Articles from the September 20, 2018 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 25 of 25

  • Condon Community Church breaks ground for expansion

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SWAN VALLEY – Condon Community Church broke ground for their new expansion project Sunday, Sept. 16. They hope the expansion will allow them to share the Gospel and love of Christ with more people in the Swan valley and continue to be an outreach to the community. Elder Buzz Busby said the reason for the expansion was simple, "We are full." Pastor Bruce Rippy said that the congregation started praying about the expansion project around four years ago. Watching the congregation grow, sometimes to...

  • Two themes emerge for Clearwater-Blackfoot Project

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE – After more than three years of gathering feedback about priorities and vision for the Clearwater-Blackfoot Project (CBP) area, The Nature Conservancy has identified two main themes for the land as they continue work through the transitions to new ownership. Along with seeking permanent conservation on the ground, recreational development and a community-governed ownership outcome are the two new focus areas that will further TNC's mission to connect people to the land. Ownership t...

  • Council to revisit trails committee future

    Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council voted to form a committee to study the future of the Council’s trails committee at the Sept. 10 Council meeting. In June the Council voted to disband the trails committee and hand over responsibility to trail maintenance and improvements to Seeley Lake Regional Outdoor Center for Kinetic Sports (ROCKS) but there is still confusion over what that actually looks like in practice. “Right now there are far more questions than answers,” said ROCKS board president Jim McLean. McLean said one of the b...

  • A year of regrowth on the hike to Morrell Falls

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE - Pathfinder owners Nathan and Andi Bourne revisited photo points they took along the Morrell Falls trail again this fall to help visually capture the change one year post fire. Photos were taken Oct. 19, 2017 and again Sept. 9, 2018. The amount of regrowth depended on the fire severity in the photo point....

  • I Voted for Medicaid Expansion - Can't support I-185 

    Rep. David - Doc - Moore, Missoula, Mont.|Sep 20, 2018

    When I voted for the Montana Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership (HELP) Act, also known as Medicaid Expansion, in 2015, I did so for two reasons. First, to ensure that vulnerable Montanans had access to affordable health coverage. Second, to ensure that we were giving those same people the skills they need to get higher-paying jobs so they would no longer need to rely on government assistance. I continue to support Medicaid Expansion but I do not support Ballot Initiative 185 (I-185). I ask that you join me this November and vote NO on...

  • Pay attention to the color of the heart

    Roxie Sterling, Seeley Lake, Mont.|Sep 20, 2018

    The color of a person’s skin is beauty created by the Hand of God. It’s not a person’s skin color that I pay attention to. It’s the color of their heart. Are people coming to America to be Americans or are they coming to take over America? Here is a thought. Instead of turning illegal aliens loose in our country never to report back to court, let’s place them in the homes of those who want open borders. Bring them home to their wife and children and pay for their food, clothing, medical, and education, and see that they get back to court. My...

  • Seeley Lake Chamber to relocate

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce is no longer located in the Seeley Lake Historical Museum and Visitors’ Center, locally known as “the Barn.” The Chamber is moving to a location more fitting for their seasonal needs and be closer to the downtown area, primarily due to the higher additional traffic volume. The Chamber’s Executive Director Lisa Hayhurst said that while visitation at the Visitors’ Center was up over last year, overall visitation has decreased somewhat. She attributes that to the Chamber’s new website and...

  • Alpine Artisan's Open Book Club features Lady Long Rider

    Carol Brodie, AAI Open Book Club|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE - Please join us as Bernice Ende, Lady Long Rider, makes her second appearance at Alpine Artisan's Open Book, Thursday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Grizzly Claw Trading Company. She will be presenting a slide show and discussing her recent book "Lady Long Rider" which chronicles her 28,000 miles on horseback crisscrossing the continent. There is no charge for this event and all are welcome. As a fearless young girl on her parents' dairy farm in Minnesota, Ende loved to gallop bareback...

  • Sow and two cubs relocated

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE - Tuesday, Sept. 11 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Game Warden Bill Koppen captured, collared and relocated the black bear sow and her two cubs that were getting into animal feed on the Double Arrow Ranch. He reminds everyone to pay attention and not have any bear attractants available for the next two months. "Pick up," said Koppen. "It's really, really simple or the bears don't stand a chance."...

