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Snow and cold weather brought an early start to the winter outdoor activities season here in Seeley Lake. The ROCKS team is in high gear helping the Nordic ski group ready the yurt for the cross country skiing season and getting the ice skating rink ready for flooding. It doesn't seem like a coincidence that I'm writing this just as Thanksgiving descends upon a snowy white Seeley Lake, because this year I'm feeling especially thankful about many things, not the least of which is the Canadian...
Grizzly and black bears are found throughout our region and this is the time of year that bears are in hyperphagia. This is a time when bears increase their feeding activity driven by the need to fatten up before going into the den for the winter. Once they enter the den bears go without food and water for months. If they do not get enough to eat in the fall, the sows don’t produce cubs and some bears may even die of starvation. We try to remind people this time of year to really pay attention to containing any attractants around their home. K...
When I started my job as the weed management projects coordinator for the Powell County Weed Board several years ago, I inherited a project that began with my predecessor in cooperation with the (now defunct) MSU Sheep Institute. This project involved importing sheep to prescriptively graze with cattle across several contiguous livestock operations in the Deer Lodge valley, primarily targeting the noxious weed leafy spurge. Data collected by the coordinator(s), extension agents and cooperators...
As passersby take in the Blackfoot watershed's forests, waterways and wildlife, many have no idea that a unique concept to benefit all community members came to life in the heart of the watershed – with the creation of a community forest known as the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA). Back in 2003, recognizing the increasing potential for habitat fragmentation, the Blackfoot Challenge and The Nature Conservancy initiated a large-scale land acquisition effort known as the Blackfoot C...
Here in the Clearwater Valley, so much of our lives revolve around the presence of healthy lakes and streams. This valley contains the waters where our kids catch their first fish and where our families recreate to find respite from the busyness of life. These bodies of water are essential components of our economies. Here in this place and in this time, our stories as individuals and a community are deeply connected to the water. As residents and property owners in the Clearwater Valley, we...
I want to share with you a tool that I love. The Waterline Model is a process for resolving team breakdowns. This tool can help you distinguish between the common issues that bog teams down and be deliberate about how you address them. It has helped me get through many vexing situations. We all have experienced conflict with others, whether in the workplace, in a volunteer situation or in whatever capacity we have worked in a team environment to implement a project. The Waterline Model was...
A dream became reality when the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS) celebrated the grand opening of the Swan Valley Museum on July 4, 2013. Longtime residents Neil and Dixie Meyer cut the ribbon that officially opened the museum to the public. Twenty-five years earlier, on March 10, 1988, the first meeting of the USVHS was held at Evelyn Jette's residence. The next week officers were elected: Ken Wolff, chairman; Bud Moore, vice-chairman; Fern Kauffman, recording secretary; Claudia...
The one-track roads leading from Stevensville, Montana, into the Sapphire Mountains are lined with wildflowers like beargrass and lupines by early July. As the truck climbed, the view of the Bitterroot Valley got better and better, as it was a clear, sunny day with temperatures in the 80s. I was tagging along with Russell Talmo, a program associate for Defenders of Wildlife, and Gypsy, Talmo's seven-year-old German shepherd. Talmo goes into the Sapphires monthly to check on six field sites....
Summer has arrived and the seasonal population influx around Seeley Lake has also arrived. The campgrounds and outdoor activities are much more active as the community grows. The increased movement increases our highway traffic. Visitors unfamiliar with our scenic roads will not be as attentive toward driving, as people tend to look at surroundings rather than focusing on the road. Motor vehicle accidents happen. Should an accident occur please consider the following: • Call 911 immediately and emergency crews will respond. • If you are inv...
The last several years have certainly seen no lack of breaking news topics. Thankfully, the Seeley-Swan Valley of Montana continues to offer a mostly quiet refuge from much of the excitement faced in other areas of the country. Topics of discussion seem at times to change like seasons, which are rolling by more quickly with each change. It wasn’t all that long ago that the headlines discussed a record lumber market with homebuilders and home buyers catapulting the industry to levels of demand unseen before. A perfect storm of sudden demand m...
With so many trends and diets out there it can be hard to figure out what to honestly believe. The external pressure to look and feel specific ways, the households we grew up in as children, our geological location and the cultures we immerse ourselves in are the elements that help shape who we are. Here is my quick breakdown of 12 simplified steps that you can take, starting today, to help you achieve better health! 1. Drink More Water Our bodies can’t survive long without water. Seventy-five percent of our brain and muscle matter is made u...
It's Wildfire Smoke Ready Week in Missoula County! I know - after such a cool start to the season, it's challenging to shift gears and start thinking about wildfires. But this week of warm, sunny days is ushering us closer to our traditional wildfire season in Western Montana and that means smoke. Smoke season in our area spans late July through early September. Happily, it is rarely smoky during that entire period but even a week or two of smoke can be a major bummer. In addition to obscuring...
