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From the prairie potholes of northeastern North Dakota to the Blackfoot Valley, new Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife biologist Lee Tafelmeyer has already had a varied career in wildlife biology. "I grew on a cattle ranch, hunting and trapping and developing a passion for the outdoors, wildlife and ecosystems," Tafelmeyer said. "A family vacation trip to Yellowstone as a youngster played into my interest in the Rocky Mountains and wildlife." When college entrance forced the beginning of...
James Clayton "Clay" Bohlman, a cherished soul known for his eclectic spirit and compassionate heart, passed away on July 13, 2024, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Ron and Sandy Bohlman on October 16, 1968, Clay was a beacon of ingenuity and kindness throughout his 55 years. Clay's early life in Oregon and Montana laid a strong foundation for a man deeply connected to his roots. He graduated from Tigard High School in 1987 and went on to earn a college degree from...
Christina Hartmann had teaching on the brain as a career path from a young age. She always played school with her three younger siblings, where she was the one in the role of the teacher and made sure her siblings were organized into various parts to conduct the role play. In high school, she was asked to be a teacher's aide in a kindergarten class. She worked with a non-verbal student for two years, and was inspired by how she was able to see this student's lightbulb moments from the gains they...
It’s been just over six months since I started as the editor of the Pathfinder. I wanted to write here to explain a couple of things, introduce a new intern and offer some gratitude. As I’m sure many of you have noticed, our office hours and responsiveness in some ways have been wacky. We’ve been without a working computer for a month, which has made our office manager’s job quite difficult. I’ve been so grateful to Jessi for continuing to do as much as she possibly can without a computer. As of last week, we have a new computer, and Jessi wil...
I'm writing to introduce myself as the newest physician at Partnership Health Center's Seeley Swan Medical Center. After practicing rural family medicine for the past seven years in northern Washington, I am excited to return to Montana and continue providing rural healthcare in the Seeley Swan area. I was born and raised in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin for both undergraduate and medical school. I completed my Family Medicine residency training in Missoula through...
Rebecca McCarthy got a call from Norman Maclean's daughter during an event at the Missoula Public Library. Based on the way Jean Maclean Snyder spoke on the phone, it could have been her father. Maclean had a deliberate way of speaking, which translated to the way he spoke over the phone. Per McCarthy's memory it would go like this: "Rebecca, dear." Pause. "How are you?" She'd answer and Maclean would respond with a particular exclamation that sounded like, "Gaaaaaaawd." That was the same way...
Thirty-five years ago... Thursday June 15, 1989 Forest products production down everywhere this year Timber shortages and unusually cold weather in late January and February slowed production in Montana's forest products industry during the first quarter of 1989, reports the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research. All major sectors of the industry - lumber, pulp and paper, plywood, particleboard and fiberboard - saw reduced production for the first quarter of 1989....
Two days before graduation, Seeley-Swan High School seniors sat in the gymnasium to receive scholarships provided by local and state-wide organizations. Anywhere from $750 to over $300,000 was awarded per student. A throughline from those handing out the awards was the importance of community service and volunteerism. Steve Bowen from the Seeley Lake Lions Club said community service is what drives our lives. Mary Stone, who presented the Seeley Lake Leo Awards and the National Honors Society...
If you studied Montana history in the eighth grade many years ago, you read about the Copper Kings: Marcus Daly, William A. Clark and Augustus Heinze — the one we never remember. Clark, born in 1839, came west to work in the mining camps, ran a freight business from Salt Lake City to Montana and became a banker in Deer Lodge. In this latter role he foreclosed on mining claims in the Butte area, just when electrification in major cities back east created a huge demand for copper. Once he went off to Washington D.C. to serve in the U.S. Senate ...
The Lolo National Forest Plan Revision committee held the first of four meetings region-wide in Seeley Lake on Monday, May 20 at the Community Hall. Thirty people filled the chairs and contributed comments on draft alternatives to the proposed Lolo National Forest Plan. "We just closed the scoping comment period on the proposed Lolo Forest Plan," Carolyn Upton, Lolo Forest Supervisor, said. "Then I had a great idea, why don't we go to the communities to see if we got the issues right?" The three issues the National Forest suggested for...
In the first biography of one of Montana's most celebrated writers, journalist Rebecca McCarthy presents a detailed and intimate portrait of Norman Maclean's life and work. Alpine Artisans' Open Book Club and the Seeley Lake Historical Society are co-sponsoring McCarthy reading from her biography on Thursday, June 6 at the Seeley Lake Foundation Building at 7 p.m. Visit the historical museum's Maclean display that same day from 10:00 am until 6:30 pm to see their collection of Maclean...
The winter of 2024 will be remembered as one of the driest winters on record for Montana. According to the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the average statewide snow water equivalent (a measure of how much water is in our snowpack) was only about an inch above the 30-year-average record low in March. In the Mission Mountains of the upper Swan River watershed, the snow water equivalent was 36% below average. These conditions aren't a complete surprise, as forecasters predicted that...
