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In a recent interview published by the Billings Gazette, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director, Tracey Stone-Manning, expressed positions that were of concern to the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) that we felt needed to be addressed. The first issue being Director Stone-Manning’s statements regarding corner crossing and the second regarding the appeal filed on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision regarding American Prairie’s grazing allotments. The article references the May ruling by a federal judge that hunters in Wyomin...
3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 3:2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3:3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; The Book of Ecclesiastes (ESV) No doubt you can sing the rest of the verses. Well, if you are a child of the 60’s like I was. The Byrds popularized the book of Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 with their hit Turn, Turn, Turn. The theme of the Book is “The Meaningless of Life.” 1:2 Vanity of va...
Smokey skies, scratchy throats and watery eyes are all too familiar to western Montanans during fire season. Although unwelcome, these inconveniences pale compared to the devastation wildfires can leave behind. Wildfire size, frequency and severity have risen year-over-year, prompting a critical response from electric utilities. Responsible for powering some of the nation’s most fire-prone, fuel-dense areas, MEC’s policies, programs and procedures must manage or reduce the risk of sys...
Less government and lower taxes!! You hear that political slogan from Republican candidates early and often while they are campaigning. Then comes political reality. How did the largest percentage of Republicans elected in Montana history grow government at the fastest rate in state history – and at the same time raise property taxes on your home? During the pandemic years, the Trump and Biden administrations poured federal funds into states to prop up slowing economies. Funds went directly to state governments and into businesses. Budget s...
Our Montana State Governor and state legislature this year pretended to alleviate soaring property taxes. They executed a political stunt rebating us a small amount of property tax nowhere near the amount the taxes are increasing annually. At the same time, they accuse local governments in Montana of overspending, even though it’s common knowledge that local government expenses have increased as much everyone else’s. Montana could reduce property taxes for a number of reasons, including: • To stimulate the economy. Property taxes can be a bur...
Did you recently receive a letter from the Montana Department of Revenue? It’s not a tax bill from Missoula County. It’s an appraisal notice the state DOR issues showing the current assessed value of your property. DOR, not Missoula County, calculates this value every two years, which is an important factor in determining the property taxes you’ll owe this year. Those property taxes help fund several jurisdictions you live in, including the county. Your notice has two key numbers: the updated assessed value of your property and the estim...
Lately, my social media feeds have been filled with excited couples announcing the expectation of new babies set to arrive in the second half of 2023 and early 2024. So, it seems fitting that I begin my column discussing the importance of dental health in one’s life as early as teeth begin developing in the sixth week of pregnancy. It may be hard to imagine that teeth are developing that early, it is true! By the time a baby is born, all 20 baby teeth will be developed and the 32 permanent teeth that begin to make their appearance between a...
In community halls and school gyms across Montana, local conversations have given rise to many impactful grassroots, collaborative organizations. It's been 30 years since one such conversation in the Blackfoot watershed resulted in a caring resident's comment that taking on all the local issues would be a real "challenge." Since the moment it was established in 1993, the Blackfoot Challenge has pursued a model of bringing people together and finding common purpose in watershed stewardship and...
Property values are up, that’s not news. Will property taxes follow? All of us need to have a conversation with your mayors, school boards and county commissioners, soon! Property tax bills have not been decided yet. Just because values are up does not require property taxes to rise also. Has the need for services increased? For sure. And so has the number of new developed properties that pay a larger amount of property taxes than previously. Higher property taxes and larger relative government are a burden on all citizens including those that...
Out of the blue the other day Justin Hains called to chat. My oh my hadn’t seen him nigh on to 30 years. Himself and a fellow his age named Andy Butrick worked for me one summer there in the Valley on some projects. Justin had been training horses all over the west. He started off pack’n and wrangling for D.K. Mitchell in the Bob. As we remembered those great times in the hills made me homesick. Anyway, many moons ago myself, Justin and Andy took a break from the ordinary and headed to Necklace Lakes by way of Upper Holland over to Sap...
rvices (MAS) Resource Center in Seeley Lake serves older adults in the community in various ways. This includes in-home needs assessments, consultations for families and neighbors caring for older adults, information about Meals on Wheels and community lunches, Medicare and Medicaid resources, volunteer opportunities and more. But did you know your local Resource Center can also help find ways to make your money go further in 2023? Located in the Seeley Lake Community Foundation Building (3150 MT-83 N, Seeley Lake, MT 59868), MAS Rural...
Lately, I’ve been more and more concerned as people I know voice their worries about the world we live in. As things get worse, more friends ask the same question: “But, what can I do? I’m just one person. How can I make a difference? We certainly live in a world plagued by hate, division, and distrust. In an environment such as this…how does anyone stay positive about anything anymore? As life becomes increasingly difficult, negative, and more and more depressing…how can we possibly make a difference for good? For me part of the answer ca...
