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My earliest memories I liked being alone in the barn. Well, not alone but the only human, an introvert even as a child. I remember the tall Ponderosa Pine near the barn's west end. I felt a presence in that tree. I played alone, preferred to be alone, playing near that Ponderosa Pine next to the barn. For most of my young childhood I lived with an aunt and uncle on a ranch. It was difficult not being with my parents. My solace was my personal space ~ in the barn or next to the Ponderosa Pine. I...
For more than 20 years, the Seeley Lake Historical Society has worked to expand our knowledge and understanding of the history of the Seeley Lake area. We do this by maintaining the Historical Museum at the Barn and presenting programs and events of interest to the community and our schools. Our museum is open Thursday - Saturday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. through Memorial Day, at which time we transition to seven days per week. You can also reach us via email at slhistory@blackfoot.net, Our website...
Kevin Wetherell of Clearwater Montana Properties, Inc. Thus far in 2023, there has been a total of 34 homes sold, which is behind the pace of the 45 total homes that sold in 2022. The number of homes for sale has continued to rise as sales have slowed not only in our area but throughout Montana. All markets have seen increases in inventory, price reductions and increasing days on the market. SEELEY LAKE RESIDENTIAL SALES FAST FACTS In 2023, the average home price in Seeley Lake has dropped to...
The Clearwater Resource council is scheduling a community meeting on Jan. 9 at the Barn in Seeley Lake to present the finding of multiple years of aquatic monitoring of streams and lakes in the Clearwater Valley. Ongoing human activities in the Clearwater watershed are resulting in impacts to our lakes, streams, wildlife habitat, forest, and rural lifestyle. It is estimated that over two thousand landowners and thirty thousand plus people come to the valley to recreate and enjoy the rural splendor of the valley annually. Consequently, citizens...
While late fall through early winter brings pleasant temperatures to work outside, it can also contribute to insect issues the following year. If lodgepole or ponderosa pines are cut without time to thoroughly dry before the following June, pine engraver (Ips) beetle populations can build to levels that are hazardous to trees. Pine engraver populations can build up in both limbs of ponderosa pines discarded from logging operations as well as in smaller diameter stems cut for fuels reduction....
You know that kind of frustration that happens when something is just not going according to your plan, and then you get a new piece of information that radically alters the situation? It completely diffuses the tension. 'Oh, it was all a misunderstanding?' you realize. 'That's fine!' Well, we've had a few of those situations over the years. Sometimes - hopefully - it's a hilarious mix-up. Here's one of my favorites. (Names changed for anonymity). Enjoy: Veronica, a regular rider who has...
The old log building that stands at the corner of Highway 83 and Glacier Creek Road has been Swan Valley’s Community Hall for the past 84 years. Built from 1938-39, this treasured building is widely used as a central gathering place and is the cornerstone of our community. The Swan Valley Community Hall is located on land that once had two unsuccessful homestead attempts beginning in 1916 by N.J. Frye and later by Joseph Griffin in 1917. A third attempt by Jesse Forster was successful after he filed on the 160-acre parcel in 1919 and proved u...
Fall is never a dull time in grizzly country, and this year the season seems to have brought a particularly steady stream of incidents between bears and people. From run-ins with hunters high in the backcountry to chicken coop raids in the valleys, too many encounters have ended badly for both four-legged and two-legged participants. It's never simple to pinpoint the cause of a conflict. From a poor summer of berry growth in a bear's home range to hotter and longer heat waves impacting foraging... Full story
As the seasons change, this is the time to start thinking about preparing for the winter weather. Make sure that your skirting is intact, and pipes are well insulated. Also having your furnace serviced and chimney/stove pipe inspected and cleaned will help prevent a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Travel may be difficult at times so prepare your vehicle for the season. Carry an extra blanket and some road flares. In addition to signaling for help, flares may be an ignition source for starting a campfire for heating. Any extra items that are...
SEELEY LAKE RESIDENTIAL SALES FAST FACTS Thus far in 2023, there has been a total of 27 homes sold, which is behind the pace of the 45 total homes that sold in 2022. The number of homes for sale has continued to rise as sales have slowed not only in our area but throughout Montana. All markets have seen increases in inventory, price reductions and increasing days on the market. In the past year, the average home price in Seeley Lake rose slightly from $575,000 to $582,200. The average home...
