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By: Sen. Jen Gross (D-Billings) and Sen. Susan Webber (D-Browning) For over an hour and a half, over forty Montanans – overwhelmingly young Montanans – showed up to the Capitol to express in detail the suffering and pain that SB 458 will cause them. Instead of taking seriously the trauma and damage inflicted on so many Montanans, Republicans chose to proceed with this bill that targets one community, making them less before the law. Introduced by Republican Sen. Carl Glimm, SB 458 is a 61-page-bill that creates an impossibly narrow and emb...
When John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson proposed this motto for the Great Seal of the United States it summed up the determination of the fledgling nation perfectly. It also set the stage for the United States becoming the great “Melting Pot”. In this age of “Diversity” it seems as if the idea of a “Melting Pot” has become a dirty word, yet it seems to me that it is our only hope. I’m sure many will disagree with that sentiment, so let me explain. When I was in college in the early 1980’s, the idea of the Melting Pot beg...
"All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away." (Psalm 38:9-11) These are heavy, emotion-laden words from one of the many Psalms of Lament found in our Hebrew scriptures. The Psalms of Lament are an invaluable element of scripture. The poetry there helps to name the deep pain people experience – all w...
Raise your hand. That's probably one of the first things you learned when you started school. You couldn't yell for the teacher, tug on her dress or be any kind of a wild child. You had to remain civilized, calm, and orderly, and you raised your hand when you wanted attention. And in the new book, "The Teachers" by Alexandra Robbins, times sure have changed. If you close your eyes, you can remember the exact layout of your favorite teacher's classroom. Whether it was sixty years ago or two, you...
Dear Editor, As more information has come to light through the efforts of Save Holland Lake, a few key pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place. I’ve been pondering why the Flathead National Forest (FNF) would push such a widely unpopular expansion project. Now, after reading recent publications, I have a few ideas of why. FNF gets to unload a failing septic treatment system into private hands. Essentially flushing the decades of regulatory failure down the toilet without the public realizing a thing, until now. It seems to me they failed t...
scribes his calling this way: "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'" (Isaiah 6:8) The immediate answer by Isaiah to the question "Whom shall I send" has always been astounding to me. He didn't know the specifics of what he just volunteered for, or the degree of what he would be called to do. Nevertheless, he answered swiftly and assuredly, "Here I am, send me." Dear reader, has God ever called you to do...
Many years ago Dick Geary told me that I’d always have a horse when I wanted to take an afternoon off and go for a ride. Dick and I never met in person. We communicated through weekly check-in emails and our columns. Both of us were bound to Montana - Dick was born into a Helmville ranching family; I had married a fly-fishing guide - but we each had a place in the world we held on to and wrote about frequently; a place that had shaped us as youth. For me, it was New Zealand. For Dick, it was Brazil. We each had a boot in a land that still g...
Republicans' number one goal this legislative session has been to provide financial relief to Montanans struggling with Joe Biden's inflation and the high cost of living. An early, priority package of eight pieces of legislation is aimed at delivering on that mission. Together, these bills combine to immediately put money in Montanans' pockets, provide long-term tax relief, and reduce taxpayer obligations into the future. House Bills 192 and 222 return over $700 million of Montana's historic...
"Any Kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall." Luke 11:17 Starting with the civil war and everything going on in America these days has this country ever been so divided? Even the churches seem to steer clear of each other. They seem not to realize God may have something to teach them there. Romans 1:11,12.When was the last time one denomination prayed for another that they might have a great revival? Ephe. 4:43As America slides into a continue...
Back in 2015, Swan Valley Connections (SVC) had been contracted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to conduct vegetation surveys and create a map of vegetative communities across the entire 1,979-acre Swan River National Wildlife Refuge (refuge). The refuge is managed by the USFWS and was the first step to restore hundreds of acres of wetlands previously manipulated prior to the USFWS purchasing the property in 1973. The manipulations began in the 1920s when there was the nation’s largest muskrat fur farm on the property. The land w...
The reign of Elohim’s Kingdom is the mind, heart and bodies of man and women eagerly wanting and desiring the new order to come. ! Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that your body is the temple of yah…” For this reason the Messiah/the sacrificial lamb of Yahuwah, gave His life so that covenant of coming together to build a spiritual building/house of El., all by His favor. Ephesians 2:19-22 The Messiah being the cornerstone/blueprint of the building is only using living stones of the same image, in union/agreement with Yashua the Messiah...
I've described a person's ego (identity and I-ness) in many ways over the years. I'm returning to the ego today because the ego is responsible for so much of a person's conscious (aware) psychology and behavior. Developing a balanced ego is important for everyone, but it doesn't always happen. People are referred to as egotistical, which means they are inflated with big egos and think highly of themselves, even if no one else does. People also are referred to as self-centered, which means they...
Hang'n out in the cabin this winter, pack'n wood in and ashes out, brings to mind another winter the logg'n was shut down there in Eastern Oregon. Mills were full. Loggers were always too good at what they did. We were living at the ol' Mount Emily logg'n camp. Our neighbor Bud Woodard and family has a corral pole operation, him and his two boys. He had an old Peterbuilt short logger and a pup trailer that hauled 1,100 rails. Sold'em to the big cattle ranches in Nevada near the Oregon state...
Each year, the third Saturday in March is slated for Missoula Electric Cooperative’s (MEC’s) annual meeting. This year is no different when the Cooperative hosts their 87th annual meeting on Saturday, March 18. This meeting is not just important to the Cooperative’s Board of Trustees and employees, but it is also important to the Co-op’s owners, who are more commonly referred to as members. When a consumer signs up for electric service at MEC, they become a part-owner of the Cooperative –these consumers are known as members. Because MEC is a...
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...
