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The Missoula County Commissioners approved the proposal to adjust operating hours for the Seeley Lake garbage container site at their meeting April 18. The new hours will be Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., effective May 1. These hours will remain the same year-round. “I did outreach at (the) Seeley Community Council and through the Pathfinder,” Kim Myer, Seeley Lake projects and operations coordinator with Missoula County Public Works, said. “There was only one negative comment and I received many emails in favor...
Springtime in the garden often starts with big dreams and memories of the beauty and abundance from the past season. Here in Montana we get a break from gardening as our season is short and hopefully sweet. Often our spring thoughts turn to questions like: Is the fence high enough to keep the deer out? Will cardboard really work to quench the quackgrass? Do I have enough row cover for that mid-season frost that nailed the garden last July? Deer that aren't used to fence jumping can usually be...
Travelers on Highway 200 may have noticed the new cell tower near the Monture Creek Bridge, three miles west of Ovando. The tower was built in January by Bridger Corporation. "Construction will be completed around July," Jason Evans, Verizon site acquisition specialist said by email. "Service will be up soon after that depending on the fiber company's final install. The community should see service as early as this summer." A lease agreement for Verizon service on the tower has been filed with...
The monthly Swan Valley Community Council Meeting on March 19 had reports from the Swan Valley Volunteer Fire Department and the Forest Service. In addition, special guest speaker Jim Nave from Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation discussed water rights in the Swan Valley. “The Swan Valley is one of the only basins in Montana that still has surface water rights available,” Nave said. “Other basins are closed for new surface water rights.” The Swan Basin encompasses the Swan River drainage to its confluence with Flathead...
Proposed schedule changes at the garbage dump, Special Management Area updates and a forestry report on treatments at local campgrounds rounded out the Seeley Lake Community Council meeting on March 11. Garbage dump schedule change A proposed schedule change for the Seeley Lake Refuse Collection Site, or the garbage dump, led the Seeley Lake Community Council meeting. A 2020-2023 study of the number of site visits per day showed that Sunday had the highest number of site visits at 37%, Wednesday 33% and Saturday at 30%. The proposed new...
Riley Comstock, a double major Environmental Science and Sustainability and Journalism sophomore at University of Montana, accepted an internship with Protect the Clearwater (PTC). Protect the Clearwater a nonprofit founded in 2023 challenges Montana DEQ's actions as violations of the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), the Montana Public Participation Act and the Montana Constitution. The internship is funded through the Baucus Institute Climate Scholars program. The internship will be...
The Blackfoot Challenge hosted the first ever Winter Ski Day on the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA) Feb. 24. "I spend a lot of time skiing on the BCCA in the winter and wish that other people were enjoying it too," Elaine Caton, Blackfoot Challenge Education Coordinator. Thirty adult and children winter aficionados attended the ski day on the Blackfoot Challenge property north of Ovando. Maps were distributed and small groups found their way by cross country skis or snowshoes on a...
Protect the Clearwater, a nonprofit based in Greenough, joined other citizen groups in the Jocko Valley, Libby, Paradise Valley, Ennis and Gallatin Gateway to oppose the effects of new open cut mining laws established in 2021. The changes brought about by a 2021 mining law, House Bill 599, removed red tape and streamlined the gravel mine permitting process for applicants. Gayla Nicholson, spokesperson for Protect the Clearwater (PTC), gave an update on the nonprofit's work to stop gravel mining...
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is developing a new online registration system for participants to determine their place in line for vehicles on opening day of antler hunting season on the Blackfoot Clearwater Wildlife Management Area. Online registration will open a few weeks before May 15, the opening day. FWP is still deciding if a first come, first serve system or a random drawing will be the best way to distribute numbers for waiting in line on opening day. There will be phone-in options for those not using a computer. “This is year one f...
Swimming lessons are coming soon to Seeley Lake after strong community interest and instructor training. "We were finally able to hire a Red Cross instructor to come to Seeley Lake to train our instructors," Westin said. "It cost a little more but it's worth it to make the training process easier on our instructors, rather than them having to drive back and forth to Missoula or Kalispell at inconvenient times." Parents representing 96 kids responded in favor of swimming lessons in Seeley Lake...
Ovando School recently was awarded $1,500 via the Bright Future Grant from Missoula Electric Cooperative. The grant is being used for Consumer Science and Home Economic classes for grades four through eight. Funds will mainly be used for supplies. "We're excited to have this grant from Missoula Electric for Consumer Science classes," Patti Bartlett, fourth through eighth grade teacher, said. "Sometimes being away from the books is a great way to learn." This fall students practiced sewing...
Roadside safety issues are at the core of upcoming changes to opening day for antler hunting. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) will be hosting meetings to discuss possible solutions to the annual opening day congestion at the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area game range. New this year, antler hunters planning to enter the WMA in a vehicle will not be allowed to stage along Highway 83 and will instead register for a spot in line ahead of opening day. According to Montana law, a...
Missoula County is applying for federal grants and seeks public comment in order to replace five weakened and aging bridges in the Blackfoot and Swan Valleys. Construction could begin by 2027 on Boy Scout Bridge, Riverview Drive Bridge, Sunset Hill Bridge, Glacier Creek Bridge and Cold Creek Bridge. Funding for the project is expected to come through two federal grants, Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) and the Bridge Investment Program (BIP), as previously mentioned in the Pathfinder. The total cost...
