication to anime stereotypes but casual anime-watchers will likely be unimpressed. This animated Japanese fantasy film follows a 17-year-old girl who’s roped into battling a life-threatening magical phenomenon. Suzume, voiced by Nanoka Hara and Akari Miura, encounters a mysteri...
Where I’m from we don’t really have any public lands. Much like Europe, New England is all privately owned. The 300 years of land purchasing, developing, and trading has left little unclaimed by some entity or individual. The American East, and especially the colonial region known as New England, has been a part of this nation since long before the concept of communal land occurred to the European settlers. My hometown of Proctor, was originally called Southerland Falls but was renamed when it was purchased by the Proctor family with the int...
Time to act! Update on the current situation regarding the purchase of Holland Lake Lodge, Swan Valley by POWDR Corporation proposing a destination resort. A critical and crucial US Forest Service decision on this public land use is about to be made. What can you do? Be bothered! Be upset! Be vocal! Reminder! Swan Valley, Montana is a small community situated in the middle of public lands and two wilderness areas. Over the past 40 years, there has been extensive work by property owners, timber companies, conservation groups and the USFS to...
I want to welcome you to the early phases of Land Management Plan Revision for the Lolo National Forest. The Lolo National Forest is an exceptional place, and it is my honor and privilege to be the Forest Supervisor for this landscape that is highly valued by so many people. I know it will be both a challenging and deeply rewarding responsibility to facilitate this process and ultimately, decide on the framework that will guide this Forest for many years. We are excited and eager to invite the...
The Administration for Community Living, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, published their “2020 Profile of Older Americans” in May of 2021. They predict that by 2040 there will be 14.4 million adults over the age of 85 living in the United States. In 2019 this number was less than 7 million. As the population of older Americans grows, so too should our focus on ways to stay healthy and live well in the later stages of life. Recent studies by the National Institutes of Health suggest that good oral health may help...
2 Peter 2:8-9 “…who stumble because they are disobedient to the Word to which they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Ephesians 2:10 “Do not lose our identity! That is to esteem Him, the creator and founder of our belief, to talk as a chosen race, to walk in possession of His Spirit of set apartness to do His Word, will and works to His good pleasure. All whether...
Lakes are highly interconnected systems impacted by multiple environmental conditions and anthropogenic pressures. The Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) is committed to evaluating the health of our lakes in the Clearwater Valley by sampling lake waters and monitoring water quality. As we learn more about the health of the lakes, we want to share the results of lake monitoring with you. Beginning in 2021, CRC began monitoring nutrients as a metric of water quality in six lakes in the Clearwater...
Montana’s Public Service Commission (PSC) is under renewed scrutiny following a deal negotiated by NorthWestern Energy that all but assures Montana residents will face drastically higher energy rates. The 100% Republican-controlled PSC completed a review period in which the public was able to comment; now the commission is planning to approve new rates that increase costs to consumers by 28% for Montanans, 25% for small businesses, and only 15% for giant box stores owned by out-of-state corporations, and 15% for government buildings. Why the G...
There was quite the stir in the birding community when a local birder found a Northern Hawk Owl near the school in Wise River in the first week of January. Why the excitement? Very few people have ever seen one, and they are typically never this far south. All of my sightings prior to January 17, 2023 were in Glacier National Park, on the "Inside Road" to Polebridge near the Howe Lake trail area, some 265 miles north of Wise River. The first was of two fledglings in June of 2005. That sighting...
If you love Agatha Christie and classic murder mystery stories, I highly recommend “Marple: Twelve New Stories.” In this recent collection of new stories by twelve different writers, the character of Miss Jane Marple is brought back to life. When I lived in Pittsburgh, PA, I loved perusing the shelves of books in the Carnegie Library. One of my favorite shelves was where I first discovered Agatha Christie. I have read most of her books, all that were available in Carnegie’s collection, including...
The first week I started selecting content I remember choosing a public release about a herpes outbreak among horses in the Flathead Valley and thinking “Oh god, I hope that doesn’t end up on the kid’s page.” It didn’t. It ended up below the Passages column. But since that week I’ve been very mindful of what I add to the top of that page. I’ve opted to use stories about public parades or about the schools because I feel that it’s an almost sacred space. Literacy is something sacred to me, and as a writer it is something I want to keep sacred...
“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” John 20:19 My father entered into eternal life on April 4, 2010. My wife and I cared for him for two years in California because my family in Montana were not able to do so. He suffered dementia and neurological deterioration. We had a wonderful pattern for those two years. He didn’t know where he was or who I was but the three of...
The grass getting green, the sun parting the clouds, temperatures becoming comfortable, and pollen tickling noses can only mean one thing: spring burn season is upon us! Spring is not only one of Montana’s many wonders, but it is also the best time to collect and burn yard debris before summer takes us into fire season. Spring burn permits may seem like a hassle or headache, but they are required for the debris burn period of March 1st to August 31st. Let this be your guide to applying for, paying, and activating your permits while m...
I stumbled across The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore at my library job recently and was captured by the picture book's depth and beautiful imagery. Writer and illustrator William Joyce takes us on a heartwarming journey that follows the life of book lover Morris Lesmmore. One day, after a period of loss and confusion Morris is gifted a book that slowly begins to color his world (and our pages!). He follows the book to a library where he becomes the caretaker of many great...
The Montana Legislature is pushing through two house bills, both co-sponsored by area representative John Fitzpatrick, that fundamentally alter the way marijuana tax monies are allocated in direct opposition to the will of the voters. HB 462 and HB 669 steal $15.8 million from wildlife habitat acquisition that Montana voters overwhelmingly approved when they passed I-190 in 2020. Montana's libertarian lean is under attack by well-meaning but ultimately destructive politicos claiming to know what...
So, how are you going to celebrate Earth Day? Many Americans may have a suspicious attitude toward celebrating what some see as a “hippie holiday” or a political statement against anyone who doesn’t embrace a 100% “Green” lifestyle. As devoted Christians, some of us might struggle with expressions of “Environmental Spiritualism”; i.e., treating the Earth as if it were God or another type of deity. As a Catholic convert, and once-upon-a-time unbeliever and ardent environmentalist, I have progressed from an attitude of “environmental spiritualism...
Dear Editor I miss Andi and Nathan’s Pathfinder, but I do accept their need to move on. I debated whether to renew my subscription. I did, but it’s conditional. Please, it must remain local, not piecemeal with articles and contributions that are not relevant to the area which seems to be the new Pathfinder standard. And thank you Vicki Voegelin for your well written and to the point letter in the 13 April edition. Carleen Gonder Seeley Lake, MT...
Dear Editor, Elbow Lake is located on the Clearwater River, just over three miles north of Clearwater Junction. The stretch of the Clearwater below Elbow Lake and before the confluence with the Blackfoot River is a unique and peaceful trout fishing spot with relatively easy access for fishermen and women in the area. The surrounding area is an important wildlife corridor and also a serene environment for hikers and others who enjoy the outdoors. LHC, Inc. is seeking to use 21 acres of land adjacent to Elbow Lake and the Clearwater for a gravel...
Dear Editor, I have been attending the Seeley Lake Fire Board meetings for several years now. I am frustrated with lack of transparency, no discussion at the board meetings when issues are brought up, unless they are known ahead of time. When people come to express their concerns, several times they are directed to speak to the fire chief for answers. Good qualified people have been denied a spot to be a volunteer...why? The board has no control over anything but the financial side. They are not privy to any of the operating procedures. As I ha...
