Sorted by date Results 427 - 451 of 1188
A bear’s nose knows when the smell of food wafts through the air. It’s integral to their survival, this tool for finding food, and is the reason why one resident of Montana’s Swan Valley has made it her summer’s work to pick up other people’s trash. Kathy Koors has spent nearly 40 years living near Condon, Montana, in a pocket of the Treasure State defined largely by water and trees. Larch, lodgepole and Douglas fir mingle in dense stands around azure lakes squeezed between the Mission Mountains and Swan Range. It’s a place sprouting w...
Many of you know that during past summers I have volunteered to check several of the Swan Valley’s dispersed campsites, clean up garbage and visit with campers who have questions about food storage in bear country. Thanks to a winter fundraiser, ongoing donations and local support, this summer I am paid part-time by the Living With Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the Flathead National Forest, Swan Lake Ranger District. These organizations are helping me and the community strengthen and improve our education efforts. The Forest Service a...
I see we have another member of our community that cherishes the beauty of this area. There are millions of acres of federal lands that have been preserved in such a way that if visitors were able to time travel to us today from the mid eighteen hundreds and go to these areas they would have to say, “Nothing has changed”. That is right, folks, millions of acres of public lands have been preserved and protected from incursion of the likes of the elderly and handicapped. Those folks are NOT part of the PUBLIC; they are the refuse that just hap...
Listen up! Montana is our home, and we love it. From the mountains to the prairies, from trout-streams and lakes to sagebrush hills and big-sky grasslands, we praise its beauties and natural bounty. We are proud of our friendly cities and small-towns, our Native American and cowboy cultures, our schools and great universities, and the hospitals and rural health care centers that dot our vast state. I live on a homestead up the Blackfoot where some of my neighbors are Trump supporters, some are survivalists and some progressive Democrats. But...
SEELEY LAKE - The preceding sewer boards have put together an amazing financial package to fund this project. It includes over $10 million of grant money, with approximately $6 million of loans in a package that will fund the building of the treatment plant and the collection system. To construct the treatment plant and collection system plus hookups in Phase 1 (subdistrict 1) will cost each residential unit no more than $54.25 per month (Resolution #201725235). This is the least expensive, most feasible plan we have investigated or that has...
My dear friend John Ulberg from Helena, Montana wrote this poem and I found a lot of encouragement in it during these challenging times. I hope you do as well. CERTAINTY While we hear only the litany Of virus and dangers lurking around, We must keep our perspective And know hope still does abound. People are what is important And anything that supports good life, Doing what we can for each other During these times of major strife. Your faith is still with you Your faith is still strong, Relying on your God Will never lead you wrong. So as we...
Fifty million unemployed workers, 25 million families evicted or foreclosed on, 15 million small businesses gone bankrupt: this is what another Great Depression could look like. And we are on the brink of this very thing. Decisions made this month by Congress will decide whether we tip over into depression or not. At the beginning of the pandemic, Congress enacted and the President signed, the CARES Act. It was designed to address the economic stress from a short shutdown of the economy to fight COVID-19. The additional $600 a week for the...
In the July 2 Pathfinder there was a letter to the editor claiming that Federal lands are not open to the public. Just because there is a locked gate or other road closure does NOT mean the lands beyond are not open to the public, they are, you just have to get out of your rig and walk around the gate. You just aren’t allowed to DRIVE wherever and whenever you please. Roads are closed both year round and seasonally for multiple reasons, among them wildlife and habitat protection but also because the Forest Service doesn’t have the funds to mai...
In response to opinion columns printed in the Missoulian by Adam Rissien titled “Our National Forest are more than Crops” dated June 28 and George Wuerthner’s column printed June 5 titled “Keep Carbon in the Forest.” Once again some of our environmentalists from the University of Montana are attacking the Trump Administration Policies delivered by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. Personally as a 93-year-old great, great grandmother born and raised in Western Montana, I am pleased to see some reasoning sprouting from the Departmen...
As the number of COVID-19 cases rises in the state of Montana, we, leaders at Montana’s chambers of commerce and destination marketing organizations, join our business friends and colleagues throughout the state in calling on the public to wear masks or cloth face coverings to protect the health and viability of the communities we represent. In order for us to continue reopening or remain open as a state, it is imperative that we slow the spread of COVID-19. The CDC recommends mask-wearing to help slow the spread of the virus, which in turn c...
It’s time for Senator Steve Daines to get with the program and be a real champion for Montana’s public lands. Daines likes to talk about how supportive he is of our outdoor way of life but we see right through it when he refuses to support common-sense measures like the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. This made-in-Montana solution would protect nearly 80,000 acres of beautiful Montana wilderness while boosting access to recreation areas and creating jobs. A bipartisan group of stakeholders from all around Montana -- from sportsmen to ran...
SEELEY LAKE - Coming soon will be increased sewer tax assessments for ‘water-linked’ properties ranging from $1,200 to $2,000 to pay ADMINISTRATIVE sewer costs. Other properties in the district are assessed only $90 to $700 for exactly the same purpose. Your new tax can be found in a 10 page, small print document called: “FY21 Assessment Methodology Assessment Options.” Even if you still support the sewer project, I assume you’ll INSIST on being treated FAIRLY in the process. This change in assessments was conceived out of fairness....
