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SWAN VALLEY - Permit agreements between the Forest Service and concessionaires at the Holland Lake Recreation Site outline expectations of site management, maintenance and contract extensions. This past May, community members attended a Swan Valley Community Council meeting after receiving news of the concessionaire’s plans to phase out community day-use passes to the Holland Lake Recreation Complex by 2020. The decision to provide the Swan Valley Community Foundation with 200 passes this summer and none in 2020 was made in a private meeting b...
SEELEY LAKE - As Randi de Santa Anna looked through the photographs her husband Juan took of their journey through breast cancer, the story was clear. She coupled her daily journal entries with his images creating an intimate and candid photo memoir of their experience, fears and the raw reality of the situation. "Cancer's Eddy" brings the reader alongside the de Santa Annas as they weathered the storm of breast cancer. It is their hope that the book offers courage to men and women to help them...
SEELEY LAKE - Every night since October, freshman Dani Sexton spends nearly two-hours caring for her prime angus steer Shaquille O'Neal. She feeds him, walks him around the pen, bathes him and leads him into a chute to blow-dry him. When she first got "Shaq" in October, he weighed nearly 660-pounds. This month he weighed nearly 1,290-pounds, just before the Western Montana Fair, Aug. 5-10. She hopes to have Shaq place in the most competitive weight class, which ranges from 1,300-1,375 pounds,...
SEELEY LAKE - I love the parade and the excitement it creates in our town. I want to thank all those who helped organize it. I only ask one thing, that politics not be allowed in the parade. We have politics shoved down our throats daily and do not feel that we need it on the Fourth of July. Thank you....
Well, given the condition of our country and other countries in the world, I'd say everything! The Pandora myth involves Pandora's Box - although originally, it was a jar. In the sixteenth century, jar was mistranslated to box and since then, it has continued to be part of the myth. For this article, it is most important to understand what Pandora and the box represent. Pandora, meaning all-giving, was originally formed as a woman with the ability to spew evil upon the world. Chaos and...
Q: Can you tell me how to kill the ants in my garden? A: I know of nothing short of nuclear attack that would kill ants, but I can tell you how to get them out of the garden easily, as long as you don't insist that they die in the process. Ants require their homes to be in dry dirt. If you turn their home into a mudhole, they move away. It is that simple. The easiest method for moving ants that I know of is to lay a garden hose on the ground, with the end near the anthill. Turn on the water...
Recently there has been some discussion at formal meetings and social media surrounding the recent resolution passed by the Seeley Lake Fire Department (SLFD). Our intention is not to do anything other than explain how standard home and auto insurance companies would respond to the adopted resolution. We have worked together and spent hours personally, as well as staff hours, reading policies, talking directly with claims representatives and managers, and calling carriers and asking the right questions. Here is what we have found. We will...
SWAN VALLEY - The Kraft Creek Road (Forest Road 561) on the Swan Lake Ranger District will be closed from Aug. 1-Aug. 30 for bridge replacement work. A new concrete bridge will replace the existing wooden bridge across Glacier Creek. Closure of Kraft Creek Road located in section 35 T20N, R17W at the bridge crossing Glacier Creek will impact public vehicle access to several Mission Mountains Wilderness trails leading to Hemlock, Turquoise and Glacier Lakes. The point of closure on road 561 is approximately 0.4 miles from three Hemlock Lake...
As we approach Medicare's Open Enrollment Period, Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2019, it's time again to start thinking about your Medicare coverage. Open enrollment is when Medicare beneficiaries should review either their prescription drug coverage or Medicare Advantage plan coverage and make any changes for 2020, effective Jan. 1, 2020. Specifically: 1.You may save money by checking your Medicare Part D (prescription drug plan) choices. Many plans change which prescriptions they cover, which means y...
SEELEY LAKE - Those of us who have chosen the Seeley Lake area as a place to visit or live have many reasons: the beauty of our mountains, solitude whenever we desire and neighbors who share our friendship and values. Part of what makes our area special is its grounding in the history of those who built our community. Unlike the Missoula, Blackfoot and Bitterroot Valleys, that had easier access by horse and wagon, the Seeley-Swan region took a special kind of determination. We are fortunate to be just a couple of generations removed from these...
I have received several calls about plants that have either just shown up or have increased in density and distribution with the additional precipitation we have received in many parts of Powell County this summer. Two such plants are poison hemlock and Western water hemlock. Ingestion of either by humans or livestock can result in illness or death. Poison hemlock, the most toxic of the two, was used to create the potion Socrates was forced to drink in 329 B.C. Some Native American tribes have...
SEELEY LAKE – With the Seeley Lake Fire Department cadet program officially reinstated Aug. 1, 2018, it wasn't until recently that the program has gotten off the ground. With one new cadet in the program, Fire Chief Dave Lane looks forward to the opportunity for high school youth ages 16-17 to learn and engage in emergency services with the goal of turning them into a full-time volunteer once they turn 18. While the Department has had the program in the past, Lane said there were i...
MISSOULA - Interagency wildland fire officials with the Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA) are reporting fire danger indices within Missoula County to be VERY HIGH. Outdoor debris burning by permit has been closed in Missoula County since July 2. Future forecasts call for hot and dry conditions without moisture. After a wet spring, fuels have dried to the point that fires will quickly spread out of the control of initial attack resources. Fine dead fuels are the primary carrier of fire in the wildland. When fires get...
