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SEELEY LAKE – “People think of our country as being rich because of natural resources such as timber and gold,” said fashion designer Liz Claiborne at Salmon Prairie School’s eighth grade graduation in 1988. However she pointed out, we also enjoy something more important, “brains - educated kids. Educated children are a true natural resource…Montanans will all benefit if children are encouraged to pursue a good education” The late Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg invested in education in the Seeley-Swan Valleys by funding several programs incl...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board passed a budget for the 2021 fiscal year at their June 4 special meeting that is a little more than double last year’s budget. They tabled the decision on how to spread the assessment over the landowners. In other business the Board didn’t take action to authorize the project to go to bid because there are still a handful of things that are incomplete. District Manager Jean Curtiss presented the Board with a proposed budget between $224,329 and $283,329. The $59,000 difference was what was b...
SWAN VALLEY - John Stark's handcrafted, larch, 26 X 40 foot log house built in 1939 is located on a little more than two acres near Cygnet Lake in the Swan Valley. The use of locally available materials allowed the Stark house to complement its forested and rural setting and it still retains a high degree of integrity and stands as a sterling example of a simple, yet exceptionally well-constructed, log building reads the application for a place on the National Register of Historic Places Its...
SEELEY LAKE - The Fat Hippie Dispensary noticed new faces come into the store after the start of June. The recent influx of non-regulars could be tied to a new state law that allows medical marijuana cardholders to freely choose where to purchase their medicine. "Patients deserve to be free to shop to meet their needs and we are excited that is finally going to happen," said owner Terry Lucke. "It opens up a lot of possibilities for people to shop wherever they want, whenever they want." In...
MISSOULA - University of Montana's 'Main Hall' shined gold on June 6 to represent the Seeley-Swan High School Class of 2020. The lighting was a part of an eight-day celebration for graduates in Missoula County. Alongside main hall, the "M" was illuminated at dusk, which featured streaks of sunlight after a rainy day....
I fail to see the value in Roxie Sterling’s frequent, vitriolic diatribes denigrating democrats. We know all too well where she stands on the issues facing this country. Her incessant belittling of people and their opinions, that do not concur with her own, will do nothing to change the political landscape nor will it serve to unite the various factions. Please Roxie do everyone (that includes you) a favor and utilize your time in a more productive endeavor such as going out and registering voters and desist with the tiresome letters. S...
This morning I spent picking up yard signs with Carter and thinking about all the many people who helped the campaign be a great success, and you are one of them. We still have a journey ahead, but last night was a major victory, we won the primary with 68% of the vote, and I have you all to thank for that. There were thousands of postcards and hand written notes mailed, thousands of phone calls made and doors knocked, 150 yard signs delivered, numerous letters to the editor, I can’t tell you how many emails and social media posts went out a...
Did you ever shake a carbonated bottle of water, or soda pop or something similar? Of course, you have. The pressure inside the bottle builds-up. You can't see it but when you open the lid, the liquid explodes outward in a forceful spray. If you were to keep shaking it without opening the lid, eventually the pressure would be so high that the explosion would still happen. The bottle would break, spraying the liquid and pieces of the bottle in all directions, which is an extremely dangerous...
Individual(s), identifying themselves as law enforcement specifically deputies from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, are calling residents and stating that money is owed, they must pay immediately or be arrested. Victims are then asked to provide information related to personal banking or other payment methods to pay the bill. Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, or any law enforcement agency, will not call and request banking or credit card information over the phone. If you receive a message stating that it is the Sheriff’s Office and y...
On May 25 our nation witnessed the horror of George Floyd dying with a police officer’s knee pressed into his neck. Mothers everywhere, from Minneapolis to Maine to Missoula, winced hearing a dying man call to his own. This act is but a snapshot of hundreds of years of oppression. Much of the United States was built on stolen land with stolen labor, and these centuries old crimes still echo today, across generations. As your Missoula County elected officials, we share a vision of a just future, yet do not pretend to know the exact path f...
MISSOULA - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) bought 4,480 acres in the Lower Blackfoot River drainage from The Nature Conservatory (TNC) , which secures permanent public access to the land. The purchase was within the Upper Belmont Creek landscape, roughly 25 miles northeast of Missoula, and was part of the TNC’s Clearwater Blackfoot Project. The purchase used $3.4 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The new acquisition helps stitch together what had been a patchwork of interspersed public and private land. This combines w...
SEELEY LAKE – Busy campgrounds across the Seeley Lake Ranger District are experiencing an uptick in bear activity prompting Forest officials to remind visitors to be “Bear Aware” and store food and other attractants properly. In the past two weeks, multiple bear sightings have occurred at Big Larch and Seeley Lake Campgrounds. At times, bears have come within 10 feet of humans and dogs, they have been spotted investigating tents, vehicles and coolers looking for food rewards. No injuries to humans or pets have occurred. “We are working with ou...
As Montana's aging population continues to grow (18.9% of Montanans are now 65 or older), rural residents face the same aging challenges as their urban counterparts but often with fewer resources. A low-cost, high-benefit strength-training program offered through Montana State University Extension may be one solution for how seniors living in small towns can access a fitness program that will help them age well. The StrongPeople program helps participants of any age increase their joint flexibil...