The abnormally wet August and early September put an end to the wildfire risks that Seeley Lake was again facing this summer. The Colt Lake and Big Knife fire starts brought back memories of the Jocko Lakes, Rice Ridge, Liberty, and other fires that threatened the community and produced evacuations, closures, and other impacts. Without this year's timely moisture, these fires could have put the Seeley Lake community in another tenuous position. What can we do to reduce wildfire risks to our...
In the fall people worry that their pine, spruce, cedar (conifer) trees are diseased or infested with insects. The symptoms that are described on their trees include yellowing and dropping of older needles. In fact, most callers stress that only the tips of branches are still green, while on the insides of branches, needles are browning and dropping to the ground. Fortunately, what they are seeing are not disease or insect pests. The good news is that fall drop of older needles is normal. Pines...
As summer begins to wrap up here in Western Montana, we are all doing what we can to soak up the warmer weather before fall sets in. Whether you’re fishing along the Blackfoot, hiking in the Mission Mountains, or just getting outdoors in general, Montana summers are a brief and coveted time of year for our part of the world. While the summer provides a lot of opportunities to experience all that the Seeley Swan has to offer, it usually brings one unpleasant, unavoidable experience: wildfire. This year, however, we seem to have gotten lucky. L...
One does not need to live in a bustling urban area like Los Angeles to experience disruptive traffic these days. The work on Highway 83 at Salmon Lake, while anticipated, is changing the way we drive. Having lived in Los Angeles for 43 years, I had forgotten what normal traffic was like when I left the Treasure State at 23. My return “home” and negotiating Reserve Street in Missoula made me experience “déjà vu” all over again. My lifeline was not living in Missoula but returning to the “traffic free” confines of Seeley Lake. But I must admit...
Community foundations are organizations that can help manage community-wide discussions and collect and distribute funds for local projects. A community foundation is a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people in a defined geographic area. It enables people to easily and effectively support the issues they care about—immediately, or through their wills. They serve a vital role as facilitators of good works by bringing together people from across the different sectors of the community to address social and regional challenges. I...
During the 2017 legislative session, the Montana Wildlife Habitat Improvement Act (WHIP) was passed into law. The act made federal Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration funds available to restore priority wildlife habitats by managing noxious weeds. Priorities for funding include landscape-scale projects lands that are open to public hunting and involve priority wildlife habitats, noxious weed infestations that directly impact habitat functions, broad partnerships involving multiple...
Often, I get questions from landowners about managing their forests, and about forest stewardship. Typically, one of the most important concerns and values landowners have been wildlife. I am often asked what can I do to promote wildlife habitat, while at the same time managing other things such as wildfire? We wanted to share some things that you can do while managing your forest to promote a diversity of wildlife, while still managing your fire-adapted Swan Valley forest. Snags Snags are standing dead trees, either full height or broken off...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Whether by natural lightning or by human hands, the landscape in Swan Valley has been shaped by fire. Only in the past hundred years or so have there been organized, concentrated efforts to suppress forest fires. During the historic forest fire of 1910, over three million acres burned in the course of a few days, primarily in Washington, Idaho, and Montana, drastically changing the way the U. S. Forest Service dealt with wildfire. Pushed by strong winds, several small fires grew together,... Full story
Search the internet for news on grizzly bears and you're likely to find plenty of articles detailing human-bear encounters that end in tragic fatalities. These gruesome headlines represent what are, in reality, incredibly rare incidents. According to data from Yellowstone National Park, which hosts the second largest grizzly population in the Lower 48, only eight people have been killed by bears in 150 years of the park's operation. That's an average of one fatality every 18.75 years. Just last... Full story
“Celebrating our Lakes and Mountains!” is the theme of this year’s Fourth of July celebration in Seeley Lake. You can expect a full day of fun, starting with the Seeley Lake Fire Foundation’s Pancake Breakfast and Car Show, and ending with the most spectacular fireworks show ever on Seeley Lake. Mission Bible Fellowship and the Seeley Lake Baptist Church will be serving food. Our parade will kick off at 2 p.m. and we expect a military flyover as well. Of course there will be the Rubber Ducky race, a real Seeley Lake Fourth of July traditi...
As I write, loons are claiming their nesting territories and another loon year begins. Montana’s common loon population is currently “stable” chugging along as a relatively level line that may be slightly increasing. That was not the case when the Montana Loon Study began in 1982 to determine basic biological information about these birds, when they didn’t seem to be reproducing successfully. I joined the well-developed, albeit small, loon team in 1985. My research determined that human recreational activities (especially spring fishing... Full story
