Week of July 25, 2024
Week of July 25, 2024
Editor's note: Weekly deadlines are tough for providing quick, current information as it relates to the fire season. The Pathfinder's Facebook page (Seeley Swan Pathfinder ~ Seeley Lake, MT) is a good resource for information on new starts, fire conditions, restrictions and evacuation notices, as is mtfireinfo.org and the Lolo National Forest's Facebook page. We will publish updates similar to these as often as is necessary and useful. Weeks of persistent hot and dry weather, with a bit of... Full story
From the prairie potholes of northeastern North Dakota to the Blackfoot Valley, new Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife biologist Lee Tafelmeyer has already had a varied career in wildlife biology. "I grew on a cattle ranch, hunting and trapping and developing a passion for the outdoors, wildlife and ecosystems," Tafelmeyer said. "A family vacation trip to Yellowstone as a youngster played into my interest in the Rocky Mountains and wildlife." When college entrance forced the beginning...
The Seeley Lake Water District will increase rates for water users as the anticipated closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber looms this fall. Per information from a notice sent out by the water district this month, the mill consumed 20% of the water the district produced each month and used about two million gallons of water monthly. The loss of that production for the district is expected to amount between $50,000 and $60,000 in total. The notice stated the mill intends to shut off its water supply at the end of the year, which is likely when...
The Loon and Fish Festival was back in Seeley Lake over the weekend with music, art and food all in an effort to support local artists and students. Alpine Artisans, a group that encourages the development of the arts in the Seeley-Swan valleys, puts on the festival. Raffle tickets to support its scholarship fund, which provides money to high school students, were on sale from the start of the festival on Friday to a half an hour before it closed on Sunday. Sera Benton was an Alpine Artisans...
The Seeley Lake Sewer Board was presented with conceptual designs from engineering firm Water & Environmental Technologies, or WET, for an anticipated sewer project and heard an update on earmarked money for the project from the federal government on July 18. Bill Decker, Seeley Lake Sewer District manager, provided the update about the earmarked money from Representative Ryan Zinke’s office for a sewer project in Seeley Lake. The grant application is making its way through the approval process within the U.S. House Appropriations...
Seeley Lake, Mont., July 18, 2024 —The Seeley Lake Ranger District is pleased to announce that Seeley Lake Campground’s water system is repaired, and the campground and day use area opened July 19 at 8 a.m. Campsites are currently open for reservations on www.recreation.gov. Opening of the campground was delayed for the partial replacement of the waterline. However, during construction it was discovered that the remaining part of the water system also needed to be replaced. The Forest Service was able to modify the contract to have the...
This story was updated on July 24 at 10:27 a.m. to make clarifications regarding senior and junior water rights, and to correct that the main stem of the Blackfoot River has been placed under a hoot owl restriction, not the north fork. Like many other people who make or have made their living working the land, Denny Iverson saw this year’s drought coming. The winter was drier than normal in Montana and the snowpack didn’t build up well. On top of that, it was an El Niño year, which from decades of experience Iverson knows to mean drought...
Thirty-five years ago ... Thursday July 27, 1989 Five people escape serious injuries in head-on collision Early morning fog was a factor in a glancing head-on collision in Seeley Lake, where five people miraculously escaped serious injury. Three young Seeley Lake residents in a 1985 Ford Mustang collided with a 1975 Ford pick-up truck in the heavy fog around 8 a.m. last Friday. The vehicles collided halfway between the Valley Market and the One Stop Convenience Store. Joe Beatty, the driver of...
The Seeley Lake area is no stranger to wildfire and smoke. Both are a seasonal hazard here and can be unpredictable. We never know exactly where a lightning bolt will strike or a campfire will be left to wander, and often the smoke filling our valley comes from hundreds of miles away - beyond our control and reach. While there is a lot about wildfires that we individually cannot control, we can work to be prepared for the inevitability of their occurrence and effects. We know that it is not a...
Tonight I am witness, to my surprise, to a waterski exhibition. We have stopped in Amsterdam, New York, on the Erie Canal, and apparently there is a very active waterski academy here. While entertaining, the jumpers and balletic skiers put up prodigious wakes, which rock us continually. Between that and the trains paralleling the Erie Canal every 30 minutes, it is an active place. We have traversed northeast Canada, crossed Lake Ontario and are now transiting the Erie Canal on our way back to...
As a U.S. Marine and a veteran of the Vietnam era, I appreciate the service of all members of the armed forces, past and current. However, I am seriously disappointed and a bit disgusted with those members of the armed forces in Sheehy’s recent ad. They are standing against the man who has done the most for Montana veterans — brought us clinics, got care for those exposed to Agent Orange, etc. They are promoting what will be a very junior senator over a very senior and powerful one who has done good things for veterans and Montana and...
Our trout streams in western Montana or the Idaho Panhandle have a lot in common. Whether you fish the St. Joe in Idaho or the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, or Rock Creek in Montana, you'll find the same trout species, the same insect hatches, the same general topography, but with infinite local variations that can differ slightly as you move from one run to another on the same body of water, much less into a different watershed. It's theme and variation. Each stream has its own character, its own...
James Clayton "Clay" Bohlman, a cherished soul known for his eclectic spirit and compassionate heart, passed away on July 13, 2024, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Ron and Sandy Bohlman on October 16, 1968, Clay was a beacon of ingenuity and kindness throughout his 55 years. Clay's early life in Oregon and Montana laid a strong foundation for a man deeply connected to his roots. He graduated from Tigard High School in 1987 and went on to earn a college degree from...
