Sorted by date Results 26 - 38 of 38
SEELEY LAKE - Since the start of the Seeley Lake Sewer District’s protest period I’ve received a handful of questions from landowners regarding the process. Generally speaking if we receive enough questions from people we look into it for an article because most likely there more people out there with the same questions. Normally that works great, we get peoples’ questions answered and move on. I put out an email with these questions to District Manager Greg Robertson but he has refused to answer any of them saying that if people want their que...
SEELEY LAKE – It is no secret that the Rice Ridge Fire took a huge toll on our community mentally, physically and economically. This also happened in 2007 during the Jocko Lakes Fire. Community members are quick to say the economic loss was in the millions with Highway 83 shut down for nearly two weeks and half of the area evacuated. However no one ever tried to quantify the impact. The Rice Ridge Fire added a whole new issue with the worst air quality ever reported in Missoula County. There were also lake closures and evacuations of more than...
"Those are the fun ones," I thought to myself as I looked at the photo of the Florence Fire sent to the Pathfinder by pilot Scott Newpower the morning of July 19. Those small fires that were less than a couple acres were fun. I put in some long, hard hours of work with incredible folks for a day or two and then we went home and onto the next fire. I miss it...spending four summers as a firefighter on the Seeley Lake Ranger District and six additional seasons between Minnesota, Alaska and...
SEELEY LAKE – The Junior Journal program has given voice to more than 20 students during the past year. At the program's core are the writing coaches, community members who commit to working with the students to edit and polish their work so it can be printed. We are currently looking for more writing coaches so we can continue to print submitted articles in a timely way. Seeley Lake resident Kerry Bertsch and her mother Angela Bennett came up with the idea of providing a place in the Pathfinder...
One of the founders of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder Dick Potter thought it would be fun if the small pathfinder figure in the logo responded more appropriately to seasonal conditions. Jerry Sprunger, creator of the original logo design, obligingly drew silhouettes of the pathfinder employing various modes of transportation. The little fellow was particularly active in 1989 and 1990 when he explored several of the recreational opportunities the valleys offer. On May 3, 1990 he picked up his walking stick and has been hiking ever since. The...
by Nathan Bourne Pathfinder I enjoy my job covering public meetings for the most part. However, I didn’t walk into last week’s sewer board meeting expecting to enjoy it. And I didn’t enjoy it. Though I won’t speak for everyone else in attendance, I’m sure no one else there enjoyed it either. I do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions. I talk to and listen to a lot of people. I read a lot of meeting minutes and listen to a lot of meeting recordings. It doesn’t matter what kind of meeting I am going to, generally I am well prepared to...
Thank you John Devins for your comments and critique of our letters policy. We have not set a word limit on letters. However, we recommend letters be kept to less than 500 words. We attempt to work with those who submit longer letters to make them as concise as possible. In regards to why we allowed Bruce Friede’s letter to be printed, we will not limit someone’s ability to call out an elected representative for why they feel the community was misrepresented. We are aware of the tremendous amount of time and dedication those who serve on loc...
SEELEY LAKE - It's been 20 years this Sept. 30, since the unsolved murder of seventh and eighth-grade teacher Cliff Nelson. His 20-year tenure at Seeley Lake Elementary came to an end that night but his memories live on in those of us who were lucky enough to have known him as Mr. Nelson. On this anniversary I find myself in a strange place, one that even Mr. Nelson would have found to be most amusing, owning the Seeley Swan Pathfinder. Tonight as I scroll though the archives of the Pathfinder,...
With the election season kicking into high gear I am sure everyone is waiting to see which candidates the Pathfinder's editors will endorse and what sides we will take on ballot issues. If that's you, I am sorry to inform you, it won't happen. We feel it's important for the Pathfinder to remain neutral and as unbiased as we can in our reporting. That would be impossible if we start taking sides. If you feel that we ever are, certainly call us out on it. I am sure in the coming weeks we will be p...
Last week Mark Melvin called out the Pathfinder for printing Rick Ferguson’s Letter to the Editor (July 14) and more specifically the “prominent black box of divisive fearmongering” that accompanied it. Since taking ownership of the Pathfinder we are proud to say that we have been willing to print all the letters we have received with the exception of a couple “thank you” and unsigned letters. The Pathfinder will continue to be an open forum for letters, however I do agree with Mark’s point on the black box of text. It made it nearly impo...
One of the hardest parts of our job at the Pathfinder is finding the other side of stories. Even harder is finding someone willing to go on the record with the other side, especially if it seems to go against the grain. Being in a small town makes it even more difficult. This week Curtis Friede was willing to stick his neck out a bit and go on the record so we could present the other side of the Bob Marshall Music Festival. Friede is not alone in his opinions and concerns. I’ve heard these issues and others in conversations with people who w...
Who do you call when your love one is sick, has fallen or has a life or death emergency? Of course, everyone calls 9-1-1 and talks to a dispatcher who tries to get as much information as he/she can so help can be sent. But who shows up? In Seeley Lake, Ovando, Condon and Potomac, it is your neighbor, the person you see at the grocery store or someone you say hello to at the Post Office. Owning the paper for the past three years, Nathan and I have gotten to know our local volunteer firefighters, medical responders and Search and Rescue...
When The Lodges on Seeley Lake owners Kerry and Brian Bertsch first approached Nathan and me about the possibility of students writing for the paper we were reluctant. However, after establishing a system for students to submit their writing and finding volunteers willing to work with students to help polish their work, we were able to come up with a pilot program. The new program is called the Junior Journal and we are excited to launch it this November. The purpose of the Junior Journal is to...
