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It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. (ACTS 11:26) We would do well to note that nowhere in Scripture does it proclaim: They were called, Protestant or Catholic, Lutheran or Methodist or Pentecostal, or, for that matter, any other denomination. It was man and his traditions that have divided the church. But, as Is recorded in Genesis, "What man intends for evil, God intends for good." Galatians 5 makes a distinction between aspects of our human spirit, which brings...
By Elaine Caton, Blackfoot Challenge Education & Swan Program Coordinator The Blackfoot Challenge and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began working together in 2005 to restore trumpeter swans to the Blackfoot watershed. Thanks to the support and hard work of many partners, landowners, teachers, and schoolkids over the years, we met our project goal in 2022, and the swan population here is now considered officially restored! The goal was to have at least seven successful nests for at least...
Some problems are perplexing and complicated, with solutions evading the wisest among us. The need for affordable housing is not one of those issues. The causes and cures are not complicated. They evade us only because somewhere between kindergarten and college graduation, we never learned basic economics. Often, one avoidable and seemingly unrelated problem can inform the solution to another. Take your garbage, for example. It should interest you to know that if you live in Montana, garbage isn’t very affordable – its disposal, that is. Dep...
This time of year may not seem busy to most, but for many Fish, Wildlife, & Parks staff, January and February are the calm months before the storm. That storm, of course, being the new license year that begins on March 1st and brings with it permit application deadlines for antlered bucks and bull elk. But that's just the beginning. Once a hunter has applied for their permits, either in person or online, the long wait and hopeful planning begins. While some hunters will not travel far, instead...
Dear Editor, Flathead National Forest (FNF) rejected POWDR’s Master Development Plan (MDP) for Holland Lake Lodge, creating a temporary calm after residents of Condon overwhelmingly rejected POWDR’s MDP proposal. The FNF did not consult the Condon community or Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) prior to MDP submission. On September 14th, during the public comment period, FNF Supervisor Kurt Steele wrote on the USFS website that he will consider what “is in the best interest of the American People”. Having grown up in Condon and now...
Dear Editor, The summer of 2022 in Western Montana was one for the record books! You might even call it the perfect storm. Here in Seeley we had record numbers of visitors coming to our area to recreate, our campgrounds were full, we saw an influx of new people moving into the area, we had unusually cold then warm weather which caused a poor berry crop throughout Western Montana including Seeley, and FWP personnel responded to over 1000 black bear conflict calls in region 2. Sadly, this is the norm for the Seeley lake area. Over the last 10...
This is my last article in the Lord’s Prayer series. The traditional Lord’s prayer ends with the benediction, “Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever, amen.” This is the declaration, “Yours is the kingdom”. The kingdom of God is where God is always obeyed and God’s will is always followed. Full and perfect obedience to God, for now, only exists in heaven. But because of Jesus, as Christians, by faith we can choose obedience to God. Through the Lord’s prayer, we pray that God’s kingdom would expand into earth as it is pe...
At the start of each new year, many resolve to do better for their health and wellness, look for fresh ways to find happiness, and seek new opportunities to give back to their communities. As people evaluate new beginnings in Missoula County, the Volunteer Services team at Missoula Aging Services (MAS) would like to invite Seeley Lake community members to include volunteering in their New Year’s resolutions. Many programs and services provided by MAS are possible thanks to wonderful volunteers dedicated to giving back to older adults in M...
Making predictions is never easy, especially for small business owners and their managers. Unlike their larger counterparts, small firms do not always have the resources necessary to monitor and adapt to new consumer trends and/or changes in the economy. Even entrepreneurs who’ve experienced numerous business cycles face new circumstances that confound their instincts and knowledge. As we enter the new year, it is important to assess the economic landscape to determine the best course of action to grow and expand your business in the coming mon...
I know that all owls are cool and most people like them, even if they can't identify them. There are many books just on owls of North America, and there is even a Facebook group called Owls of Montana with 3,674 members. If you like owls it's worth looking at that page as the pictures are fabulous. Most of the pictures are of Great Horned owls, but all of Montana's 15 owls have been photographed if you scroll down far enough. It is a private group, but anyone can join if they have an interest in...
People want to grow old in their community and the home they love, but getting the care they need can be a challenge in our beautiful, rugged, rural corner of the county. Nationwide, an estimated 3.6 million people lack access to proper medical care due to transportation issues. Here, in beautiful little Seeley Lake, we are doing something about that. Thankfully, in 2016 local folks from the Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF), Seeley Swan Medical Center, Missoula Aging Services, Missoula Co...
Small animal spays and neuters are the most frequently performed surgeries in most standard veterinary practices. While these procedures have been done routinely for several years there are some theories that have been challenged in the veterinary world. There are also some pet parents who question whether they should have their pet altered. There was a general rule to spay (remove the ovaries and uterus in a female) or neuter (a general term to alter either a female or male but is mostly used...
Claire Muller, executive director for the Seeley Lake Community Foundation, volunteered in 2022 for the Red Ants Pants Foundation for their Girls Leadership Program, where mentors and mentees received a training on Rural Identity from Megan Torgerson, the founder of the Reframing Rural podcast. Muller said they listened to her narrated essay, “Patchwork Quilt” and explored how to talk about and celebrate the rural Montana places they lived in. “We did a quick exercise of writing a poem about our homes and I loved it,” Muller said. “Afterw...
