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The State of Montana, through the Department of Natural Resources (DNRC) and Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approved the Elbow Lake Gravel Pit and Asphalt Plant in 2023. The 20 acre site of the gravel pit on Highway 83 is part of the critical wildlife corridor to and from the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area (BCWMA). The rationale for the decision by the state to approve the pit was that it needed funding to support education. The decision was made despite overwhelming opposition to the gravel pit from the citizens of...
Alpine Artisans' 2 Valleys Stage is showcasing the Oregon “Glam Rock” duo, Champagne Sunday, on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. at the Swan Valley Community Hall in Condon. Husband and wife members Jessi and Jared Fredeen tear up stages and crowds nationwide with their unique, upbeat, roller-coaster-style shows, firing off gypsy-punk rock songs alongside everything from intimate tear-jerkers to anthemic foot-stompers, peppering their sets with compelling stories behind their music. Champagne Sunday is one of the rare original acts that performs wit...
Tom Skerritt and other members of the creative team from Robert Redford's film, "A River Runs Through It" will highlight the three-day In the Footsteps of Norman Maclean Festival Sept. 8-10 in Seeley Lake and Missoula. Released in 1992, "A River Runs Through It" won an Oscar for cinematography (Philippe Rousselot), Oscar nominations for its direction (Robert Redford), musical score (Mark Isham) and screenplay (Richard Friedenberg), and created an explosion in the popularity of fly fishing in...
SEELEY LAKE - Alpine Artisans’ second Alpine Review hits the stage Friday, May 12 at 7 p.m. with a full program of music, poetry, art, scholarship awards and laughs. The doors at Seeley Lake Community Hall open at 6:30 p.m. to enable ticket buyers to bid on the silent auction, which will feature several dozen items of unique and valuable local art and homemade items. Raffle tickets will be sold until the drawing at intermission for five items: a Jennifer Dyer basket, a one-hour scenic plane flight for two donated by Scott Newpower, a h...
SEELEY LAKE - Air Quality in Seeley Lake will kick off the meeting of the Seeley Lake Community Council next Monday. Ben Schmidt, Missoula County Air Quality Specialist, wants to start a general conversation on wood stoves and air quality with a focus on the neighborhood immediately south of the elementary school (see the Place for All column on page 4 for more information). Rachel Feigley, USFS District Ranger, will follow with a discussion of the Center-Horse project, an extensive forestry project along the southern boundary of the Bob...
MISSOULA – The Southwestern Crown of the Continent Collaborative and the Flathead, Helena-Lewis and Clark and Lolo National Forests received the 2016 Forest Service Chief's Award for Sustaining Forests and Grasslands through the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP). The award was accepted on behalf of the Collaborative and the Forests on Dec. 8, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. by Tim Garcia, Lolo National Forest Supervisor. The recipients were chosen from more than 80 n...
SEELEY LAKE - As part of its mission, the Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF) endeavors to help charitable groups in Seeley Lake fund projects to benefit the community. In this capacity, the SLCF strives to be a community resource and catalyst for innovative approaches to improving the quality of life in Seeley Lake. The Small Grants Program supports the ever-changing needs of a community that is diverse and growing. Qualifying non-profit and public organizations are afforded the opportunity to receive assistance from the SLCF, provided the...
SEELEY LAKE - Next Monday, Jan. 9, the Seeley Lake Community Council meeting promises an ambitious agenda. Sheriff Deputy Mike Sunderland will talk about the office’s “Say Something” project, which seeks to address bullying, its devastating impacts and how it relates to teenage suicide. Ben Schmidt, Missoula County Air Quality Specialist, will address air quality in Seeley Lake and how it could be improved further. Linda Howard of Missoula Aging Services, who shares an office with the Seeley Lake Community Foundation in the Bison and Bear...
SEELEY LAKE - Next Monday’s Seeley Lake Community Council meeting promises to be a lively event, dealing with perhaps the most controversial issue that has arisen here in recent years: the proposed sewer project. Many questions have been asked about the sewer project including what the proposed sewer will accomplish, how it will be financed and its final cost to the consumer, the district covered and why other locations were not included, the technology and methodology to implement it and whether a sewer system is needed at all. The aim of M...
SEELEY LAKE - Next Monday’s meeting of the Seeley Lake Community Council promises a broad agenda. Missoula County Sheriff T.J. McDermott will speak on recent law enforcement activities in Seeley Lake. Duane “Cecil” Schlabach will follow with a report on the successful conclusion of the Council’s two-year Traffic Project and the new speed limits. Mike Boltz will outline his plans to convert the Wilderness Inn into affordable apartments. Since he is seeking U.S. government loans to finance the project, Boltz is asking for an endorsement from the...
SEELEY LAKE - Another array of candidates for the November election will present themselves at the second Candidates Forum, hosted by the Seeley Lake Community Council Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Community Hall. Starting at 5:30 p.m., the first half hour will be devoted to pizza, soda and milling-about; the formal part will begin at 6 p.m. The forum will include the following candidates: • State Auditor: Jesse Laslovich (D) and Matt Rosendale (R) • Superintendent of Public Education: Elsie Arntzen (R) • Public Service Commissioner: Gail Gutsc...
