Articles from the May 4, 2023 edition


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  • Boat inspections ramp up as lakes finally thaw

    Asa Thomas Metcalfe|May 4, 2023

    Every summer, the lakes of Montana are crowded with watercraft from all over the United States and Canada, and with each of those watercraft comes a potential for dangerous contaminants. The most dangerous of those alien contaminants are invasive species of mussels that can lodge themselves into the smallest crevices of boats, anchors, and submerged equipment and be moved from one body of water to another without being noticed but even one mussel can explode into a population large enough to...

  • Election results roll in for Rural District Fire Director and Potomac school board trustee, and Seeley Lake Elementary general levy

    Asa Thomas Metcalfe|May 4, 2023

    Missoula County Elections Office reported the unofficial results from the May 2 election. Results show incumbent Courtney Hathaway received 33% of the votes for the two open positions in the Potomac School Trustee election. She was followed by incumbent Wes Mitchell with 22% and Patrick Brewer with 11%. Five write-ins made up 0.66% of the results. In the election for the two Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Trustees, Susan Monahan came out on top with 29% of the votes, followed by incumbents Rita Rossi with 25% and Scott Kennedy with 19%. There...

  • Wild and Scenic River and Wilderness Study comment period opens

    Jean Pocha|May 4, 2023

    Lolo National Forest have opened for public comment this month. The Wild and Scenic Rivers draft, and the Outstanding Remarkable Values Framework and Wilderness Inventory Draft are open for comment until May 16, 2023. "The Lolo National Forest Plan is about issues that are important to people," said Carolyn Upton, Lolo National Forest Supervisor. "We're interested in hearing from forest users about how they see the future of both the forest and the uses of the forest and about issues that are...

  • Letter from the Editor: in favor of organized trail use

    Asa Thomas Metcalfe|May 4, 2023

    Where I’m from we don’t really have any public lands. Much like Europe, New England is all privately owned. The 300 years of land purchasing, developing, and trading has left little unclaimed by some entity or individual. The American East, and especially the colonial region known as New England, has been a part of this nation since long before the concept of communal land occurred to the European settlers. My hometown of Proctor, was originally called Southerland Falls but was renamed when it was purchased by the Proctor family with the int...

  • Time to act

    Grace Siloti, Save Holland Lake|May 4, 2023

    Time to act! Update on the current situation regarding the purchase of Holland Lake Lodge, Swan Valley by POWDR Corporation proposing a destination resort. A critical and crucial US Forest Service decision on this public land use is about to be made. What can you do? Be bothered! Be upset! Be vocal! Reminder! Swan Valley, Montana is a small community situated in the middle of public lands and two wilderness areas. Over the past 40 years, there has been extensive work by property owners, timber companies, conservation groups and the USFS to...

  • Welcome One and All to the Lolo's Forest Plan Revision

    Carolyn Upton, Lolo National Forest Supervisor|May 4, 2023

    I want to welcome you to the early phases of Land Management Plan Revision for the Lolo National Forest. The Lolo National Forest is an exceptional place, and it is my honor and privilege to be the Forest Supervisor for this landscape that is highly valued by so many people. I know it will be both a challenging and deeply rewarding responsibility to facilitate this process and ultimately, decide on the framework that will guide this Forest for many years. We are excited and eager to invite the... Full story

  • Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Call Log

    May 4, 2023

    4/20 Public Assist Snowmass Drive, Seeley Lake 4/21 Medical Tamarack Drive, Seeley Lake 4/21 Fire Tamarack Drive, Seeley Lake 4/22 Medical Canyon Drive, Seeley Lake 4/22 Medical N. Canyon Drive, Seeley Lake 4/23 Medical School Lane, Seeley Lake 4/24 Medical Airport Road, Seeley Lake... Full story

  • Missoula County Sheriff's Log

    May 4, 2023

    4/20 11:34 a.m. 457XX Highway 200 E Suspicious Activity 4/21 9:55 a.m. 67XX Highway 83, Condon Disorderly Conduct 4/22 4:48 p.m. Potomac Road Theft 4/23 1:40 p.m. 24XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake Trespassing 4/23 5:00 p.m. 17XX Woodsworth Road, Seeley Lake Civil 4/24 11:21 a.m. 36XX Bear Acres Road, Bonner Burglary 4/25 8:58 a.m. 3X MM Highway 83 Accident, No Injury 4/26 1:48 a.m. 6XX Tamarack Drive, Seeley Lake Disturbance 4/26 6:07 p.m. 5XX Tamarack Drive, Seeley Lake Theft... Full story

  • Healthy Teeth and Gums May Help Reduce Risk of Dementia

    Dr Alyssa Harris, D.M.D.|May 4, 2023

    The Administration for Community Living, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, published their “2020 Profile of Older Americans” in May of 2021. They predict that by 2040 there will be 14.4 million adults over the age of 85 living in the United States. In 2019 this number was less than 7 million. As the population of older Americans grows, so too should our focus on ways to stay healthy and live well in the later stages of life. Recent studies by the National Institutes of Health suggest that good oral health may help...

