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In response to your letter in the May 11 edition, I just wanted to relay that I am pleased with the Pathfinder’s progress. You have particularly improved dramatically the editorial quality. By all means, expand local content as you can, but I think you are doing a very good job. Keep it up! Sincerely, Andrew Chritton (Woodworth area)...
Governor Greg Gianforte’s attempt to veto Senate Bill 442 is unpopular, inexplicable, and contrary to the wishes of both the legislature and the people of Montana. His veto ignores 132 legislators from both parties who voted for SB 442. It ignores 56 county commissions and numerous local governments who support the bill because it supported needed county road maintenance, enabling farmers and ranchers to get their products to market and EMTs to respond to emergencies. It ignores the needs of veterans, who would benefit from increased funding f...
Livestock Industry’s War on Wildlife at Montana Legislature At Gov. Greg Gianforte’s behest, the Montana Legislature’s anti-wildlife bias was on full display this session. It’s easy to see the direct connection between a number of extreme anti-wildlife bills and a small cabal of privileged ranchers who exploit our public lands for their private profit. These ranchers want Montana to be the last best place exclusively for their sheep and cattle, at the expense of native wildlife and their habitat, and the people who value Montana’s unique tr...
Theft and vandalism of local art is disrespectful Dear Editor, Most residents of Seeley lake are aware of the Disney, Comic book heroes, and many other cartoon characters. I am sure many of you residents have seen and enjoyed the wood carvings displayed on property along Double Arrow Road, especially the children passing by. I know my grandchildren look forward to seeing them when they visit Seeley Lake. I can’t Imagine the time spent by this elderly gentleman to produce such impeccable craftsmanship. However, recent theft and vandalism to t...
Time to act! Update on the current situation regarding the purchase of Holland Lake Lodge, Swan Valley by POWDR Corporation proposing a destination resort. A critical and crucial US Forest Service decision on this public land use is about to be made. What can you do? Be bothered! Be upset! Be vocal! Reminder! Swan Valley, Montana is a small community situated in the middle of public lands and two wilderness areas. Over the past 40 years, there has been extensive work by property owners, timber companies, conservation groups and the USFS to...
I want to welcome you to the early phases of Land Management Plan Revision for the Lolo National Forest. The Lolo National Forest is an exceptional place, and it is my honor and privilege to be the Forest Supervisor for this landscape that is highly valued by so many people. I know it will be both a challenging and deeply rewarding responsibility to facilitate this process and ultimately, decide on the framework that will guide this Forest for many years. We are excited and eager to invite the...
Dear Editor I miss Andi and Nathan’s Pathfinder, but I do accept their need to move on. I debated whether to renew my subscription. I did, but it’s conditional. Please, it must remain local, not piecemeal with articles and contributions that are not relevant to the area which seems to be the new Pathfinder standard. And thank you Vicki Voegelin for your well written and to the point letter in the 13 April edition. Carleen Gonder Seeley Lake, MT...
Dear Editor, Elbow Lake is located on the Clearwater River, just over three miles north of Clearwater Junction. The stretch of the Clearwater below Elbow Lake and before the confluence with the Blackfoot River is a unique and peaceful trout fishing spot with relatively easy access for fishermen and women in the area. The surrounding area is an important wildlife corridor and also a serene environment for hikers and others who enjoy the outdoors. LHC, Inc. is seeking to use 21 acres of land adjacent to Elbow Lake and the Clearwater for a gravel...
Dear Editor, I have been attending the Seeley Lake Fire Board meetings for several years now. I am frustrated with lack of transparency, no discussion at the board meetings when issues are brought up, unless they are known ahead of time. When people come to express their concerns, several times they are directed to speak to the fire chief for answers. Good qualified people have been denied a spot to be a volunteer...why? The board has no control over anything but the financial side. They are not privy to any of the operating procedures. As I ha...
Dear Editor, First, in my response to Scott Kennedy’s letter printed last week, I am not running for the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District. Susan Monahan is. She is running against the incumbents on a platform to bring change to the board with a fresh outlook, a different skill-set, curiosity and willingness to ask questions and get answers instead of hearsay. I’m advocating for the change Monahan supports based on her knowledge of Open Meeting Law, her experience with budgeting, collections, insurance and willingness to listen. I encourage you t...
To The Owners and Editors of The Seeley Swan Pathfinder: In the March 30, 2023 issue in the archives section you include the story of Kerry and Stacy Good. This was not only distasteful and cruel, it shows a true lack of journalist research. With just a few clicks on your keyboard your team would have found that this family has had its share of tragedy. They have risen from that part of their history. If you need to be educated I will take this opportunity to do so. Stacy Good, mentioned in the article, was killed along with three of her...
[In] response to Andi Bourne’s comments. Seeley Lake Fire District transparency is paramount. “Privacy Rights” protection, includes legal documents which are transmitted to the District Attorney for instructions. Andi is aware of past challenges. If the board could share past events, the public would better understand trials and tribulations and decisions made. Regardless, improved services prevailed exponentially and in UNITY. Short meetings: I note meetings lasted longer before restructuring, hiring, drafting budgets, policy manual rewri...