One of the most impactful things when I worked for the Pathfinder in 2020 was the sheer amount of public comment that I saw in the newspaper. Whether thanking a service member, or blasting a public official over Holland Lake Lodge, I know this community has deep-seeded opinions that often do not show up anywhere in print. That’s why I write to you, reader, to send your opinions in. Since I started two weeks ago, I have seen just one Seeley-based letter to the editor. In the past I recall almost 10 in a single issue. The opinions are i...
I read with surprise and disappointment the letter of complaint in the June 8 issue of the Pathfinder wherein a reader complained that the Pathfinder dared to publish an editorial opinion (Letter From The Editor) written by Asa Metcalfe and written quite well. Perhaps this complaint was written by someone unfamiliar with the American free press tradition of disseminating editorial opinions. Perhaps the reader is new to America where we celebrate a free press that is free to share news and opinions. Here are some of the benefits of newspaper...
Montana’s 1972 constitution guarantees its citizens a right to “a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.” The 2023 trial of Held versus State of Montana, a lawsuit brought by 16 Montana youth, attempts to show how the state government’s longstanding energy policies violate this constitutional right by favoring fossil fuel industries with high carbon emissions. The lawsuit is named for plaintiff Rikki Held, age 22, a fifth-generation Montanan raised on a cattle ranch in the Powder River basin. In testimo...
Property tax appraisals are currently arriving in the mail. It’s important to review the valuation and appeal it if you do not agree with the valuation. The appeal instructions are in the letter that was mailed to you. You only have 30 days, so do not wait. If the value of your property increased by 30% that does not mean your taxes will increase by 30%. However, generally if the value of your property increased, most likely your taxes will be increasing. Property tax calculations are complex and understood by few. To calculate your taxes, y...
The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and it looks like Seeley Lake will have its first really good weather of the summer. What better way to “Celebrate our Lakes and Mountains” on Independence Day! Your Fourth of July Committee has been working hard to put all the pieces together to make this a great day for everyone. Get a good night’s sleep on Monday so you can start with a pancake breakfast at the Fire Department Tuesday morning. There are many activities, including the parade down the middle of town, planned for the day. Be sure...
The Fourth of July is coming between now and the time the next edition of the paper comes out so thought that would be a journey worth taking. As I write this Juneteenth has just happened. I think this is a worthy celebration as we consider those that were enslaved in the past. I’m just trying to figure how it went from a local Texas holiday, to a national one, well worthy of recognition because the slaves in Texas were finally notified on that day almost two and a half years after they were actually free. Freedom matters. After living in S...
With school finally out for the summer, let the fun and games begin! The Seeley Lake area offers amazing winter activities, and we promote those outdoor activities like crazy for more than half the year. And then spring and summer – those glorious, long-awaited, priceless Montana blue sky days – descend, and we turn our full attention to the warmer weather outdoor activities that ROCKS serves and supports. The jewel of the ROCKS summer activities is the Placid Lake Trails system – Lakev...
There is a new editor of the Pathfinder. I know that you have all heard that line before, but I am excited to be here to usher in a new era of reporting in the Seeley-Swan area. To those who do not know me, I am Griffen Smith, a young 22-year-old journalist. I grew up west of Austin, Texas, yet I know the western Montana area well. My mother's side of the family has lived in the area for generations - including the Turner family, one of the founders of the Tamaracks Resort. I met some of you when I worked as the Pathfinder intern in summer...
East Coasters are getting a smoky taste of what folks in the West experience when wildfires rage out of control. Maybe it will light a fire under Congress to reverse the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’s destructive Cottonwood decision that is impeding better forest management. The smoke engulfing the East Coast is expected to linger into next week and maybe longer if Canadian fires aren’t controlled. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday blamed climate change, which is the scapegoat for every government policy failure that magnifies dam...
We would wager that nearly every Montana family has struggled in some way with mental health, diabetes, or postpartum health care. The 2023 Legislature made unprecedented investments in all three of those areas that together will positively impact families in every corner of our state. Not only did we both vote for all of these reforms, but one of us (Senator Jason Small) sponsored the diabetes legislation. The other (Senator John Esp) chaired the Senate's influential Finance and Claims Committee and shepherded the other bills through the...
Recycling in Montana faces barriers not found in most other states. Due to Montana’s low population and large geographical area, it is very difficult to find markets for recycled materials that are both economical and environmentally sustainable. Currently, Montanans recycle only about 19% of the waste generated in the state, according to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Fortunately, Seeley Lake has two very popular options for making a difference through recycling! First, there are several types of items you can recycle when y...
During the early Greek period the word psyche was introduced. Psyche meant soul. Soul was considered something beyond human experience, belonging to the realm of the goddesses and gods; therefore, soul transcended human nature. Over the centuries, as psychology developed, the word psyche took on a more expansive meaning. It didn’t just mean soul but now included all of psychology. So, soul became associated with psychology and not the realm of goddesses and gods, yet the transcendent association remained. This meant that human psychology includ...
Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence is the belief that Jesus Christ is literally, not symbolically, present in the Holy Eucharist: body, blood, soul and divinity. Why do we Catholics believe this? Because Jesus said so. Simple as that. Jesus does not deceive. It takes faith to accept this teaching of Jesus. “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one e...
