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SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley residents commented on the Swan Valley Regional Plan (SVRP) draft at the Swan Valley Regional Plan Committee (SVRPC) meeting March 9. Deadline for comments from residents was March 16. Several of the nearly 20 residents present at the meeting asked questions and voiced their opinions on the plan draft to the SVRPC. Questions asked are in bold. Responses from the SVRPC follow the question. What is a rough percentage of the community that gave input [during the envisioning process]? Out of 650 residents, 183 answered the...
GREAT FALLS - The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks wrapped up their season, finishing fourth at the State Class C Girls Basketball Tournament March 12. The Lady Blackhawks got off to a good start when they took down Plentywood in the opening round. Plentywood was the number one team from the Eastern Division and had previously been undefeated. The victory over Plentywood pitted the Lady Blackhawks against Belt in the semifinal. Belt, the top team from the Northern Division, sent the Ladies to the...
MISSOULA – Seeley Lake resident Scott Milner will participate in a concert tour with Missoula's acapella choir Dolce Canto from April 1-9 in South Korea. Their mission for the tour is to be ambassadors of the American culture to the South Koreans. They will have a tour kick-off concert entitled Elemental Harmony March 19 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Missoula, Mont. Dolce Canto, founded by current Artistic Director Peter Park and in its 15 season, is an auditioned, non-profit c...
What do you think causes school shootings? Do people hit a breaking point that just sends them over the edge? Or is it that they are "mental" and just missed their medication timeline? Not a lot of people go through the tragedy of school shootings, and hopefully not many will but most brush the person's actions off. Why is it that when adults ask questions, we the teenagers, usually say 'you don't understand'? They ask us to explain and we don't know how to explain all the pressures on us. We...
I support the candidacy of Larry Dunham for Representative for House District 92. He has been a member of the Swan Valley Community Council and The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee and active participant in community activities. He researches all sides of issues and topics in order to be as well informed as he can be. He is a good listener and willing to hear your thoughts. I encourage you to support and vote for Larry Dunham for House District 92 Representative....
There are lots of great reasons to live in the Swan Valley but occasionally we find some issues that make it difficult to connect to the “outside” world, especially when it comes to political decisions that have large impact’s on our life style, often dictated by people that live several miles from the Swan. With only around 500 voters, we do not have the political clout to stand up for our rights as citizens and voters in our area. This election gives us some hope as we have a local citizen that has filed for House District 92 and will give...
Since the formation of this great nation, it has welcomed all to participate in the fruits of the most successful capitalistic nation the world has ever known. There are immigrants here from virtually every part of the earth. The people of the Middle East Nations must not be precluded from availing themselves to the wonderful benefits of becoming members of this nation any more than your or my ancestors were. Part of residing in any country around the world as a guest, resident or citizen is to agree to learn and abide by that country’s l...
SWAN VALLEY – There will be a free film showing of “Unbranded,” Saturday, March 19, 7 p.m. at Condon Community Hall, presented by Alpine Artisans, Crown Community Cinema series. Unbranded is the story of four young cowboys, just out of college and looking for a little adventure before getting jobs and settling down. They decide to take a bunch of wild mustangs from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) shelter, break them to ride and pack and take a trip from Mexico to Canada through some of the wildest country in the U.S. Piece of cake, right...
SEELEY LAKE - In a letter to the Missoula office of the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), the three County Commissioners urged adoption of the Seeley Lake Council’s Traffic Plan on a seasonal basis. The Council’s Traffic Project resulted in a 119-page Plan document, which the Council submitted to the Commissioners in October of last year. It was the result of a two-year effort which culminated in a community-wide survey with over 300 respondents, conducted last summer. As a result of the study, the Council asked for slower speed limit...
MISSOULA - At their public hearing March 1, the Missoula Consolidated Planning Board took testimony and considered the February 2016 Draft Missoula County Growth Policy. The Planning Board unanimously recommended the Missoula County Board of County Commissioners adopt the 2016 Missoula County Growth Policy with limited changes to the February 2016 draft. They also expressed interest in seeing the update to the land use designation map move forward as described in the Land Use Strategy at the end of Chapter 2 and to receive reports regarding...
Genetic diversity of wildlife populations are an important consideration for long term conservation. Having a variety of genetic traits across a population is generally considered highly advantageous, as it allows a species a large toolbox of traits to respond to changes in environment, population size, mutation and other ecological, biological or social factors. Grizzly bears are no such exception and a closer look at bear reproductively and biology can yield some insight into how having genetic variability among individuals is an important...
SEELEY LAKE — The Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF) is proud to announce its small grant awards for the cycle ending Jan. 31. The next funding cycle ends June 30. The SLCF is a locally driven and locally supported foundation that invests in the health and prosperity of the Seeley Lake Community. SLCF grants support art & culture, community & economic development, basic human needs, education and natural resources and conservation. Carla Schade, Board President said, “Recently the Seeley Lake Community Foundation received many wor...
POTOMAC - Potomac resident Pam Town mushes her trio of dogs for fun and recreation. She explores winter trails in Seeley Lake, Ovando and Potomac by dogsled with Rex, Balto and Comet. Town started seven years ago working with her first team of Alaskan Malamutes. She worked with them for four years before dog Luna died from bone cancer. Luna had run with his brother Sitka, who refused to mush after Luna's death. Seeking another avenue, Town switched to skijoring with Rex, her long-haired German...