Through volunteer efforts, the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS) has been delving into local history through word and deed for 36 years. Twenty-five years ago on March 10, 1988, the first meeting of the USVHS was held at Evelyn Jette's residence. Meetings moved to the Swan Valley Library and Librarian Fern Kauffman began recording and archiving local historical information. In the early days the work began with copying historical photos that people brought into the library. Gradually...
January marks the beginning of the second year of the Missoula County Rural Grant Program, Commissioner Juanita Vero said. Both Micro Grants for up to $500 and Impact Grants for projects $501 to $4,000 are designed to support community projects outside of city limits. Missoula County has opened the second round of Impact Grants and is continuing to accept Micro Grant applications to support community-driven projects that enhance the quality of life in rural areas of Missoula County. Following a...
Alaina Barger won Senior Goat Showmanship at the Arizona National Livestock Show held in Phoenix, Arizona on Dec. 29-31. Competing against 78 exhibitors from 16 states, Barger was pleased to take home the championship prize. "Anyone can buy a fancy animal to compete with," Barger said. "But the attitude and motivation to compete in showmanship is available to anyone. Even a small-town girl like me can compete and win in Showmanship at the National level." The Arizona National attracted 1556 exhi...
Seeley Lake and the rest of western Montana has continued to see drier and warmer than average conditions, as mountain snow levels continue to stay below 65% of normal, according to the National Water and Climate Center. "We're in a classic El Niño pattern this winter," said Meteorologist Luke Robinson of the Missoula National Weather office. "There are some indications that it might change in mid-January, bringing some snow and cooler temperatures." The El Niño weather pattern is caused by warm...
Cowboy Claus made his annual visit to the Ovando Christmas Fest for the 23rd time. He rode into town on Bill and Dena Hooker's faithful steed Nic, who has been carrying Cowboy Claus to the Christmas Fest for 15 years. This years' celebration on Nov. 25 included craft vendors filling the Ovando gym and Rob Henrekin's wagon with his team of black percherons ferrying visitors back and forth from downtown Ovando to the gym. Children's activities happened at the church and Christmas trees were...
The Ovando School students and teacher's aide Angela Williams performing sign language while the crowd did the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the Annual Harvest Dinner. The Harvest Dinner is put on annually by the So and So Club of Ovando. This year's dinner was highlighted by a high bid of $1700 for 2 dozen eggs donated by Norma Hughes Auctioneer Kevin Ertl and spotter Ben Slaght celebrate when the bid got to $1000. Rachel Bignell holds the eggs up high. All proceeds go to a fund for...
"The Valor Ride was a heck of a trip that I'll never forget," Curtis Friede of Kurt's Polaris said. "I learned that many veterans deal with complications from war every day. Not everyone's world is a fun, happy or safe place." Friede and other veterans completed the 5,337 mile Valor Side-By-Side Ride 2023 on schedule Oct. 10, taking 22 days to ride from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to El Paso on the Texas-Mexican border. The 22-day trip was designed to increase awareness of veterans and their needs. The...
The Deer Lodge School District unification passed 876-520 on Nov. 7. Rural areas in Avon, Elliston, Gold Creek, Precinct 2 (from Garrison to the Deer Lodge Fairgrounds), Helmville and Ovando voted against the proposition 156-290. “I hope it’s a good change and beneficial to all involved,” Kelley Knight, Powell County Deputy Clerk and Recorder said. “The cards will play themselves out eventually.” About 35% of registered voters participated in the election. According to Rick Duncan, Superintendent of both Powell County High School and Deer Lodg...
Rebecca Ramsey, Swan Valley Connections(SVC) executive director, welcomed 28 participants to their quarterly potluck and speaker series held at the Swan Valley Community Hall. "It's beautiful to see everyone together," Ramsey said. "At SVC we love to bring people together to connect them to each other and to the landscape to inspire conservation." The featured speaker on Nov. 1 was Emiline Kraus, a science and parks intern with Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center (CCRLC) in Glacier...
Kyle Peltier from Seeley Lake prepared for the Appalachian Trail (AT) as his second leg of hiking the triple crown last winter, but he didn't know how different it would be from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) he hiked in 2021. Nearing his 23rd birthday, Peltier has hiked 4,853 miles in the past few years. "The AT is basically some hiking with glorified rock climbing while carrying a 30 pound backpack," Peltier said. "The AT is basically an obstacle course." According to Peltier, the terrain...
New Bear Buffer Zone regulations will go into action after Missoula City Council finalized the decision to expand the zone, including new regulations around garbage storage in the Potomac Valley. Potomac will be requiring bear resistant garbage cans by Sept. 1, 2024. The ordinance revising the Missoula municipal code will be instituted over a three phase multi-year plan. The proposed rules are an outcome of the work of the Bear Smart Working Group, which is a public-private partnership of bear experts, agency representatives, and concerned...
The beauty of glass drew Sheri Burden’s curiosity to explore the art and craft of stained glass 40 years ago. Buying a book and supplies for her new passion gave her the start she needed. “My inspiration comes from what I see around me,” Burden said. “I see something like the beautiful fall leaves we’ve had this season and made stained glass leaves that have been very popular.” Burden is a stained glass artisan from the Swan Valley. She was one of several artists who participated in the Tour of the Arts on Oct. 14 and 15. The Alpine Arti...