  • On a Journey Without End

    Stephen Moon|May 4, 2023

    2 Peter 2:8-9 “…who stumble because they are disobedient to the Word to which they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Ephesians 2:10 “Do not lose our identity! That is to esteem Him, the creator and founder of our belief, to talk as a chosen race, to walk in possession of His Spirit of set apartness to do His Word, will and works to His good pleasure. All whether... Full story

  • Seeley Lake Community Council May Meeting

    May 4, 2023

    The May meeting of the Seeley Lake Community Council will be held at the Barn (2920 Highway 83) on Monday, May 8th. Pizza will be served starting at 5:30, and the meeting will begin at 6:00pm. Planned speakers/topics are as follows: Elbow lake Project Update Holland Lake Update USFS Update Speed Limit study Update Clearwater RV Dump Funding Scenic Trails Update 4th of July Parade Update Everybody is invited to participate in the Council’s discussions on agenda items during the meeting.... Full story

  • Water Quality in the Clearwater Valley

    McKenzie Mallory, Clearwater Resource Council|May 4, 2023

    Lakes are highly interconnected systems impacted by multiple environmental conditions and anthropogenic pressures. The Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) is committed to evaluating the health of our lakes in the Clearwater Valley by sampling lake waters and monitoring water quality. As we learn more about the health of the lakes, we want to share the results of lake monitoring with you. Beginning in 2021, CRC began monitoring nutrients as a metric of water quality in six lakes in the Clearwater... Full story

  • Briefs from the Ovando town meeting

    Jean Pocha|May 4, 2023

    The yearly Ovando Town meeting was held Tuesday April 18 at the Ovando Gym. There were updates from 11 community groups. Notable updates included the Fire Department, Town Park, Blackfoot Challenge, Sheriff's Department, upcoming bicycle events and school news. Fire Chief Monte McNally reported that there are 18 active volunteer firemen and five Emergency Medical Responders (EMR). A battery-powered "Jaws of Life" was obtained as a gift from Blackfoot Telecommunications and a six wheel utility ve...

  • The Montana Chamber Foundation announces 2023 prospects award winners

    May 4, 2023

    The Montana Chamber Foundation’s winners of The Prospects Awards were announced in a virtual awards ceremony last week. Two Seeley-Swan High School students took top places in the competion this year. For the third year, the statewide youth entrepreneurship competition offered scholarships and cash prizes for high school and middle school students with new ideas and existing small businesses. “When we engage with our youth, we know we are investing in the future entrepreneurs and business leaders of Montana,” said Todd O’Hair, Executive Directo... Full story

  • Op-Ed: PSC puts the burden on Montanans while letting out-of-state corporations off the hook

    Jesse Mullan|May 4, 2023
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    Montana’s Public Service Commission (PSC) is under renewed scrutiny following a deal negotiated by NorthWestern Energy that all but assures Montana residents will face drastically higher energy rates. The 100% Republican-controlled PSC completed a review period in which the public was able to comment; now the commission is planning to approve new rates that increase costs to consumers by 28% for Montanans, 25% for small businesses, and only 15% for giant box stores owned by out-of-state corporations, and 15% for government buildings. Why the G...

  • Northern Hawk Owl – rare owl in southwest Montana

    Gary Swant, GoBirdMontana.com|May 4, 2023

    There was quite the stir in the birding community when a local birder found a Northern Hawk Owl near the school in Wise River in the first week of January. Why the excitement? Very few people have ever seen one, and they are typically never this far south. All of my sightings prior to January 17, 2023 were in Glacier National Park, on the "Inside Road" to Polebridge near the Howe Lake trail area, some 265 miles north of Wise River. The first was of two fledglings in June of 2005. That sighting... Full story

  • Bill to update reading level passes house vote

    Elinor Smith, UM Legislative News Service|May 4, 2023

    HELENA -- Less than half of Montana’s students are able to read as well as they should for their grade according to a report from the Office of Public Instruction. A bill that would help them catch up and meet reading goals for their age group passed a final vote in the Senate 27-to-23 Thursday. House Bill 352 would establish an optional reading intervention program for districts that would expand the resources they have to help kids practice reading both at school and at home. Sen. Shannon O’Brien, D-Missoula, carried the bill in the Sen... Full story

  • Archives

    May 4, 2023

    Thirty-five years ago in 1988... Thursday, May 5, 1988 Boys State delegates chosen Every year high schools throughout the state choose two junior boys from their school to represent them at Boys State. This year it will be held in Dillon from June 12-18. Chosen to represent Seeley-Swan High School at Boys State this year will be Dustin Gordon, son of Les and Gayle Gordon and Ron Gossard, son of Boyd and Pat Gossard. The purpose of Boys State is to teach these youth about state government. To...

  • Miss Marple is back - a review

    Carrie Benton, Seeley Lake Public Library|May 4, 2023

    If you love Agatha Christie and classic murder mystery stories, I highly recommend “Marple: Twelve New Stories.” In this recent collection of new stories by twelve different writers, the character of Miss Jane Marple is brought back to life. When I lived in Pittsburgh, PA, I loved perusing the shelves of books in the Carnegie Library. One of my favorite shelves was where I first discovered Agatha Christie. I have read most of her books, all that were available in Carnegie’s collection, including... Full story

  • Seeley Lake chimney fire quickly dealt with by volunteer fire department

    Asa Thomas Metcalfe|May 4, 2023

    SEELEY LAKE- A chimney fire on Morrell Creek Drive prompted a 9-1-1 call at approximately 10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26. A crew from the Seeley Lake Rural District Volunteer Fire Department was on the scene in less than 10 minutes and had the fire under control almost immediately. “Everybody worked together,” said Fire Chief Dave Lane. “We’ve been pretty successful with our training recently and so everybody was working together and knew what their assignments were and it all came together.” The fire penetrated the attic but didn’t da...

  • Ovando School students tour Washington D.C.

    Jean Pocha|May 4, 2023

    "It was a great experience to visit our nation's Capital as a class,"said Matilda Hessler, Ovando School sixth grader. Ovando School fifth-eighth graders took an eight-day trip to Washington D.C. April 11-18. The trip was choreographed by fifth-eighth grade teacher Nathan Graves. The group was supervised by Andrea Tougas, Ovando School's supervising teacher, Dena Hooker, School Business manager and Graves. The group of five students and three adults stayed in an airbnb and rented a van to tour...