SWAN VALLEY – At a meeting held July 10, the Missoula Board of County Commissioners adopted Resolution No. 2019-106 to assess the Rural Special Improvement District No. 282 for the cost of maintaining the Lindbergh Lake bridge across the Swan River at the outlet of Lindbergh Lake and change the boundaries of RSID 282. Any property owner within RSID 282 can protest the proposed bridge maintenance cost and/or against the extension of RSID 282 in writing by Aug. 20 or speak against the resolution at the Commission’s regular meeting Sept. 5 at 2 p...
MISSOULA – The Missoula County Elections Office received a sample petition July 19 for a citizen’s initiative that would repeal a Seeley Lake Sewer District resolution approving special assessments and require the District to go through an election before assessing levies for repaying bonded indebtedness. The Elections Office had 21 days to approve or disapprove the form of the petition before it could be circulated for signatures. They responded in a little over a week. Based on advice from the Office of Missoula County Attorney, Elections Adm...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Jon Tester submitted a letter to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) Thursday, July 25 requesting a bill mark-up for the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. Tester reintroduced the bill at a rally in June. “For more than a decade, Montanans have worked hand-in-hand to create a long-term solution for public lands in the Blackfoot River watershed in the Lolo National Forest,” Tester wrote in a press release. “Now is the time to move fo...
SEELEY LAKE - Contractors with the Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited are working on the North Fork Cottonwood Reroute project that is tied to fisheries and preserving bull trout populations. The project on the #477 Cottonwood Lakes Road, approximately a quarter-mile east of the North Fork Cottonwood Creek, intends to move a segment of road from the banks of the creek and replace an existing culvert. This project is not expected to impact traffic. “The whole idea for the reroute, for instance, is to get the road away from the stream and k...
MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock announced Friday, July 26 that he has appointed 18 Montana citizens to the Grizzly Bear Advisory Council to facilitate a statewide discussion on long-term grizzly bear management and conservation. This includes education director for Swan Valley Connections. “I’m grateful for the incredibly strong interest from Montanans across the state who offered to serve on this council, speaking both to the timeliness of this discussion and the passion for grizzly bears that Montanans share,” Governor Bullock said. “I look...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Foundation is proud to announce two $500 scholarship awards to Gabrielle "Gabby" Sexton and Elizabeth "Ibby" Lorentz. Gabby has lived in Seeley Lake all her life, graduating from Seeley-Swan High School in 2018. She participated in 4-H, Student Council, Missoula Education Foundation, poetry slams, Leos Club, volleyball, basketball, track and managed football. She achieved Honor Roll all four years of high school, as well as Academic All State, top English...
SEELEY LAKE - Recent thunderstorms camped on Spruce Creek last week which caused a substantial mud/debris slide to cover the Dunham Creek Road (Forest Road #4388) in three places. There were several people stuck at the Lodgepole trailhead, located at the end of the road. No one was injured during the slides. Bull Creek Forestry started opening the road Thursday, July 25. The crew opened the road enough to allow the stuck vehicle to get out. However, at the Spruce Creek crossing, water was...
Editor's Note: As the West enters another fire season, where, how and why federal land management agencies decide to suppress wildfires and implement fuel reduction projects will be hotly debated as residents, environmentalists, agency heads and politicians tangle with how much, if any, thinning, logging and prescribed burning is appropriate to mitigate fire risk. Three trends play an important role in the discussion: hotter and drier conditions wrought by climate change, which have led to an...
MISSOULA - Gary Paul Styler, 48, of Missoula, passed away Wednesday, July 17. He was born Feb. 27, 1971 in Caldwell, Idaho to Gary and Linda Styler. He graduated from Seeley-Swan High School in 1989. After graduating from school, he worked for Neil Meyer and A & S Logging as a skidder operator in the Swan Valley. Later, he was employed by Blue Ribbon Auto of Missoula where he loved working and was still employed at the time of his death. Gary enjoyed fishing, golfing, camping, being with his... Full story
Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” This verse is part of a passage describing the new life that a Christ follower should exhibit. There should be a lying aside of the old self and putting on of the new self which is to be the likeness of God. That last part is a tall standard to live up to and one we fall short of. Fortunately, that is something that should result from our salvation rather than something that will earn it for us. However, we sho...
MISSOULA – The 4-H and Future Farmers of America livestock and exhibit buildings are open to the public Aug. 5 – 11 during the Western Montana County Fair. The 4-H/FFA Fair is an opportunity for 4-H members to show off their projects and hard work. Livestock and other projects are highlighted in shows and on display for fair attendees to enjoy. Saturday, Aug. 11 is the Western Montana 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction where projects are sold to the top bidder. In Missoula County, more than 400 youth are enrolled in the 4-H program. Every 4-H mem...
Vacation Bible School in Condon Aug. 5-9 SWAN VALLEY – Venture to Athens and experience Paul’s journey to share the TRUTH with others at this year’s Vacation Bible School at Condon Community Church. The event runs every day the week of Aug. 5 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. with a closing program Friday, Aug. 9 from 12-12:30pm. Each day will include Bible lessons, snacks, games and music. VBS is free for all pre-school aged children through sixth grade. For more information contact Condon Community Church at 406-754-2499. Seeley-Swan High School pre-seas...
