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The timing of this story is a scarred sadness for the Seeley Lake area as days remembered that are at rest with God within our prayers along with all of the memories we can only share together during the destruction and devastation of the Rice Ridge fire of 2017. Where some of the days in Seeley Lake the smoke has settled at times thicker and darker than any fog seen before it seemed. The fumes and flames from the Rice Ridge Fire were choking while, they burned within an extensive summer heat not only in the air with falling ash but, also in...
SEELEY LAKE - Everyday most Americans work, play, and relax without thinking about what happens every time they flush a toilet. That’s because most Americans have a sewage treatment facility that properly handles human waste. In Seeley Lake each time we flush we’re not sure exactly how completely waste will be treated. Some septic systems work better than others. All septic systems require maintenance and may require replacing the drain field at some point in time. Studies show a clear link between the location of septic systems and the deg...
Two young firefighters killed by falling snags – snags that should not have even been there. These snags should have been cut years ago and sent to the sawmill as logs, or cut and sent to the pulp mill. When all else failed – open the gate and let the firewood cutters get them. If you have ever protested a timber sale, you should be held 100% responsible for these deaths. 99% of the Judges in this country are incompetent and not capable of making decisions in these type of cases. Shame on all of you for what you have done....
With school about to start very soon, it would be a good idea if the kids, as well as their parents and grandparents, knew how to walk safely on a road where there are no sidewalks. Yesterday I saw a young man walking his dog on the right side of the road and a young mother pushing a baby in a stroller on the right side of the road. This is just plain WRONG! Always walk on the left side of the road, facing oncoming traffic. It’s a simple rule to follow and it could save your life. I know of two deaths in western Montana that could have been a...
While we’re dealing with one of the worst threatening wildfires in the U.S. right now here with our Rice Ridge Fire on Seeley Lake’s doorstep, Senator Jon Tester and Governor Bullock both came to Seeley Lake to make serious inquiries and evaluate what additional resources we might need. On Aug. 11, Montana’s U.S. Senator Steve Daines emailed the following newsletter to his Montana constituents commenting on having just returned from a wonderful backpack trip and wondering how we’re enjoying our summer. He stated, “Last week rang in the 86th...
SEELEY LAKE – I have sat quietly by, watching the Sewer Board do their thing for many years. That ends today! You keep trying any and all ways to circumvent the majority vote against the sewer. No, don’t try to explain it to me again about how some poor people only get one vote when they were entitled to more. SINCE WHEN? One man, one vote people! We didn’t force you to buy all those lots did we BOARD MEMBER? Now you have the gall to assess us with a fee for ADMINISTRATIVE costs. BULL!! You’ve had 20 years to do all the administrating you need....
Before I start let me make it clear, I support and honor all those who are working to control the fires burning near Seeley Lake and throughout Montana. However, those in charge, including the Forest Service and our government representatives need to take a hard look at how our forests are managed and how fires are attacked. Year after year fires begin and until they threaten communities, a hands off or minimal response seems to be the plan of action. We are told they are a natural part of nature. We are told they are inaccessible. We are told...
I was pleased to read an article in the Great Falls Tribune on Aug. 11 that reported on the forest fire situation in the Seeley Lake area. I am a resident of this town and I can unequivocally state that this natural disaster has had a tremendous impact on both residents and businesses since the end of July. We are extremely grateful for the quick response and assistance of the Forest Service, Incident Response Teams and the firefighters they bring, and of course, the various Missoula County Public Service officials. This is an extremely serious...
Having just read Professor Fernanda Santos letter in the Aug. 10 Missoulian entitled “Some Wildfires Simply Cannot Be Fought.” I think Fernando’s letter sounds just like articles written by most National Forest Service people. In other words, they have a lot to say about nothing. For one thing Ms. Santos unlike a fire in properly thinned forest which is sometimes beneficial, a fire in forest which is not properly managed burns so hot that it destroys the nutrients in the soil making recovery a lot longer. Following the Forest Service ‘”let it b...
SEELEY LAKE - This sewer is a local solution for a local issue. Seeley Lake’s groundwater, lakes, rivers and streams are impacted by leaking septic tanks and drainfield effluent. It’s hard to imagine that a community with such iconic beauty is so marred by human waste. Fortunately, there is a committed volunteer sewer board – local citizens – who found a USDA Rural Development Fund grant coupled with other grant sources that will cover two-thirds of the sewer system’s construction. This once in a lifetime opportunity is the largest grant eve...
In the July 27 edition of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, I wrote a letter to the editor and failed to signify that I was writing as a Swan Valley resident. I was not writing as a Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SRVPC) member or on behalf of the SVRPC. I apologize for this mistake....
SEELEY LAKE - I attend Seeley Lake Sewer District Board meetings when I am in residence and read about them when I’m away. The Board did a lackluster job of getting information out last year and the opposition did a great job of distributing misinformation. In this community, like many others, rumor travels swiftly and easily, often trampling facts along the way. This year, the Board is providing facts professionally, while the opposition continues to present opinion as fact. Several other tactics are employed; distraction is a favorite. C...
SEELEY LAKE - I guess the word “deplorable” could be used to describe me. As with any definition comes a perception of how that word is applied. Concern for the environment and caring for nature are not usually associated with today’s’ definition of that word! But in reality, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I have been utilizing the recreational opportunities of the Seeley Lake area for more than 50 years and I am acutely aware of how the water quality has been affected by the lifestyles and growth of the Seeley Lake populatio...