SEELEY LAKE - Candidates for the November election will present themselves at two Candidates Forums, hosted by the Seeley Lake Community Council. The first one will be held next Monday, Sept. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Hall. Invitations have gone out to all Democrat (D), Libertarian (L) and Republican (R) candidates. Most have responded positively, some are still unsure whether they will attend, and a few have said that they cannot make it. At press time the following candidates have announced that they will appear: Mike Fellows (US...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Ranger District will host a free half-day (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) National Public Lands Day event Saturday, Sept. 24 at Monture Guard Station. The event will include a tour of the historic Guard Station, demonstrations on the use of primitive tools, packing stock, identifying noxious weeds, analyzing soils, practicing leave no trace principles, operating a district fire engine and more! Bring your family and your lunch and the Forest Service will provide drinks, dessert and free t-shirts (while they last). Meet S...
SEELEY LAKE - The Ecosystem Management Research Institute (EMRI) of Seeley Lake announced the release of its Terrestrial Landscape Assessment of the Southwest Crown of the Continent Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project (CFLRP). The assessment, conducted through a partnership agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, assessed the forests that occurred historically in the project area and describes how these conditions have changed to the conditions present today. The report provides reference information to support the Blackfoot...
The impacts of this summer’s drought have resulted in extremely low flows in Western Montana rivers, with the Blackfoot flowing at record lows for the second year in a row. Even though river water temperatures have cooled – prompting Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to lift hoot owl fishing hour restrictions – fishing may still stress our native fish. The Blackfoot Drought Response Committee encourages anglers to consider voluntary measures that can reduce the stress on native trout during these extremely low river flows. In 2000, the Black...
SWAN LAKE - In 1981, members of the Swan Lake community decided that they needed some kind of summer festival. They wanted to raise funds for community projects but they were also looking for a way to give the public a day of fun and relaxation on the shore of their beautiful lake. According to newspaper accounts, the first festival drew an estimated 400 people to the Swan Lake Day Park for a chuck wagon barbecue, children's activities, a baking contest and arts and crafts. Those press reports...
SEELEY LAKE - The hot-button topic snow plowing in Dogtown will kick off the next Seeley Lake Community Council meeting, Monday, Aug. 8. County Commissioner Jean Curtiss and Kristen Baker-Dickinson, head of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) Clearwater Unit, will discuss where the county and DNRC stand in regard to plowing Dogtown streets next winter. As the community may remember, last year the county announced that they would not be able to plow some streets in Dogtown. The reason given was that those roads...
MISSOULA – Nonresident travelers mean big bucks for Montana. The final 2015 nonresident visitor numbers were released April 27 by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) at the University of Montana. Researchers found the 2015 economic contribution of 11.7 million nonresident travelers to Montana was $3.7 billion. These visitors directly supported more than $3.1 billion of economic activity and 46,000 Montana jobs and indirectly supported an additional $2 billion of economic a...
SEELEY LAKE - An overview of the U.S. Forest Service’s trail maintenance plan for the area will kick off the next Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) meeting. Rachel Feigley, Seeley Lake District Ranger, will talk about how competing demands for firefighting and shrinking budgets will affect trail maintenance. Next on the agenda is the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project (BCSP), a decade-long effort that involves timber, recreation and conservation in a landscape-sized proposal and which enjoys the support of loggers, hunters, r...
SEELEY LAKE - As part of its mission, the Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF) endeavors to help charitable groups in Seeley Lake fund projects to benefit the community. In this capacity, the SLCF strives to be a community resource and catalyst for innovative approaches to improving the quality of life in Seeley Lake. The Small Grants Program supports the ever-changing needs of a community that is diverse and growing. Qualifying non-profit and public organizations are afforded the opportunity to receive assistance from the SLCF, provided the...
In October 2014, a local group of recreational enthusiasts met for the first time to discuss the potential of a comprehensive, multi-purpose, trail system. Their vision: to create a trail system that would not only link Seeley Lake to the great outdoor recreational opportunities we have around us, but also link our community to our neighboring towns and trails. "CRC saw the need to upgrade the trails in our watershed so that locals and visitors can access our beautiful landscape using trails...
HELENA - Last Thursday a delegation from the Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) appeared before the MT Transportation Commission to plead the case for lower speed limits in town. After testimony and back-and-forth questions, the commission voted to postpone a decision until their next mee...
Along with watching our loons return in spring, nest and raise chicks, getting to know our Montana Loon Rangers is one of the nicest things about the Montana Loon Society Loon Season. Here are a few words from Ashley Huinker, our 2015 Blackfoot-Clearwater Loon Ranger. It is fun to read her loon ranger experience from her perspective. Following this is information from the Clearwater (Seeley), Blackfoot (Ovando) and Swan (Swan Lake) areas. A Loon Ranger Summer - In Her Own Words by Ashley...
For The Seeley Lake Water District P.O. Box 503, Seeley Lake, MT, 59868 (406) 677-2559 We are pleased to present to you this year's Annual Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality of the water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed...
SEELEY LAKE - Four days before absentee ballots will be mailed out for the June 7 primary, the Seeley Lake Community Council will hold a Candidates Forum, so that voters will have a chance to hear the candidates, question them and make informed choices. The Forum will take place at the Seeley Lake Community Hall Monday, May 9, starting at 5:30 p.m. with pizza and soda. The council decided to invite not only the primary contestants but also their opposite-party challengers, so that all candidates would enjoy equal exposure. These are the offices...