Summer brings the field season for Blackfoot Challenge program staff - teaming up with landowners, state and federal partners and fellow conservation organizations to make hay while the sun shines. From new electric fences to piles of biochar, here are a few updates on Blackfoot community stewardship work happening around the watershed. Education In spring and fall, school-based education events are in full swing. In May, Challenge staff took part in an all-day bear-aware event for Seeley Lake...
It certainly wasn't a bus evacuation assembly, which was the reason Potomac School Principal Sarah Schmill gave to her staff and students for gathering in the community center on May 6. The Potomac Community Center was filled with Potomac students, teachers, representatives from the University of Montana's College of Education, the infamous UM mascot, Monte, and family and friends of Abby Stitt, who was being presented with the Maryfrancis Shreeve Award for teaching excellence, of which she had...
Danielle Oyler has worked across Montana teaching kids and adults about living in bear country in her role as the wildlife stewardship outreach specialist with Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks. In front of a group of Seeley Lake Elementary School third graders at the Bear Fair, she said students in Seeley Lake have seen more bears on average than any other students at schools across the state that she's talked to. The next closest school is Lincoln. "There's a very good chance you're going to see...
Primary election ballots were mailed to Montana residents on May 10. The Pathfinder reached out to the 12 candidates running for state House and Senate seats that are relevant to Seeley-Swan area residents to ask them a handful of questions to help voters better understand their prospective legislators. After the decennial redistricting, new maps were drawn by the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission in 2023. That prompted a new district for Seeley Lake, which now lies in House... Full story
Layered onto the diverse landscapes that grizzly bears call home is another, equally variable ecosystem: the human one. As bears exit their winter dens in search of food and mates this year, be it in sprawling sagebrush steppes, high-elevation whitebark pine stands, or willow-lined waterways, their success will be determined by the availability of social habitat - the tolerance and attitudes that enable coexistence - as much as physical habitat. As a collective, we humans wield immense... Full story
Springtime in the garden often starts with big dreams and memories of the beauty and abundance from the past season. Here in Montana we get a break from gardening as our season is short and hopefully sweet. Often our spring thoughts turn to questions like: Is the fence high enough to keep the deer out? Will cardboard really work to quench the quackgrass? Do I have enough row cover for that mid-season frost that nailed the garden last July? Deer that aren't used to fence jumping can usually be...
Swan Valley School is nestled in between the Mission and Swan Mountains and inside Jamie Matthew’s classroom, light from the east-facing windows glows beautifully. The wood on her reading loft seems to stand out in the 3 p.m. sunshine. Students had just been released, and Matthew hugged a former student in the entrance to the school before walking back to her classroom to talk about something she kind of hates talking about — herself. Matthew was designated the Montana Rural Teacher of the Year...
Lesley Jungers was born Lesley Carol Jochim on Jan. 23, 1970, in Bozeman, Montana. Lesley graduated from the University of Montana with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Elementary Education and with a minor in K-8 art. In the summer before her college journey, Lesley met Ed Jungers which eventually - after seven years Lesley would say - led to their marriage on Aug. 6, 1994. Lesley and Ed were blessed with the joy of raising three boys: Cole, born on May 6, 1996; Bo, on June 24, 1998; and Aaron,...
Usually we expect notable people from our past to leave some kind of footprint: a road named after them, a mountain peak, a lake, or a lookout. In the case of Wesley Edward Binko, however, frequently referred to as W.E. Binko, there is nothing to be found. How odd for someone who was a real pioneer of the dude ranching business in our valley. Wesley Binko was born in Helena in 1893 to a long-established Helena family. From Helena Senior High School he went on to Northwestern University in the Chicago area. A track star in college, he held the...
Riley Comstock, a double major Environmental Science and Sustainability and Journalism sophomore at University of Montana, accepted an internship with Protect the Clearwater (PTC). Protect the Clearwater a nonprofit founded in 2023 challenges Montana DEQ's actions as violations of the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), the Montana Public Participation Act and the Montana Constitution. The internship is funded through the Baucus Institute Climate Scholars program. The internship will be...
A version of this article was first published in Mountain Journal, a digital magazine covering wildlife and wild lands in Greater Yellowstone. Arnold "Smoke" Elser is a storyteller, but he's not a big reader. In his office, tucked into a faded red barn built around 1900 in Missoula, Montana, an entire wall of shelves contains binders and books on wilderness policy and regulations. They're more work than pleasure for Elser; he waves them off with an air of modesty. It's the mules strolling by...
After seven years as its leader, Rebecca Ramsey is stepping down as the executive director of Swan Valley Connections, a nonprofit in the Swan Valley dedicated to conservation and education. The executive director position will be broken into thirds, welcoming Luke Lamar, Sara Lamar and Ty Tyler into leadership roles focused on different elements of the executive director position, like conservation, operations, education, board management and fundraising. The Pathfinder reached out to the...
Nicolas Little Coyote Escorted by: Grandma, Sally Johnson; Mother, Letha Bixby; Girlfriend, Darby Gleason Sport/years participated: four years of Basketball, three years of track, plans to play track Plans for the future: Go to college for Psychology Favorite memory: Seeing my teammates scoring and succeeding in basketball Jalen Kauffman Escorted by: Parents Jenny and Leon Kauffman Sport/years participated: four years of football, four years of basketball, three years of track and plans to play...