Human rights in China have not gotten any better. In June 2016, Congress passed House Resolution 343, condemning the Chinese government for sanctioning the pillaging of organs from Falun Gong and other prisoners of conscience. Falun Gong is a Buddha School teaching whose principles are truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. On July 20, 1999, over 18 years ago, this teaching was outlawed by the Chinese communist government under the leadership of Jiang Zemin. Falun Gong was becoming too popular and he wanted it eliminated. In 2006, investigator...
We want to take this time to thank you for embracing us with open arms and accepting us as community members from our first day in this beautiful place. It has been great to develop relationships with so many of you, learn from you, work with you and grow with you over the three years we have been in this community. Until we meet again, we bid a fond farewell, to all of you who live in this lovely place. “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginni...
Andi Bourne wrote an excellent but incredibly sad Editor’s Note on behalf of the young firefighter that we lost. I, too, have several years of fire experience, all on the Lolo National Forest: my first three as one of the first women in Helitack, then a fourth as engine crew foreman until a nearly fatal accident ended my career as an active firefighter and for five more seasons in fire related work – conducting industrial fire inspections on logging and mining operations (1975-spring of 1985). The year of my near fatal accident (1979) the...
SEELEY LAKE - Polson is developing a $17.6 million sewer upgrade after the EPA came in and levied a $40,000 fine on the district for exceeding its wastewater discharge limits. Sewer bills will jump from $20 per month to $60, and that’s for 2,000 residents. The State of Montana loaned Polson $14.6 million. Lincoln is upgrading its two lift stations at a cost of $300,000 per station and that sewer station serves about 400 users. That’s after 15 years of use. Their sewer rate increase will depend on how much money it can get from the state. Lin...
SEELEY LAKE - I recall the U.S. Forest Service running fire camp operations from the Seeley Lake Elementary three times for local forest fires. The Forest Service pays a fee to rent the facility while the Seeley Lake Elementary School is not in operation. The school gets a little financial shot in the arm and the local school district taxpayer should see those funds go into the facility. Mr. Stout said in a past Pathfinder story that the school has been putting off projects to the facility for 15 years and the parking lot needs to be repaved....
SEELEY LAKE - The five business men on the Seeley Lake Sewer Board and their general manager Greg Robertson, henceforth called B/gm, have now conjured up at least three purposely twisted ways to try to get their sewer proposal past the constituents of the district! First, the B/gm plan to “SHOW SUPPORT” for the sewer by using a reverse technique of not actually proving any measurable support. Under their scheme for an up-coming “Notice and Protest” event, they are requiring a count on solely signed opponents to “prove” that the board has b...
SWAN VALLEY - I am grateful to the Seeley Swan Pathfinder for the opportunity to address a topic under discussion in Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee: the edits to the Swan Valley Regional Plan by Colleen Dowdall. I wish to emphasize that the edits to the Swan Valley Regional Plan by Colleen Dowdall, a Missoula attorney, represent the comments of a local resident. The fact that she rewrote the entire plan does not change the fact that these are the comments of one of the more than 60 written comments that were presented to the Swan...
SEELEY LAKE - Recent information misstated that a “once-in-a-lifetime” grant will pay two-thirds of sewer costs. It won’t. It is only for Phase 1. Later phases 2, 3, and 4 each need to re-apply for any grant money. This should especially concern anyone in Phases 2, 3, and 4. There is no guarantee grant money will be available in amounts large enough to allow construction and reasonable rates. Worse, there are indications to the contrary and a growing chance later phases may be without a sewer but forever ‘on the hook’ paying for Phase 1,...
I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation and thanks to the Seeley Fire and Ambulance crews for their prompt, courteous and professional response in regard to my emergency call Saturday evening. They were a blessing. In fact, after the incident and I was calm, I was sorry to depart to Missoula to get put back together. I would have preferred to have had them in for dinner and drinks. They helped turn a serious injury into a light-hearted laugh session. Again, thank you to: Shelly, Bob and the other two fellas whose names I never got. I...
SEELEY LAKE - The letters last week on what to do about the proposed sewer project have stirred renewed interest from the community. This is wonderful. The more input from residents the better. Senator Tester just gave the Seeley Lake Sewer District $600,000 which is barely significant considering the overall cost. This will basically finance the political push for the Seeley Lake system and further negate the wishes of most residents. That money could be better spent cleaning up the lakes. One writer stated that the proposed sewer system...
SWAN VALLEY - As a resident of the beautiful Swan Valley, I am deeply disturbed by the Lake County Conservation District’s proposal to transfer the management of 60,000 acres of the Flathead National Forest. The proposal calls for the establishment of a “Conservation Forest” to produce timber revenue for LCCD. This proposal is a direct attack on our public lands and we cannot stand for it in our own backyard. Despite many legal and logistical holes, the lands earmarked for the potential Conservation Forest are disjointed and scattered throu...
SEELEY LAKE - For 28 years I’ve watched the Seeley Lake sewer project tossed around like a yo-yo! I have seen Sewer Board members quit their positions to be replaced with other dreamers. Because of lack of significant grants, the Board has to rely on assessments from the property owners to keep the dream going on. Please, Sewer District people, fight against all future Sewer Board proposals to create ways and schemes to gain funds for Board use. Seeley Lake is not a suitable place for a trial and error project....
