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MISSOULA – The Missoula County Commissioners discussed the road use agreement required by the Powell County Planning Board to add Evergreen Drive as a secondary haul route for the proposed Cottonwood Gravel Pit at their public hearing May 10. The commissioners unanimously declined the request for the tri-party agreement between Missoula County, Double Arrow Ranch Landowners Association and Deer Creek Excavating and will submit their decision to Powell County. Evergreen Drive is a dedicated r...
HELENA – Seeley-Swan High School junior Jared Townsend earned the top score for his trumpet solo "Aria" by Georg Goltermann played at the State Music Festival in Helena May 5. Townsend played with accompanist Sandy Abbott for Dr. Kevin Griggs at District Music in April. Griggs is the Associate Director Bands/Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Montana. Griggs suggested Townsend add a bit of vibrato to his piece to add more character along with working on some more dynamics to make t...
MISSOULA - With the recent election of three new directors to the Seeley Lake Sewer District Board, Missoula County’s Chief Public Works Officer Greg Robertson suggested the county commissioners consider terminating the inter-local agreement between the county and the district at a county administrative public meeting May 10. The inter-local agreement has been in place for about seven years and provides county resources to the sewer district. Through the agreement, Robertson has been the contracted District Manager. He worked to secure f...
Due to extremely high water, flood conditions and associated public safety concerns, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) closed many fishing access sites (FASs) around west-central Montana May 10 under the direction of the Incident Command for the Missoula flood. FWP also closed the gates or created temporary barriers at many other FASs around the region, along the Bitterroot and Blackfoot Rivers. FASs with limited access remain open to walk-in use but people are urged to avoid these areas and...
MISSOULA - The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks Boys and Girls decimated the competition at the 13C District Meet May 11-12. The Boys racked up an amazing 225 team points putting them out of sight of second place Clark Fork with 121 points. The girls had an equally impressive 198 points over second place Darby's 118 points. Eleven Boys and 14 Girls advanced to the Western C divisional track meet. The Girls 4x100-meter relay team laid down their fastest time of the season, finishing in 53.76 seconds. Not...
MISSOULA - Please join me in support of reelecting T.J. McDermott for Missoula County Sheriff. As the current Sheriff of Missoula County, Sheriff McDermott has a proven track record of running a jail, making improvements with the diversion program and overseeing a budget. Sheriff McDermott’s work experience includes time on the street as a police officer, county deputy, detective and Sheriff. Sheriff McDermott has also made improvements to the uniform that is being worn by deputies on the street, the Missoula County Bomb Squad and the Special R...
For those of you who vote by mail you should have received your ballot by now. The actual primary at the polls is on June 5. For whatever it’s worth, here is for whom I am going to vote. Grant Kier for US House. Despite two worthy opponents, Grant is my clear choice. During his thoughtful and highly astute five years of leadership, Five Valleys Land Trust expanded exponentially, protecting many thousands of acres, most after difficult but highly collaborative negotiations. He would bring a solid and wide-ranging grounding in science to a C...
Floodwaters in three of the four sub-districts of the Seeley Lake Sewer District should give present and future Board members pause. Those areas should probably never be built on because they are wetlands and the homes already in those areas should get special sewage treatment attention. Sewering those areas will encourage growth and at present the Seeley Lake Water District is at capacity. It will not be able to supply the new development with water unless it makes considerable, expensive new capital investment. If new owners want water they...
I know our minds are all on the high floodwaters, the obstructed roadways, and flooded homes, but looking at the long game, I see a very vibrant Spring season for foliage and fire fuels. If we get a dry period this summer, that will be prime dry fuel for fire season. I urge everyone in the Potomac area to attend the Potomac Community Wildfire Preparedness Event at the Potomac Community Center on Tuesday, May 22, from 6-8 p.m. There will be a community BBQ and showing of the documentary, Era of Megafires, by Dr. Paul Hessburg. The Era of...
As the saying goes, “experience matters.” I could not agree more. What kind of experience do we want? Being raised by a single mom who had to work for everything in life has taught me that nothing good is just handed to you, you need to work for it. She also showed me compassion and being there for people that are less fortunate than ourselves. I remember serving at a very young age at Mission 3:16 where we gave the little we had to people who needed it more. I have brought these lessons and others to the private sector where I started my own...
Lee Bridges is the people’s pick for House District 92. I have known Lee for over a quarter century and she is a conscientious, determined individual that I would trust with my life. As a retired sergeant major of US Army Special Forces, I can tell, with a glance, those that are a cut above and possess the fire and grit to make things work; to get the job done. Lee Bridges is such a person, and possesses what I consider to be the most important characteristic for a representative of the people: she has a soul. Unlike so many in political o...
Regarding Congressman Gianforte’s May 2, 2018 Missoulian article titled “Congress working on jobs.” Why is it that Mr. Gianforte and Congress do not understand that properly managed forest equates to permanent jobs, property protection, healthy wildlife and a healthy smoke-free environment for all of us? The National Forest Service’s let it burn policy equates to temporary jobs, until there is no forest to fight forest fires, loss of property, loss of wildlife habitat and poor air quality. Fifty years ago the firefighters’ motto was “Fire out b...
