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POTOMAC - Potomac resident and Hellgate High School senior Mallory Philliber made her mark in the world of Fundamental Accounting earning second place in the nation at the Business Professionals of America National Competition. The BPA is part of an education program with the goal of developing competency in business occupations and leadership abilities in the American business system. "The BPA club is about making business fun, teaching students about business ethics, accounting and how...
SEELEY LAKE- Dozens of boats cruised around Seeley Lake on Saturday morning-a common sight for a weekend morning. The unusual sight was the sheer number of kids on board each boat, trolling the waters for the biggest fish they could catch. The 15th annual Seeley Lake Kids Fishing Tournament took place Saturday, June 24. Children ages seven through 13 spent several hours on the lake competing for the heaviest overall catch. Forty-seven kids turned out for this year's tournament-20 more than last...
GREENOUGH- A mere mile from the banks of the Blackfoot River, Sunset School sits tucked away on the property of the Paws Up Resort. For a century, the tiny two-room schoolhouse has educated the children of Greenough. From an enrollment high of 26 students in 1967, to a single student-teacher combo from 2010-2012, Sunset has remained a staple in the educational diet of the Blackfoot Valley. This weekend, students, teachers and supporters of the school from decades past will descend upon the...
OVANDO- On Sunday, June 25, a truck heading eastbound noticed a disabled car and pulled a U-turn to help. An eastbound motorcycle crashed into the driver's side door. The rider of the motorcycle was life-flighted to Missoula but will live according to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Tom Gill. The driver of the truck did not sustain any injuries. No citations have been issued at this time. The highway was closed near mile marker 46 for more than two hours....
SEELEY LAKE - That is the question. Ah…summer at Seeley; sun, sand, swimming, sailing, skiing, surfing and the….sewer. That’s right, all that fun and a big decision too. That is why I have decided to dedicate some of my time this summer to help sort out facts from fiction regarding this important topic. I hope you will do the same. If you are a property owner in the Sewer District, you will have the opportunity to seal the fate of this controversial issue during the month of October. In the meantime, there will be lots of information being...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board continues to ignore district residents’ desire to not pursue a central sewer. It is beyond me how the Board can void a legal election in which we said NO to the sewer project last December. I thought we had to vote on any bond debt we assume...isn’t this taxation without representation? I live in Sub-district 2. That is mostly the lakeshore homes and businesses west of Highway 83N. But I live EAST of the elementary school in (what the Board decided) is one of the lowest income areas of the sewer dis...
SEELEY LAKE - Recent comments published in the Pathfinder were not factually correct regarding the background and future of Seeley Lake’s proposed sewer project. The vote that was held last December was not a referendum on whether there should be a sewer project in Seeley Lake. The vote was only to determine if the bonded debt for the sewer system ($4.488 million) could rely on a particular methodology to handle any default payments that might occur. The failure of that vote simply means that a different course of funding will have to be establ...
SEELEY LAKE - Like many people around here, I choose to live in Seeley Lake to enjoy the abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. Everything from hunting to bird watching is available close to home. I can hike a different trail each day and most often have the entire trail to myself. At the same time, I enjoy the benefits of a community full of small town charm. These values will be enhanced by the construction of a sewer system in Seeley Lake. Right now, the septic systems that lie beneath our homes and businesses are polluting our...
This is dedicated to my gramps. One second I'm a sunset crossing Judith Peak Orange and gold cascade along a green border Blue grama sweeps through endless car rides in long breaths Lungs filled entirely of prairie flowers Scent seeping into red seats Narrow dirt roads chased by wild horses 10 mph around triangle corner Telling stories of when your aunt gracefully dumped the truck in the ditch Then just like blue sky becomes grey storms it was gone Emotions crackle from cloud to cloud in high...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District has not been just responding to emergencies this past spring. They also secured two grants totaling $6,000 for personal protective gear and children's educational materials. Every year Town Pump recognizes the importance of firefighters and their dedication to helping others. They understand the demand for equipment is enormous. They offered $500,000 in grants to Montana fire departments to help improve the safety of Montana communities. Seeley...
SEELEY LAKE - Tickets are now on sale for the 2017 Maclean Festival in Seeley Lake and Missoula on the festival website: https//www.macleanfootsteps.com. When Alpine Artisans, Inc. founded a literary festival in 2015 to honor our notable home-town author, we chose the title “In the Footsteps of Norman Maclean” for a purpose. We recognized that Maclean’s novella, “A River Runs Through It” put Montana in the consciousness of fans nationally and internationally but it also influenced two generations of outstanding Montana authors. This second Fe... Full story
I didn’t write this as an expert on land management and wildlife issues, or as a representative of any organization. I did write it as someone with strong concerns about where society as it relates to those issues is headed, and as an area resident who would like to meet others for informal discussions about the issues presented. Maintaining Balance Many years ago I was a pre-law student at the University of Nevada. One of the requirements was a course in economics. During the first few days of the class, the professor and text tried to p...
SEELEY LAKE - South Morrell Trail #30.1 is a popular destination for mountain bikers, trail runners and hikers. It starts from the first switchback of Pyramid Pass Road and runs about five miles down to Woodworth-Seeley Lake Road. Early this summer the trail received maintenance from the Forest Service. According to Katie Knotek, the Seeley District trail manager, a small bridge on the trail was not up to Forest Service standards. Crews went in and replaced the old bridge near the start of the t...