After reading about the person that lost their dog to a mountain lion recently, I thought I would send a picture of my Schnauzer "Buddy" wearing his "Coyote Vest." It is made of Kevlar and has 2.5" spikes down the back and around his throat. I lost a Schnauzer to a pair of foxes three years ago. I wanted something that would give my new pup some measure of added protection. We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of Montana with lots of wildlife. Lots of the wildlife that live around...
Fewer than three enduring years ago, Ryan Zinke, the former kleptomaniac Secretary of the Interior, slithered into the Oval Office of President Trump. Zinke's tedious graft and deceit completed, he delivered a barratry report recommending rescinding the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Similar to a sticky-fingered sutler swilling goods and profits from agency trade posts to siphon fat-in-the-fire kickbacks to Secretary of War, William Belknap, during President Grant's administration, Zinke became the modern version of the thieving Indian...
We recently met with Governor Bullock and the two minority leaders of the Montana legislature to discuss Montana’s failing economy and budget issues due to the Governor’s closures. While we appreciated the rare opportunity to discuss the pressing issues facing Montanans with the Governor, this meeting merely served as a press conference for the Governor’s campaign with hand-picked members of the press and provided no opportunity to have substantive conversations about the challenges facing Montana families. As a result of the coronavirus pande...
SEELEY LAKE - If this sewer was a good idea, users in the district would be ALL for it and it would have been built already. As proposed, it’s dissolved into a decades-long lawyer and lawsuit can-of-worms and getting worse. After the recent board election, members of the board had a CLOSED meeting to discuss how to manage the influence of two newly elected members who weren’t seated yet. Their solution was a LAWSUIT aimed to stop two new members” from taking any steps that may interrupt the ongoing sewer project.” Seriously? Is this the kin...
That was a great article in the Thursday, June 18 issue of the Pathfinder by Dale Terrillion on “Public Lands”. It seems the government forgets who owns and pays taxes to support public lands. I don’t understand why disabled groups, senior citizen groups, sports groups and wild life groups can’t get together and file class action lawsuits to open up public lands to all citizens. Why are we paying for property we can’t have access to and enjoy? There should be representatives made up of members of these various groups along with representation f...
Steve Daines’ campaign ads that claim he will bring back the jobs from overseas suggest he is either stupid or naive. Here’s why... The jobs, if they ever were in the U.S, went overseas because there is cheaper labor and less government regulation - hence more profit for the companies that went there. Until those things change, U.S. companies will continue to base their manufacturing overseas. Should a company decide to return its operations back to the U.S. there’s a good chance it will not be able to find workers to perform the labor...
I noticed in last week’s Pathfinder in letters to the editor that several people felt that Mr. Ashmore was trying to infringe on Roxie’s first amendment rights. I think one of them even offered the advice, if you did not like her letter, don’t read it. Seems he was not willing to take his own advice. Mr. Ashmore was just stating his opinion, which is his right. Remember the first amendment!! I would offer this advice to all, “Just Chill Out.” Hopefully, this nightmare will be over in November....
The “Hungry Horse News” reported that, “Two horsemen on a recent trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness said they found something they never expected: A couple fishing on a sandbar of the South Fork of the Flathead after allegedly landing a helicopter there.” https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2020/may/28/forest-service-investigating-helicopter-10/ It was May 16, the opening day of fishing season. The owner of the helicopter Sara Schwerin is a former NYC banking executive now living in Montana. When questioned by the horsemen “what makes you...
With all the things that are going on in the country right now I am worried about fairness and balance in the media, especially after The New York Times capitulated to the left wingers demanding a letter from a prominent republican (Tom Cotton) be retracted and apologized for. The one comfort I was afforded was that at least our fair and balanced local paper still holds to the values that everyone is entitled to their opinion. Heaven knows that even I get tired of certain people droning on and on about issues that are important to them. My...
COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are at more than 100,000, more than 40 million people have filed for unemployment and the U.S. economy is officially in “recession.” While Montana has experienced relatively few deaths, its economy, too, is taking a substantial hit as people socially isolate and “non-essential” businesses have been shuttered. Montana is one of the very few states that does not have a general sales tax and instead relies on the property tax to fund its state and local governments. States which do depend on the sales tax have had to...
In defense of Roxie Sterling, I think the first amendment is still in effect. But the way things are goin,’ it may not be for long. She has a right to express her political views. Some may not like it but that’s her right as an American. Perhaps she hasn’t figured out how to be politically correct. Mr. Ashmore gave some good advice though, register some voters. Anyway, all those who can’t get beyond the hatred for Trump, try and think of more pleasant things. Lower your mask – take a deep breath – quickly wash your hands (at least 20 seconds)...
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the residents and voters of Missoula County for supporting the two-cent local option fuel tax. This new funding helps us complete much needed road maintenance and improvements – and distributes a portion of the cost to the folks who visit Missoula County. The results were close and we recognize our responsibility to use this funding in an impactful way that benefits all residents of the county. For many years, we’ve struggled to keep up with the cost of providing good roads. The federal gas tax has...
I fail to see the value in Roxie Sterling’s frequent, vitriolic diatribes denigrating democrats. We know all too well where she stands on the issues facing this country. Her incessant belittling of people and their opinions, that do not concur with her own, will do nothing to change the political landscape nor will it serve to unite the various factions. Please Roxie do everyone (that includes you) a favor and utilize your time in a more productive endeavor such as going out and registering voters and desist with the tiresome letters. S...