  • Prescribed burn projects planned on the Flathead

    Flathead National Forest|Sep 20, 2018

    SWAN VALLEY - Fire managers on the Flathead National Forest are planning to conduct fall prescribed fire projects when weather, fuel conditions and air quality are favorable. Smoke will be visible from various places in the Flathead and Swan Valleys depending on the location of the burn units and weather conditions. Each project follows a prescribed fire burn plan. The prescribed fire projects are located, designed and controlled to reduce the potential for adverse effects. These projects will be in compliance with Montana air quality...

  • Public comment open for 2018-2019 snowmobile trail grooming grants

    Sep 20, 2018

    HELENA - Montana State Parks is seeking public comment on 25 grant applications for Snowmobile Trail Grooming funds for the 2018-2019 winter season. The Seeley Lake Driftriders is among the 25 with an award of $17,343.32. Public comment will be accepted through Sunday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. The Montana Snowmobile Program, as administered by Montana State Parks, was established in the early 1970’s and is an essential component of both motorized and non-motorized winter recreational activities in the state. Montana’s groomed trails provide imp...

  • New archery-only hunting area opens at Swan River National Wildlife Refuge

    Sep 20, 2018

    KALISPELL - Archery hunters have new hunting opportunities in the Swan Valley. The Swan River National Wildlife Refuge, located off Montana Highway 83 at the south end of Swan Lake, has a new archery-only weapons restriction area. The Swan River National Wildlife Refuge spans 1,961 acres and was established in 1973. At the refuge, bow hunters can only harvest deer and elk and must follow the hunting regulations outlined for Hunting District 130. Portions of the refuge remain open to waterfowl...

  • Why hiring a local real estate market expert matters

    Kim Koppen - CRS, Great Bear Properties|Sep 20, 2018

    What defines a “Local Market Expert?” A local market expert has extensive knowledge of the properties in their market and is able to explain how current market dynamics are impacting prices. Every community and market is unique and it takes a local expert to help you navigate the complicated process of buying or selling real estate. A local market expert will understand the lifestyle of the community and what it’s like to live there. How can a local market expert benefit your real estate transaction? FOR SELLERS Most agents use compa...

  • Wildfire art and science discussion comes to Seeley Lake

    Penny Morgan and Stacy Isenbarger, University of Idaho|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE -- The community is invited to attend a traveling University of Idaho exhibit of art and open community discussion about wildfire and our shared future. The creative voices of artists and fire practitioners are connected with people in communities highly affected by recent fires in the Northern Rockies. The art exhibit will be on display from 2-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Seeley Lake Community Center. A discussion of what fire science tells us will be led by University of Idaho...

  • Ian Sayer White Nov. 10, 1958 - Aug. 21, 2018

    Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE - Ian Sayer White, 59, of Seeley Lake, died Tuesday, Aug. 21 in his home. Ian was born in Princeton, N.J. to Julia and John White Nov. 10, 1958. After high school in New Jersey, Ian headed west to Eugene, Ore. where he graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in sociology. He went on to work as a social worker in Portland, Ore. and later in Missoula, Mont. Throughout his career Ian supported mentally ill adults and children in various capacities, assisted adults living... Full story

  • All you need is love

    Buzz Busby, Elder, Condon Community Church|Sep 20, 2018

    You may be old enough to remember that song by the Beatles. It was released in 1967 as a single and quickly swept the world. Just for fun I “Googled” the question “How many songs have been written with love in the title?” I did not receive a good answer. There was one person that counted the “love” songs in his collection and it came to 1,187…quite a large number for one person. As a society we use the word love to describe many emotions, events, persons, animals, etc. The list is endless. I want to share with you the true meaning of th...

  • Miss B buzzing with plans for second grade

    Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE – Primarily inspired by the modeling of her then teacher Mrs. Roach, Rachel Bemis decided in second grade that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. She never wavered from that career decision. She received her teaching certificate, taught for four years in Missoula, and has now taken the position of second-grade teacher at Seeley Lake Elementary. Because Bemis did her student teaching in the second grade, she said returning to that level "felt like a really good fit. Kind o...