Flooding Update SEELEY LAKE – The American Red Cross shelter located at Mission Bible Fellowship is on standby and ready to assist if needed. Residents seeking shelter should call 1-800-272-6668. Sandbags and water testing kits can be obtained at the Seeley Lake Volunteer Fire Department. For information from Missoula County Flood Information and daily updates visit https://www.missoulacounty.us/government/public-safety/office-of-emergency-management/des/flood-safety or Inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5787/. Residents can also c...
People often consider imagination to simply be thoughts related to past and present daily experiences. If this were the case, imagination wouldn't be different from memories or reciting a poem. Imagination would be stale and lacking in...well, imagination! Imagination is so much more than our thoughts or memories. The two easiest ways to understand imagination are to observe a young child and review your nighttime dreams. Young children are always imagining playful surroundings, talking to...
Challengers won positions on the Seeley Lake Sewer District board while incumbents kept their spots on the Seeley Lake Fire District board and Potomac School board as a result of the May 8 election. The Missoula County Public Schools high school bond passed with a little more than 56 percent of voters supporting it. Countywide, only 34 percent of registered voters participated while the hotly contested sewer district and fire district races in Seeley Lake drew 62 percent and 53 percent...
Missoula County’s law enforcement officers work hard every day to keep our families and communities safe. But protecting Montanans and cracking down on crime is a round-the-clock challenge that requires our constant support. That’s why as Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I partnered with Republicans and Democrats to pass legislation that invests in our police officers, sheriff’s offices, firefighters and Customs and Border Protection agents. These additional resources will help law enforcement officers in Se...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council hosted two candidate forums, April 9 and 11, covering eight races with 31 candidates in attendance. All candidates on the May 8 Special District Mail-in ballot and June 5 primary were invited. Absentee ballots for the June 5 election were mailed May 11. For the next two weeks, the Pathfinder will feature two of the races from the Candidate Forum. This week the Pathfinder features the candidates for U.S. Senate that will appear on the ballot during...
SEELEY LAKE – A few bears have been reported around Seeley Lake getting into garbage, bird feeders and a freezer on a porch. FWP Bear Biologist James Jonkel asks residents to properly store all attractants to keep the bears from becoming problem bears that need to be removed. There is a collared grizzly boar that has been hanging around north of town around Boy Scout Road. It was caught as a non-target bear in a trap on the Flathead Indian Reservation and was collared. Jonkel said this is the f...
A Note from Charles Having known of the Blackfoot Challenge for more than a decade, and interacted with the group a bit in my time working in the Crown of the Continent, I was excited to be offered the directorship of one of the most exciting and innovative cooperative conservation organizations anywhere. The last few months have been a wild ride as I've raced to get up to speed on everything the organization does. The hospitality I have received and warm welcome, coupled with opportunities...
SEELEY LAKE – On the brink of suicide, author Mark Sullivan pulled himself back and instead prayed to find a story to write, one that had purpose, one that could consume him and give his own life meaning. That same evening a stranger told him about Pino Lella, an Italian teenager during World War II who not only helped Jews flee across the Alps to safety in Switzerland but fortuitously found himself in a position to spy on one of Hitler's most powerful commanders. And the best part – Lella was s...
SEELEY LAKE – A mother looking fondly at her toddler playing in the sandbox might remark, "He's been fussy all morning, but now look at him – he's happy as a clam." Reportedly, Robert E. Lee particularly enjoyed using the phrase, "happy as a clam at high tide." But is a clam really happy? Since no scientific study has measured the degree of a clam's happiness or sadness, the phrase apparently is the product of anthropomorphic projection. The full phrase, as used by Lee, hints at the sup...
SEELEY LAKE - A pair of osprey were spotted working with the nest on top of the new osprey platform installed by Seeley Lake Elementary junior high science teacher Patti Bartlett Gladstone, her students and Missoula Electric Co-op last December on the corner of Riverview Drive and Highway 83. One bird was spotted on the platform and was joined by a second on May 6. They were “messing with the nest” reported photographer Carleen Gonder. “I hope that means they are moving in to their new home....
With the primary election less than a month away it's time to reflect on where we have been and where we are headed. I have been busy knocking on doors and enjoyed visiting with many of you about the important issues and topics across our diverse district. One thing I know to be true; from Clinton to East Missoula to the Swan Valley you are an engaged and passionate group of constituents. While the issues are as diverse as the people in the district, a few key topics rose to the forefront of...
“And (Jesus) went out from thence and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him....And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them.” The first question that usually gets asked when reading this verse is “why.” If Jesus is truly God, why would He not be able to perform miracles, “mighty works”, here? Part of the answer is that He was in fact more than able but there is more to be considered. There is a story of a young child who was once given a toy train. Immediately...
With the snowmelt on warm slopes, certain parasites are hidden amongst growing foliage. Ticks are out and seeking blood to survive. Male and female American Dog and Rocky Mountain ticks can be found within the region. According to MSU Extension, the most common tick in the Blackfoot Watershed is the Rocky Mountain tick, Dermacentor andersoni. The American dog tick, Dermacentor variablis, can also be found. Most ticks go through four life stages: egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph and...
