Community Briefs

Fire Danger MODERATE in Missoula County

Fuels conditions across Missoula County have prompted Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA) to move to MODERATE fire danger as of June 13.

Two recent lightning-caused fires on the Lolo and Bitterroot National Forests have grown rapidly under windy conditions and several debris pile fires lit by citizens in valley bottoms have spread away from the pile while unattended and consumed out-buildings in the process.

 Wildland fire agencies would like to extend a large “Thank You” to the thousands of Missoula County residents who have been careful when burning debris piles. MCFPA urges all to burners to not burn on windy days and to make sure to activate their permits every day they intend to burn.

 Everyone who burns needs to have water on-scene and a tool suitable for throwing dirt on an escaping fire should the need arise prior to ignition.

 Please “like” the MCFPA on Facebook and get information on our webpage http://www.mcfpa.org.

Summer Lunch Program Begins

SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake Elementary will serve breakfast and lunch free-of-charge during the summer to children ages 0 to 18. Beginning June 13 through Aug. 19, the school will serve breakfast from 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. and lunch from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Monday through Friday. The school will be closed July 4.

The meals will be served in the elementary school cafeteria, located at 200 School Lane in Seeley Lake. Parents may join their children for meals. The charge for an adult breakfast is $2.50 and for an adult lunch is $3.90.

This program is funded through the Summer Food Service Program, which is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Program that provides free, nutritious meals to children when school is not in session.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free 866-632-9992 (Voice). Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800-877-8339 or 800-845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Volunteer Opportunities in Seeley Lake

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Foundation seeks volunteers interested in, helping with the upcoming Change Your Pace Challenge, assisting in the office, lending a hand for our annual banquet and ongoing support for senior community members.

If interested in making a difference in Seeley Lake or want to share applicable skills, please call the Seeley Lake Community Foundation at 406-677-3506 or email Anne Beach, Executive Director, annebeach@slcfmt.org

Montana Book Award Winner Liz Carlisle at Grizzly Claw, June 18

Submitted by Carol Brodie

SEELEY LAKE - The 2016 Montana Book Award winner Liz Carlisle will be reading from her book “Lentil Underground” Saturday, June 18, at 7 p.m. at the Grizzly Claw Trading Company. This presentation is sponsored by Alpine Artisans Open Book Club. There is no charge to attend and all are welcome.

From the heart of Big Sky Country comes this inspiring story of a handful of colorful pioneers who have successfully bucked the chemically based food chain and the entrenched power of agribusiness by stubbornly banding together. Who would have thought that a book about lentil farming could be a page-turner but it is. With a voice as clear and powerful on the page as it is on stage, Liz Carlisle writes of the struggles of Montana farmers to go organic.

When Nixon’s Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz suggested that farmers needed to “get big or get out,” one farmer from Conrad, Mont., David Oein, disregarded his parents’ advice to get out. He stayed put, stayed small and planted lentils, a cheap, healthy source of protein, rich in fiber, folate, vitamin B and amino acids. Lentils are what agroecologists call “green manure” – they fix nitrogen in the soil obviating the need for chemical fertilizer.

Thus began what is now a thriving movement of organic farmers who work with heirloom seeds and biologically diverse farming systems. Their organic products are distributed through Timeless Seeds which supports dozens of organic family farmers throughout Montana and the surrounding region.

The “Lentil Underground” is an exceptionally readable book which introduces readers to a memorable case of colorful characters, all friends and farmers in the Timeless family. The number of personalities Carlisle encounters are refreshing in how much they defy stereotypes of “organics.”

“Lentil Underground” is a richly reported narrative that not only explores the character of the farmers but informs the reader in detail about what is involved in organic farming which is in itself fascinating.

Author Liz Carlisle is a former country music singer, former legislative aide to Senator Jon Tester (himself an organic farmer), Harvard graduate and currently a doctoral student at UC Berkeley. For the past few years she has immersed herself in lentil agriculture, ecology and economics. Along the way she has become something of a lentil evangelist.