In Regards to the Elbow Lake Gravel Pit LHC, Inc has applied for an Opencut (Dryland) mining permit on 21.2 acres of DNRC (Dept of Natural Resources and Conservation)-managed State Trust Lands to mine, crush, and remove gravel to a depth of 20 feet and run an asphalt plant through 2040. The proposed site is 3.3 miles north of Clearwater Junction. To the north is Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) land; across Highway 83 to the east is the Clearwater Wildlife Management Area (Game Range) and Last Best Place Cemetery. To the west and 120 feet...
The Clearwater Resource Council is opposed to the proposed gravel pit near Elbow Lake. This area is directly adjacent to the most important winter range for big game in the Clearwater Valley . Our analyses also show that the gravel pit and asphalt plant are located in swales that will drain into wetlands mapped in the National Wetland Inventory, including a freshwater pond. This will facilitate the transport of sediment and contaminants to the wetlands, pond, and ultimately Elbow Lake and the Clearwater River. A detailed explanation of the...
Exercise your right to know - Vote for Susan Monahan It is time for more transparency on the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board. Voters have the opportunity to make this change May 2 by voting Susan Monahan for Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board of Trustees. Attending nearly every Fire District Board meeting since 2014, I’ve watched the board have less and less discussion under the current leadership, including the two incumbents running against Monahan. Meetings usually are shorter than 30 minutes with actual board discussion less t...
Hands Off Holland has really brought Montanans together. To echo a recent statement made on the Senate floor by Sen. Jon Tester to U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, the Forest Service has done a great job of bringing Montanans together. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and many folks new to politics and advocacy have united in an attempt to save the public land at Holland Lake and protect the historical, cultural, and ecological values of our pristine mountain lake and surrounding wilderness. I’ve had the honor of watching f...
Dear Editor, Montana’s state Legislature is proposing a host of extreme anti-wildlife bills despite widespread, diverse, strong, and credible opposition to these unnecessary measures. The onslaught on wildlife by locally elected officials began in 2021 and continues in this legislative session with the introduction of bills that go from bad to worse. Snaring and night shooting wolves, placing bounties on a hunt, loosening stipulations for killing grizzly bears, hounding black bears - the list goes on. Proposed laws spread misinformation a...
Dear Editor, An asphalt plant?! And a gravel pit?! On 21 acres?! That’s an area bigger than 26 football fields, or more than 300 tennis courts or over 3100 parking spaces! However the reader, you, can best envision the enormity of such a horrific industry smack in the middle of a peaceful, wild area that is adjacent to an already designated special open space, this is a proposal that needs to be denied. This application to build such a noisy, dusty, smelly, disruptive industry directly across from the Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range (which is a...
Dear Editor, On January 6 of this year, LHC, Inc. a paving contractor from Kalispell, submitted an application to Montana DNRC to mine crush and remove roughly 110,000 cubic yards of stone, sand and gravel from their Land Trust, Section 20, Township 15N, Range 14W. The application also requests to include a permit to locate an asphalt production plant on site. The area is roughly 21 acres and is proposed to be used to build our new roads on Highway 83 expansion this summer and next, as well as other highway projects. DNRC sent out a press...
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...
Dear Editor, Regarding the pending preliminary decree of the Flathead Compact, Mr. Chris Tweeten, lawyer and 1985 Montana governor appointee to the Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission (RWRCC) was caught on tape in 2012 at a public meeting stating, “We agreed to do this extraordinary thing, frankly, with respect to agreeing to subject or to remove non-Indian rights on the reservation from the jurisdiction and control of the state and place that somewhere else at the tribe’s request.” Who gave the RWRCC authority to subject non-I...
Dear Editor, Something’s amok at Holland Lake Lodge (HLL). HLL, Inc. and POWDR Corporation claim the resort’s cabins are “generally dilapidated” and POWDR further described the infrastructure as “failing.” The Flathead NF justified the project, in part, by claiming the lodge and associated buildings were in a state of disrepair, some to the point some of needing to be demolished. Yet, HLL marketing for 2023 claims “six charming lakeside cabins” and refers to them as “rustic.” Are the cabins dilapidated or charming and rustic – worth $395...
Dear Editor, Elbow Lake leaseholders were surprised this week to receive from the DNRC a proposal for gravel pit testing in the vicinity. Surprised because (a) the proposal does not state the ultimate reason to conduct the test; (b) the comment period is short – ending on December 19; (c) the applicant is the very company (LHC) that applied for a gravel pit permit in 2017, in the same location. They faced significant opposition then – including in the pages of the Pathfinder – and ultimately chose to remove gravel from an existing pit elsew...
SWAN VALLEY - The rollout of a proposal by one of North America’s biggest ski developers to triple the size of Holland Lake Lodge and bring industrial tourism and commercial recreation to the rural, wildlife-rich Swan Valley in western Montana was a complete and utter disaster. After two months of vehement public opposition, the expansion proposal by POWDR, the Utah-based ski developer that promotes “soulful” experiences through high-impact recreation, fell to earth in flames – like the 1937 Hindenburg dirigible disaster in New Jersey. The air...