SEELEY LAKE – While delayed for a month due to the coronavirus, the annual Cakes for Canines donation breakfast was a huge success again this year. All proceeds support Paws Up Safe Home Animal Shelter in Potomac. "People were very generous," said Operator Hazel Tyler. "We saw a lot of friends and saw a lot of people that we hadn't seen because of COVID-19. Everyone seemed to have a good time, I know I did." In addition to the pancake, bacon and egg breakfast, there were items to bid on and a ra...
As the world contends with “the invisible war” we should all become aware of the situation so that we may all help to slow and protect each other from the spread of this dangerous disease. Influenza and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), as well as colds, tuberculosis and other transmittable respiratory illnesses, are spread via droplet transmission and may be a significant threat to fire and emergency and other first responder professionals’ safety. Corona viruses are a group of viruses belonging to the family of Corona viridae that infec...
SEELEY LAKE – Built 80 years ago, Camp Paxson, on the southwest shore of Seeley Lake, has been a confluence of natural, cultural and commercial history hosting a summer camp for boy scouts and various other youth organizations, events and schools. This year it returns to a historical use, opening its doors to welcome firefighters. In the early 1940s, it was the place were conscientious objectors trained to be smokejumpers. Today, it is lodging the Seeley Lake Ranger District fire crew in l...
This spring, area students received degrees and were recognized on university Dean’s Lists for academic excellence. University Graduates The University of Montana had 1,863 students who are degree candidates for spring semester 2020. Samuel Aldeen of Condon received a Bachelor of Arts: History. He graduated magna cum laude with a GPA of 3.7-3.83. Kaila Olson of Potomac received a Bachelor of Arts in Education: Elementary Education. Olson graduated cum laude with a 3.4-3.69 cumulative GPA and was on the President’s List for the spring sem...
Each year, Missoula Electric Cooperative awards 15 $1,000 scholarships to local students who are working to achieve their educational goals in Montana. This year four area students received a regular scholarship: Amy Ostertag, University of Montana (District 5 - Seeley Lake / Condon); Rachel Bemis, University of Montana (District 5 - Seeley Lake / Condon); Lars Erickson, Hellgate High School (District 6 – Helmville / Ovando/Potomac) and McKoy Gebhardt, Helena High School (District 6 – Helmville / Ovando/Potomac). Trenton Crowe, Highlands Col...
I recently went to the hospital for a small procedure. As I entered, two gals checked my temperature and gave me a mask. I consider myself a reasonable person and thought this makes sense in this situation. But I won't spend what few years I have left look'n like Jesse James ready to rob the bank at Northfield, Minn. Then you have big outfits like Walmart and others open with a lot of folks close together while small independent shops are forced to stay closed and are going bankrupt, losing a...
SEELEY LAKE- The Veterans and Families of Seeley Lake (VFSL) said they are preparing to replace the current veterans' memorial off Highway 83 before Veterans Day 2020. The plan is to replace the existing wooden signs with a more long-lasting structure in the same location. "[The current name plates] are wood plaques, and every year we have to [restore] them, or at least part of them," said VFSL member Darryl Wolery. "The longer they are in the weather the less time they will stay nice." The...
SEELEY LAKE - "This was a dream come true but a dream I never knew I had," said Sarina Gilpin, new owner of Deer Country Quilts. "If you would have asked me 10 years ago, I would not have thought this is what I would want to do with my life." Gilpin, who has worked at the quilt store since 2014, looks forward to carrying on the legacy of quilting in the valley and continuing to be a destination quilt store. Her mission continues to revolve around customer service and providing a safe place for...
MISSOULA – Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Robert L. (Dusty) Deschamps, III denied a Writ of Mandamus that would have forced the Missoula County Elections Administrator (EA) to approve two citizens’ initiative petitions for collection of signatures. Attorney Colleen Dowdall filed the petition for the Writ in January of 2020 on behalf of a pair of landowners in the Seeley Lake Sewer District, Don Larson and Tom Morris. The two citizens’ initiative petitions in question were filed with the EA in 2019 with one filed by SLSD resident Frann...
SWAN VALLEY - "You were top shelf. You looked out for younger kids at the school and we appreciated everything you brought to the table this year," said Principal Ralph King about the eighth graders to a handful of close family and friends at the Swan Valley School eighth grade graduation ceremony June 2. Each graduate was able to invite nine guests to the in-person ceremony. While it was different that previous years, where the whole community shows up to support the students, many of the...
MISSOULA - The Bureau of Land Management’s Missoula Field Office, in partnership with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, is asking for public comment on a proposal to allow overnight and/or multi-night float trip experiences at four float-in sites along the Blackfoot River. No float-in sites currently exist on BLM-managed lands, and only a few sites exist on private or other public lands. Collaboration over recreation on the Blackfoot River has existed since the 1970s with the development of the Blackfoot River Recreation Landowners agreement a...
SEELEY LAKE - Fourteen kindergarten students were promoted to first grade this year at Seeley Lake Elementary after they met all the requirements for kindergarten....