SEELEY LAKE-A line of 10 mules, interspersed with the occasional ranch hand on horseback, wound its way down the trail into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The mules each carried a large canvas covered pack on either side of their back-enough supplies and food to last four days. The first pack trip of the season was underway. Several hours earlier, at 7:10 a.m. Gail Theard and her family from North Carolina arrived at the Rich Ranch to start their trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Jack Rich,...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake residents and others who experienced the Jocko Lakes Fire of 2007 were asked to step back 10 years and remember the eminent threat to the community, lessons learned and talk about what has changed as a result of the fire. Clearwater Resource Council hosted the Remembering the Jocko Lakes Fire event June 25 to commemorate the 10 year anniversary. The event started with a driving tour of the more than 36,000-acre Jocko Lakes Fire led by CRC board member Jon Haufler and F...
OVANDO- How much fun can you have with a piece of pine, two axles and four wheels? This is what volunteer firefighter Andy Whitehead hopes to find out next week. The Ovando Fire Department is hosting the inaugural Pinewood Derby Classic on the Fourth of July. The race will be a fundraiser for the volunteer fire department but more importantly it is designed to create community participation. “Everyone in the community puts in $10 and comes together for an event,” Whitehead said. “It’s really created some interesting energy and partici...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley-Swan High School football team mixed up their workout routine and ran over to the Seeley Lake Lions Club Park Wednesday night to help with clean up. Eight players, carrying the Blackhawks flag, ran from SSHS to the park nearly a mile away and spent more than an hour clearing the trail and picking up trash. Then they ran back to the high school. SSHS Football Assistant Coach Keith Maughan talked with Lions Club President and Park Manager Chairman Jon Kimble and m...
As many of you know, I ran a half marathon last year with my son Sean. I did a lot of research into exercise before starting my training. I'd like to tell you it was a breeze, but it wasn't. Many days I had to push myself to train. I was one of the last through the finish line but the goal I set for myself was to actually finish, and I achieved that goal. During the time that I was training, I did notice that I had more energy, slept better and lost weight. Why should you exercise? Heart...
HELENA - The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) will continue centerline rumble strip installation on several of Montana's rural two-lane highways starting this month. The implementation is part of MDT's Vision Zero initiative to eliminate death and serious injury on Montana roads by preventing roadway departure crashes, which occur when a vehicle drives off the road or into the oncoming lane of traffic. According to MDT, in the decade between 2006 and 2015 roadway departure crashes...
SEELEY LAKE- In the fabled children’s story “Winnie the Pooh,” the characters pass time playing a game called ‘Pooh Sticks.’ Sticks are dropped off a bridge and the first to emerge from the other side is declared the winner. Seeley Lake has its own version of river racing. The annual Fourth of July Duck Races will once again fill the Clearwater River with hundreds of rubber yellow ducks. Gayle Gordon has been organizing the duck races for 20 years. The first year, it began as a fundraiser for the Seeley-Swan High School golf team. The team...
At a Glace Length: 3.5 mile long river trail, 1.5 mile return hike to start Directions: From Seeley Lake, drive four miles north on Highway 83. Turn left at the Clearwater Canoe Trail sign and drive 0.5 miles to the put-in. The canoe takeout and start of the return hike is at the Seeley Lake Ranger Station. Difficulty: Very easy- All ages Overview: At the put-in there is room for about six vehicles and there is a pit toilet. The put-in starts you off in a bend of the river with virtually no... Full story
SEELEY LAKE – What all started with hundreds of cookies turned into an opportunity for professional photographer Angie Kimmel and her friend Becky Kyle to document the Jocko Lakes Fire, the largest fire to threaten Seeley Lake. Now 10 years later, her neighbor and friend Randi de Santa Anna and mother Sue Heagy complied her photographs into a book in her honor and made it available to the public. Kimmel and Kyle were both living at the Tamaracks Resort when the Jocko Lakes Fire started in 2007....
I am so appreciative of the many successions of flower blooms here in Montana! After the remarkable beargrass show we just had down in the valley, the mariposa lilies have come on in full force. Mariposa means "butterfly" in Spanish. If you take a walk right now you'll see the tiny bright "butterflies" of individual mariposas scattered throughout the forest. In my mind they are the epitome of delicate – three creamy white petals blooming at the tip of a grey green stalk bearing one long, s...
At a recent book signing, a gentleman who knew quite a bit about the Judith Basin country explained how Utica, a small town in the basin on the road into the Little Belt Mountains, received its name. He mentioned that one of the early arrivals onto that landscape thought folks would have to be crazy to live there. (We can't figure out why, as it's a beautiful piece of geography, but perhaps he showed up in the winter when strong winds were blowing and piling up drifts of snow). With that notion...
As you plan your Fourth of July festivities, please remember to be “Fire Smart”. Take care not to spark an unwanted wildfire.…even the smallest spark has the potential to cause significant damage. While the grass and vegetation in western Montana looks green and lush the threat of wildfire is still a possibility. Matt Hall, Southwestern Land Office Fire Management Officer for the MT Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation said, “While the recent moisture has assisted in keeping the wildfire risk at moderate, grasses are getting dryer,...