I wanted to take an opportunity to thank everyone for another great year. The ebbing of Covid definitely helped things to feel a little more normal. We did still have high usage of our campgrounds and recreation opportunities, but not at the levels we had the last couple of years. All in all still a good year. I will throw out a quick recap of some highlights from 22 and then go into a couple of big things happening in 23. Recreation – As I said, we had a good year this year but not as intense as the last two. Campgrounds were well used and d...
Navigating Medicare and Medicaid can be confusing, but at Missoula Aging Services, experienced Resource Center staff are available to help people compare plans and save money on prescriptions. Following Medicare Open Enrollment each fall, the Medicare Advantage Plan Open Enrollment period begins for Medicare beneficiaries who are on a Medicare Advantage Plan. Medicare Advantage Plans are a type of Medicare health plan offered by a private company that contracts with Medicare to provide Part A and Part B benefits. In Missoula County, Medicare...
Augustine is credited with the expression “Solvitur ambulando” which means, “It is solved by walking”. Whenever I hear that, I wonder, what is solved? Perhaps many things. The apostle John wrote, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus walked.” (1 John 2:6). Jesus was a pedestrian. In the Bible, it’s less common to find him preaching in the Temple than it is walking. He walked out into the desert to be tempted. As he walked by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers. “Come and follow me,” he said. He even walked on water. It was whi...
If you were to look at a map of the Mission Mountains 100 years ago, you would see a lot of blank space. Except for verbal descriptions and sketches shared by the early-day Native people, priests, trappers, hunters, and prospectors, the Mission Mountains were, for the most part, uncharted at that time. McDonald Peak was one of the few mountains named on the early maps. Most of the mountains, lakes, streams, and other features were not shown. Many of the place names on the present-day maps of...
What a strange word! It originated with the ancient Greeks, and although unfamiliar to most of us, its meaning is critical. Do you remember the old grandfather clocks with a pendulum? The pendulum swings from one side to the other to enable the clock to function and maintain time. It's the pendulum movement that helps us understand the meaning of this word. The pendulum repeatedly swings from one extreme to another – from one side to the other side. That's basically what our strange word means ...
Each year on January 6 – twelve days after Christmas - Christians around the world celebrate the feast of Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day. [ In the United States, in modern times, the Catholic Church celebrates Epiphany on the Sunday following Christmas.] For many, this day ends the Christmas season and Christmas decoration are taken down and put away for next year. Epiphany is a holy day that celebrates the revelation of Jesus to the three Wise Men (or Kings/Magi), when they arrived at His place of birth after following the unusual s...
With the calendar turning to a new year, bears across the Northern Rockies are snug in their winter dens. The months leading up to this hibernation season were especially difficult for many of them, however, due in part to a poor summer crop for multiple berry species. Berries are a staple of the Northern Rockies, with long-standing cultural importance for the Indigenous tribes of the region. From mammals like deer and grizzlies to native birds and pollinators, the fruits sustain biodiversity across many landscapes. And with huckleberry pies,...
Rev. Jon Bergen has moved from Scotland to be the new minister at Seeley Lake Baptist Church beginning Jan. 1. Ahead of starting his new position, he shared some thoughts on celebrating “Hogmany” and his anticipation of building new relationships in Seeley Lake in 2023. Christmas is past and the New Year is about to begin. Happy Hogmany (Scottish for New Years Eve), it may be a wee while before I say that and people understand what I mean. As the new year starts, I’ll be starting my new adventure in Seeley Lake, Montana. A new year, a new l...
A few days ago the morning sky was shrouded in dark gray. The traffic on the East Side Highway, usually clear and visible from my perch above it, moved slowly, like wraiths passing slowly through the barely-visible edge of the mist. You wouldn't even know the mountains were there if you hadn't seen them beforehand. The valley could be a mostly flat plain in eastern Montana or Nebraska for all that we could see. By mid-afternoon the day heated up just enough to evaporate some of that dense moist...
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. (1 John 4:7-9) God's very nature, God's essence and being, is love. A God who is love will always choose loving relationship with us and all of creation. It is out of love that God sent Jesus into the world-fo...
Before you fire up the snowmobile or get out the ice fishing gear, please follow some simple tips and use caution before heading out onto the ice. For new clear ice only UNDER 4” THICKNESS - STAY OFF 4” - Ice fishing or other activities on foot 5” - 7” - Snowmobile or ATV 8” - 12” - Car or small pickup 12” - 15” - Medium truck Many factors other than thickness can cause ice to be unsafe. White ice or “snow ice” is only about half as strong as new clear ice. Double the above thickness guidelines when traveling on white ice. It’s a good idea to...
Irrespective of personal beliefs, many people feel that Christmas has become too commercialized and too secularized. Today, many observe the holy day of the Christ Mass without any acknowledgment of Christ at all. More attention is focused on parties, presents and television specials without any reverence for the main focus of Christmas, namely, the incarnation of our Lord, and His taking on of our flesh to save us. Santa Claus gets more attention than Jesus. Perhaps, however, this problem can begin to be corrected by understanding where the...
