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HAMILTON - The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks are heading to State C Tournament after taking the long road to second place at the Western C Divisional Tournament last weekend. The Lady Blackhawks won their opening game against White Sulphur Springs and advanced to the semifinals to face Arlee. Arlee defeated the Lady Blackhawks in a close game and sent the Ladies to the losers' bracket. The Lady Blackhawks started sending teams home. Ennis became their first victim. Then Twin Bridges, who has...
POTOMAC - Kennecott Exploration Company (KEC) of Rio Tinto will not return to Potomac for copper drilling this year. "The bar is set high for Kennecott and mining. There is no compelling reason to go forward at this time," said KEC Regional Communities Manager Matt Jeschke at a public meeting in Potomac Feb. 22. The drill sites at Copper Cliff and Ashby Creek are reclaimed and vacant. The core-cutting shed and warehouse on Morrison Lane will continue to be used by KEC for core storage. After an...
SEELEY LAKE – Runners took to the roads around Seeley Lake for the 37th annual Snow Joke Half Marathon. This was the last year the local Cheetah Herders, the group that started the race 37 years ago, will officially be a part of the race. Next year there will be a new mascot along with other new features brought in by Big Sky Orogenic Racing and Events' (BSORE), the race organizers since 2014. With pre-registration topping 800 two weeks ahead of the race, BSORE capped the race at 1,000 r...
SEELEY LAKE – After trading horses for sled dogs in 1992, Seeley Lake musher Martin Koenig has enjoyed a "hard core" racing career including spirit, stage, mid-distance and distance racing. Even though he retired from racing two years ago, he still mushes recreationally. He is headed back to Alaska to run his second Iditarod, a 1,000-mile sled dog race from Anchorage, Alaska to Nome starting March 5, calling it a "camping trip with his dogs." Koenig was born and raised in Switzerland. He moved t...
SWAN VALLEY - For two days this past week, my granddaughter and I have had to stop and let elk cross Kraft Creek Road on the way to her bus stop on Highway 83. Over the years we have seen bears, coyotes, wolves, deer and, of course, the elk. We have also seen a multitude of waterfowl. This is the best entertainment nature has to offer and we, like the majority of residents, want to keep this from disappearing. Believe it or not, there is a minority of people in this valley who are ashamed of the very things that draw people to this valley: the...
POTOMAC - I received two phone calls Sunday about negative remarks about Paws Up Animal Shelter of Potomac on a local Facebook group. I would like to inform those who wrote those remarks. Facebook should not be used to damage people who have saved and rescued over two hundred dogs and many cats. I would personally be glad to meet you and explain the problems. I will again explain to you what has been explained to you. I can explain it for you but I can’t understand it for you. You wanted a puppy and went to Paws Up. You were advised that the pu...
The last article took us away from our current theme of collective and personal myths, due to an article written by Nicole Williams. Her article included many psychological elements that I thought would be helpful to review and describe. Returning to our theme, I'd like to respond to questions about discovering our personal myths. Since personal myths are directly related to each of us, we might think it's easy to discover our myths. But it isn't. Why? Well, we are unconscious of our personal my...
SEELEY LAKE - Juniper Jo Exstrom was born Feb. 21 at 2:28 a.m. to Seeley Lake parents Julie Little and Joesy Exstrom. She is also welcomed into the world by her grandparents Kathy and Ray Simonsen of Great Falls, Mont. and Karen and Kevin Exstrom of Columbus, Mont.... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - Sawyer Lee Hanson was born to Seeley Lake residents Dairic Hanson and Kalah Triepke on Feb. 22 at 1:25 p.m. He was 20 1/2 inches and weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces. Greg and Karla Triepke, of Seeley Lake, are proud grandparents.... Full story
MISSOULA - The Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Trustees authorized the sale of bonds to fund school improvements under the Smart Schools 2020 plan Dec. 8, 2015. Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, the District executed the first sale of $51.6 million in bonds for the elementary district and $22.7 million for the high school district. In a presentation made by Aaron Rudio of D.A. Davidson during Tuesday night’s board meeting, the board learned that interest rates are currently at the lowest point seen in the past five months. The District ant...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Ranger District has announced a March 31 deadline for submitting 2016 summer and fall Recreation Event Special Use Permit applications. Applications received past this deadline will not be accepted for review. A Recreation Event Special Use Permit is required for organizing any use or activity on National Forest System lands that meets either of the following criteria, regardless of whether the use or activity is intended to produce a profit: • Where an entry or participation fee is charged. Donations are con...
SEELEY LAKE - Dr. Sally Thompson will be reading from her recently published "People Before the Park" Saturday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Grizzly Claw Trading Company sponsored by Alpine Artisans' Open Book Club. Her presentation will include Power Point photos and charts. Dr. Thompson is a retired Professor of Anthropology from the University of Montana, Missoula, and a recognized ethnographer and ethnologist. The event is free and everyone is welcome. In "People Before the Park," the Kootenai...
One day it’s warm and sunny, the next day cold and snowy. Welcome to that time on the calendar between winter and spring, though spring really doesn’t seem to hit us some years till May. In the animal kingdom, several species ignore the calendar and do their thing now to ensure the future of their kind. The great horned owl is hooting about now, looking for the right mate. That hoot-hoot-hoot you heard last night or just before dawn is the mating ritual of the great horned owl. After mating, the owls will continue to hoot, not so much to procla...