  • Robin Beckett brings breadth of experience to kindergarten

    Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE – Robin Beckett (formerly Robin Gaither) brings 14 years of teaching to her Seeley Lake Elementary kindergarten classroom. Starting in a Montessori school in Indiana, Beckett went on to teach multi-grade classes in Alaska and Hawaii. During the last three years, she taught in Bonner, Mont. Beckett said her decision to enter the education field was largely influenced by her fifth-grade teacher. "I was very shy," she said. "I didn't like to talk. I wanted to be invisible. He took t...

  • A story of adoption and children with special needs to highlight the work of Sparrow's Vine

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE – "His story had me on an emotional roller coaster. One minute you're laughing and the next crying," recalled Sparrow's Vine Executive Director Tera Wold after listening to Dan Kulp at a Care Net Missoula event in March of 2017. "It left me feeling that the world is beautiful and there are beautiful people out there who were put directly on this earth to help others. After the show, I just KNEW I needed to get him to my audience in Seeley." With the financial support of Seeley Lake r...

  • An idea for Montana - State plan endorses community health workers

    Alex Sakariassen, Missoula Independent|Sep 20, 2018

    The Partners In Health, known in Haitian Creole as Zanmi Lasante(ZL/PIH), headquarters resides in a huge state-of-the-art hospital in Mirebalais, about a half-hour drive southwest of Cange. On what has become a typical morning there, hundreds of Haitians crowd onto wooden benches inside. More spill out of the entryways into the tropical sun. Some sleep on blankets or cardboard in the shade of bushes planted along the hospital's white walls. A young woman strolls toward the exit, a newborn in...

  • Lady Blackhawks out in front

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    The Seeley-Swan High School Cross country team competed in two meets this week, the first in St. Ignatius Sept. 18 and the second in Pablo Sept. 15. Freshman Hannah Ayers and sophomore Sariah Maughan are ranked in the top five in the state for Varsity Girls. Eighth-grader Emily Maughan has yet to lose a Middle School Race and is first in the state for middle school girls. St. Ignatius Hannah and Sariah finished in the top five in the girls varsity meet. Ayers finished with a new personal record...

  • Blackhawks meet wall of Titians

    Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks had their hands full with the reigning state champions, the Flint Creek Titans, at home Sept. 14. The Blackhawks held off the Titans for the first couple minutes. The rest of the first half was pretty rough for the Blackhawks as the Titans scored nine touchdowns and a safety. While the Blackhawks were unable to score during the second half either, they did keep the Titans to just two touchdowns. The Blackhawks were able to interrupt four two-point...

  • Lady Blackhawks rack up the victories

    Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 20, 2018

    SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks added a pair of victories to their resume last week defeating Victor and Drummond. The Ladies overall record is now 4-2. The Lady Blackhawks hosted the Victor Pirates Sept. 13. The Ladies made quick work of Pirates the first two games, 25-9 and 25-16. The Pirates were not ready to walk the plank and put up a little better fight in game three. The Lady Blackhawks jumped to an early lead but it was soon tied at 6-6. The teams stayed within a couple of...

  • Decreased number of rainy days has increased western wildfire

    University of Montana|Sep 20, 2018

    MISSOULA – The number and size of large wildfires has increased dramatically in the western United States during the past three decades. New research shows that significant declines in summer precipitation and lengthening dry spells during summer are major drivers of the increase in fire activity. This is contrary to previous understanding that the increase is attributable only to warming temperatures and earlier snowmelt. The research was conducted by a team of scientists from the USDA Forest Service and the University of Montana, funded by N...

  • Community Briefs

    Sep 20, 2018

    Fire Danger remains High in Missoula County - Outdoor burning remains closed MISSOULA - Wildland fire officials with the Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA) determined to keep fire danger within Missoula County at high. Recent days have seen lower temperatures and higher relative humidity but sunny and breezy conditions persist. Large fuels remain dry, so fire danger indices continue to run in the HIGH range. Because the threat of wildfire spreading on sunny, windy days, MCFPA member agencies have decided to keep outdoor...