This poem came about last year after my big wreck on Woodrow, who in the poem is called Biscuit. Waxes more poetic to me. After I healed from my last wreck I brought ol' Biscuit out to the arena and saddled him up. All went perfectly well. As I mounted and threw my right leg over the ol' highback saddle, all strength left and it fell on his rump...which as you know is a signal to move ahead, which he did. Before I could get my leg over he was at a walk, takin' my left leg with my foot in the...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Water District would like to give advance notice to our customers that as of May 1, 2016 we will be implementing a five percent rate increase. The increase is limited to the base fee and the water fee portions of your bill. The standard home has a ¾ inch service line and the base fee on this will increase from $17.14 to $18.00. The water fee will increase from $2.20 to $2.31 per thousand gallons. The average customer using 6,000 gallons per month will see an increase on their water bill of $1.38. The Water...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake Rural Fire District SLRFD volunteers Shawn Ellinghouse and Kristy Pohlman participated in their fourth Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in Seattle, Wash. March 6. This year they carried to the top a local SLRFD member's fiancé's name on their helmets who'd been diagnosed with lymphoma the Wednesday before Ellinghouse and Pohlman left. Pohlman and Ellinghouse, along with 1,900 other firefighters, including 175 women, raced 788 vertical feet and 1,311 steps to the top of...
The week of March 13 is a busy one, including St. Patrick's Day parades and shenanigans (especially in Butte) and the Western Art Week shows, sales and parties in Great Falls. The nationally televised backdrop to those events will be the year's biggest round yet of winner-take-all presidential primaries on March 15 with hundreds of convention delegates up for grabs. The same day kicks off the first, exciting rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament - March Madness. Flying under the radar that...
Have you ever read or heard descriptive words when used together seem to make no sense or seem to be set in opposition with each other? Sometimes printed on a shoebox are the words "single pair". At first glance that seems contradictory. How can a pair be single? On second thought it could mean there is one pair of shoes in the box. The words "single pair" is an oxymoron that uses words that have seemingly opposite meanings together. Oxymorons can be used to point out two qualities that occur...
Goal: Kochel Guitars focuses on reusing and repurposing materials into something tangible. Owner Sean Kochel takes great pride in his goal of preserving American folk tradition in the guitars he makes. History: Potomac resident Kochel is a luthier. He specializes in making stringed instruments like Roots Blues guitars. He has made guitars for the last 10 years. Kochel began making cigar box guitars. With encouragement from his mother Arlene he persevered and soon built a customer base as his...
MISSOULA – Preliminary estimates by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) at the University of Montana show that approximately 11.7 million nonresidents visited Montana in 2015 and spent almost $3.6 billion in the Treasure State. While the number of travelers visiting the state in 2015 increased by almost eight percent compared to 2014 numbers, the total amount spent by those travelers decreased nearly eight percent. Though spending did not reach the record levels of 2014, the benefits of travel-related spending coming i...
SEELEY LAKE- Kristine Koehler (Bergset) of Pine City, N.Y. passed away Feb. 24 after a short battle with liver cancer. She was born to Carl and Annabelle Bergset Sept. 25, 1957 in Superior, Mont. She grew up in Seeley Lake and attended school graduating from Seeley-Swan High School in 1974. She is survived by: her best friend and companion, Doug Fitzgerald of Pine City, NY; children Scott Bergset and his daughter Madilyn of Las Vegas, Nev. and Steven Koehler of Indian Springs, Nev.; sisters... Full story
Most, if not all, of us have at one time or another said, “I can’t.” Whenever I uttered those words as a young boy, my Dad would always remind me that, “Can’t never accomplished anything.” In like manner, one of my business partners would always tell our sales people, “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you can’t. Either way you are right.” Both were expressions of positive thinking and reminders to not limit ourselves. Yet the reality of life is that there are some things that are too big (even for a positive thinker)....
Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Call Activity 3/7/16 – 03/14/16 3/7, 1:28 p.m., 40XX Highways 83, Seeley Lake: Disturbance. 3/7, 6:27 p.m., Highway 83, Salmon Prairie: Accident - No Injury. 3/10, 9:07 a.m., 32XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake: Suspicious Activity. 3/11, 5:13 p.m., 24XX Peak View Lane, Potomac: Sexual Assault. 3/12, 1:34 p.m., 17XX South Canyon Drive, Seeley Lake: Vandalism. 3/12, 3:42 p.m., 27XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake: Trespassing. 3/12, 6:28 p.m., 27XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake: Runaway. 3/12, 9:00 p.m., 1XX Frontier Court, See...
Calnan has been a volunteer firefighter for 15 and half years all over Montana. He has served on the Seeley Lake Rural Fire Department (SLRFD) for the past six years. Calnan grew up around volunteer fire departments. His father retired after more than 30 years as a volunteer. He also had uncles that served their communities. "Being in the volunteer fire department was a pretty big deal for the family," said Calnan. "I would have joined at age 12 but couldn't join until I was 18. Once I turned...