SEELEY LAKE –Montana State Parks (stateparks.mt.gov) announced that a decision notice has been issued for proposed shared group bicycle campsites at four state parks in western Montana. The decision notice recommends to move forward with the improvement and installation of the bicycle campsites at Whitefish Lake State Park near Whitefish, Mont., Flathead Lake-Wayfarers State Park near Bigfork, Mont., and Placid Lake and Salmon Lake State Parks near Seeley Lake. The proposed improvements include enhancing existing shared group bicycle c...
SWAN VALLEY – Funded through the Southwestern Crown Collaborative (SWCC), the Swan Lake Ranger District (SLRD) on the Flathead National Forest (FNF) has been able to launch an active noxious weed management program. Through the use of integrated weed management, the SLRD has been able to treat problem areas and new infestations on federal land as well as provide educational workshops and resources to the public to help them treat their property. One of these opportunities includes e...
MISSOULA - March 1 marks the opening of outdoor burning by permit in western Montana. All burns require a permit, which may be obtained at the County Burn Permit System online at https://app.mt.gov/burnpermit/. Assistance with permit applications is available at the Seeley Lake Fire Department during the Smoke Detector Give Away Program March 4 and 5 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. All permits cost $5. Permits can also be renewed. All of last year’s information is saved and ready to go. A postcard has been mailed with last year’s permit number or call...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake's Mike Lindemer partnered with SLE Outside to bring the first fat tire bike ride to Seeley Lake, March 5. His goals for the first Seeley Lake Sasquatch Fat Bike Ride are to bring people to Seeley Lake so they can see the recreational opportunities offered here and bring business to town during an otherwise quiet weekend. He hopes to make this an annual event. Lindemer has organized the Seeley Lake Pond Hockey tournament for the past six years. He was looking for a...
MISSOULA - Katherine (Kathy or Katie) Kay Kovatch was born on Sept. 18, 1955 to Harry Neil Kovatch and Lois Mae (Henneman) Kovatch in Conrad, Mont. On Feb. 23, in the early morning hours at her home, Kathy entered into eternity, wrapped in the arms of Jesus and greeted by her parents. Kathy fought a battle with juvenile diabetes for 50 years and this day her battle finally ended. She is now resting in peace. Kathy was raised in the small, warm-hearted community of Valier, Mont. where she... Full story
I write this having just returned from a snowmobile trip to British Columbia. Seeley Lake has wonderful snowmobiling, world-class snowmobiling, but sometimes it’s nice to just get away on a trip to somewhere else. While out riding, I had a few thoughts and observations that I thought I would share. First, the world is big. Really big! I know that going from western Montana into the land of our friendly neighbors to the north does not pass through any heavily populated part of the world; indeed, driving for many hours covers a very miniscule p...
SEELEY LAKE - The Hellgate Junior Shooters set lofty goals and they are well on the way to realizing them. The Junior Precision Rifle Team has been practicing hard since they came back from the Winter Air Gun matches in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center. Building upon these experiences, the team has committed themselves to very high levels of achievement, in particular, they targeted Nationals at both the Olympic Training Center and Camp Perry, OH. The team practices two nights a...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) students finished their Snow School with a final Snow Day at Camp Paxson, Feb. 25. Students wore their snowman costumes and enjoyed games including snow graffiti, Tic-Tac-Snow, snow relays and a snowball throwing competition. The 21st Century Grant funded Snow School on Thursday's early out. Students in first through eighth grade were invited to participate in a variety of snow-related activities including skiing, sledding, snow shoeing, ice skating a...
SEELEY LAKE – Family, friends and the community at large gave well wishes, hugs and shed tears at the Good Luck and Best Wishes party for Addrien Marx, owner of Rovero's. Greg Tabish of Missoula will officially become the new owner of Rovero's as of March 1. "It's been such a great day," said Marx between hugs and well wishes from the community. Marx's family was able to attend the event and reconnect with many people from the community. Marx's mother Joanne LaPalm remembers when Larry called h...
BIG TIMBER - The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC) is seeking nominations for the 2016 Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame induction round. Every year, the MCHF & WHC honors living and historical figures that have made notable contributions to Montana’s western heritage. “In order to identify those in Montana’s communities who are most deserving of inclusion in the Hall of Fame, we need people across the state to get involved in our nomination process,” said Christy Stensland, executive director of the MCHF & WHC. “N...
MISSOULA - State public health officials have identified the first case of Zika virus infection in Montana in an adult female from Missoula County who returned from a Zika-affected area. The infected individual is not pregnant. Zika is a disease caused by a virus that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species of mosquito not found in Montana. Travelers returning from Zika-affected areas who have symptoms, or are pregnant, should consult with their health care provider. “This case serves as a reminder that a...
Goal: Cob-it owners Bill and Donna Bogardus' goal is to preserve and maintain log and wood-sided homes. They aim to serve their customers with craftsman-quality cob blasting and superb customer service. History: Prior to starting their own business, Bill had many years of painting and staining experience. The Bogarduses started Cob-it as a family-run business with their five children during the summer of 2006. "We started the business because we were not satisfied with covering over old problems...