THE SUMMER SLOWDOWN Following four years of a dramatic real estate market that saw rapid price appreciation, very limited inventory and multiple offers on many properties, the market has begun to stabilize. This year has seen the Federal Reserve raise rates in their effort to slow inflation. This has resulted in home mortgage rates rising from 3% in January for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage to 5.9% for the same mortgage today. This results in the monthly payment for a home purchase today to be nearly double what it was six months ago. Rising...
As we watch the loons and trumpeter swans rear their young, it is easy to believe that the waters in the Clearwater Valley remains relatively pristine. And yes, compared to many other areas of the country we continue to enjoy relatively clean waters. However, multiple indicators demonstrate our waters are at risk. Reports of septic contamination in groundwater testing wells are routine in Seeley Lake. Blue-green algae blooms are becoming an increasing common occurrence in the early fall....
Summer is upon us and that means Nature Conservancy crews are deep into their season of fieldwork but we haven't been idle over the winter and spring. We were excited to complete the first leg of a two-part sale of land in the Ninemile/Woodchuck area to the Bureau of Land Management. The first 4,600 acres were transferred in April and we expect to close soon on an additional 6,400 acres bringing the total to 11,000 acres permanently conserved for public use. Lots of numbers, but the bottom line...
We never know what the upcoming wildfire season will hold for us but we do know one thing: It will come and fires will burn. It is inevitable, especially in this beautiful, historically fire prone area. This can be hard to remember when the grass is green and growing, the balsamroot is blooming, and the larch are awakening. But now is a critical time to prepare for wildfire. As June slides into July it is also an important time to remember to do our part to prevent human caused wildfires as well...
As dependable as the changing seasons, our Seeley Lake ROCKS Board members have unraveled the winter programs, and we have turned our focus to supporting our current season of community outdoor activities. Each May/June, we concentrate on sprucing up the hiking, biking and all abilities trails at Placid Lake. After a stellar winter of kids skating - from finding the right sized skates in our bountiful shed, falling down, getting up, starting over and finding their stride to the fun pick-up hockey games and the brave figure skaters attempting...
On June 10, 2021 on a private lake in the Crystal Lakes area near Eureka, Montana, a resident nesting loon pair successfully hatched three chicks. Three chicks! Loons only lay two eggs each clutch. But that wasn't the only surprise for photographer and area property owner Bob LeBlanc. These chicks were bright yellow. They were goslings! On May 6, Bob reported that a loon pair began incubation on their artificial nesting platform. Loon observers know that geese, which return earlier in spring...
One of the wonderful things about living in Seeley Lake and the Double Arrow Ranch is the abundance of wildlife in our area. We get to see many critters on a regular basis that most residents of the U.S. are lucky to see in their lifetime. Some of that is due to our rural setting, but it is also due to the fact that we live in a wonderful section of the beautiful state of Montana. I think sometimes we take all of the wildlife around us for granted and need to take a step back and observe what...
Springtime in Montana has arrived and even though it’s been a cold start, the building snowpack is a positive outcome. Hoping our rivers and streams hold up well this summer! Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited is gearing up for another busy season working on projects that create colder, cleaner and more connected habitat for trout populations throughout the Blackfoot River watershed. Working in collaboration with our many partners, we have several projects planned and ready to go for 2022. Since 2009, our restoration team has teamed up w...
Though we live dramatically different lifestyles, my oldest sister who resides in a subdivision in a north Texas city and I, the Montana “country living” member of our family, share a love of bees and an appreciation for pollinators. I think this mutual admiration may have originated with our love of gardening, which probably started with our grandparents. Our maternal grandfather had an annual competition for largest tomato with his next-door neighbor (who was also our uncle). Our paternal grandmother grew beautiful ornamental flower gar...
Those of us lucky enough to live, work and play in the Swan Valley know what a special place it is. Pointing a finger at exactly what makes this place special, however, can sometimes be difficult. If you were to mill around the Mission Mountains Mercantile on a Saturday and ask tourists and locals alike, "What makes the Swan Valley so unique?" you'd likely hear answers such as "the stunning views," "diversity of wildlife" or "rural character." While all of this is true, what you likely won't...
With gas prices on the rise, the motivation for consumers to consider an electric vehicle (EV) is steadily growing. Some of the top automotive manufacturers have already announced an end to production for gas and diesel engines in the near future. As drivers seek out ways to shield themselves from rising gas prices, utilities are already preparing for the coming transition to the electrified future of motoring. You might ask, why should I consider an EV? The list of benefits to owning an EV...
As spring creeps through the door, the Blackfoot Challenge continues fostering community collaboration for the benefit of all within the Blackfoot River watershed. The beauty of collaboration is the diverse array of experiences and perspectives that are brought to the table. Together, we can combine these individual experiences to result in more effective approaches to maintaining the natural environment and rural way of life in the Blackfoot watershed. With 30 board members, 12 full- and...
What is a "Hot" Real Estate Market? For the past two years, all that real estate professionals, economists and analysts seemed to talk about is the hot real estate market. But what does a "hot market" really mean? And if the market is hot, why are so many potential buyers frozen out? In simple terms, a hot real estate market favors sellers due to high demand for property and a low supply of homes for sale. But when you look a little deeper, you see that current market conditions are based on muc...
