SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Ranger District (SLRD) is bustling with activity this summer! With the arrival of summer visitors and residents and more activity on your National Forest (NF) lands that surround the communities of Seeley Lake and extend to the upper Blackfoot, it seemed timely to provide another update on the happenings at the SLRD. It is an exciting time for us because our short field season is when all the planning for logistics and budget finally pays off in work on the ground!
We are actively conducting programs and projects, many of which are taking place in cooperation with our partners and the general public.
The recreation program manages developed campgrounds, dispersed sites, trailheads, trail system (275 miles of summer trails!), access to wilderness and the connection we have with area lakes and streams managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP). In addition to our permanent recreation staff this summer, we have temporary crews in recreation, trails and weeds. We also have two Montana Conservation Corps trail and weed crews. One of our employees serves as a trails and weeds liaison in partnership with the Blackfoot Challenge. All our campgrounds are open and being serviced by a total of 16 campground hosts; please thank these volunteers when you see them out and about!
To better inform the public regarding our trail system, trail information and a current condition report is available on a whiteboard outside the SLRD office. We invite updates from the public!
Our outfitter and guide program is helping us serve the public through their permitted offers of wilderness trips, canoeing, fishing and other outdoor recreational services. They help clear our trails along with volunteers from the Backcountry Horseman and Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation.
The SLRD will have a booth at the upcoming “Celebrating the Clearwater” trail event on July 10 at Camp Paxson sponsored by Clearwater Resource Council.
In addition to the visible management of our local recreation facilities, there is a lot of work being done to respond to community requests and land management needs. Our fire crew is working on some district specific fuel projects in the Seeley Ski Trail and Horseshoe West project areas. They are being trained and ready for initial attack as fires are detected on lands under Forest Service fire protection. To date, we have had two small lightning-caused fires which were successfully controlled.
We make our fire crew available to go to other fires when needed; we have sent an engine and crewmembers to Wyoming, Arizona and Canada earlier this year.
The Mt. Morrell Lookout is staffed as of June 29. The fire crew participated in both the Ovando and Seeley Lake Fourth of July parades with a Forest Service engine. We continue to ask the public to take great care in extinguishing campfires to minimize human-caused ignitions!
Related to fire, the SLRD received Burned Area Emergency Response funding to address the post-fire effects of the Morrell Complex fire of 2015. These funds are being used for a variety of actions including trail stabilization, weed treatment and road treatment such as storm proofing to minimize erosion potential in recently burned areas.
We want the public to know about some other roadwork taking place on the SLRD over the summer. We have started road construction on the Dunham Road (#4388) which will include new culverts. People should expect up to a four-hour delay during mid-day. Anyone needing access to the Lodgepole Trailhead should try to go before 8 a.m., around 12 p.m., or after 5 p.m. when the road is generally open. We will give as much advance notice as possible of other roadwork occurring this summer.
The wildlife program on the SLRD takes a turn from the intensive carnivore monitoring conducted during the winter to a variety of wildlife-related fieldwork in the summer. We coordinate as closely as possible with FWP relative to any habitat manipulation or management that may be considered opportunities for species of mutual interest.
The work this year includes big game habitat mapping, aspen inventory for potential future restoration projects and lynx habitat validation in the Center Horse project area. We are also looking at Forest Service facilities to determine the need to upgrade existing bear resistant containers and improve bear attractant management.
Besides the annual administration of recreation residences, The Lodges on Seeley Lake, Tamaracks Resort, and Camp Paxson, our lands program is working on permitting new activities on the SLRD including commercial filming, research and a permit with the Driftriders Snowmobile Club to place a new groomer shed at the West Side Trailhead. Other permits that the SLRD is administering include recreation events such as the Ultra-Marathon 50K Foot Race (SLE Outside) and Seeley 55, Seeley 35, and Seeley 22 Special Mountain Bike Races (Missoula Bike, Inc.) associated with the Bob Marshall Music Festival. Also permitted later in the summer is the Seeley Lake Triathlon (Youth For Christ) and the Gran Fondo Bike Race (Missoula Symphony Orchestra).
The SLRD had an opportunity to provide $5,000 worth of funding toward SLE Outside’s summer outdoor activity and education program through the Forest Service “Every Kid in the Woods” initiative. The level of funding we provided does not cover the cost of the entire program but we are glad to help enable children in our community to participate in the outdoors with a variety of activities and education topics and partner together to meet our mutual interests.
Our spring open house was well attended – we really appreciate those of you who stopped by to say hello and meet our employees. We are considering hosting another open house in early December. We invite you to visit our office, which is open 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Information on any SLRD activities can be obtained there plus Visitor Use Maps, which display recreation sites and trailheads ($10) and Motor Vehicle Use Maps, which display designated motorized routes (free).
Our continued challenge and opportunity is working with our local collaborative groups and partners who seek to work with us to accomplish mutual goals and objectives. This includes everything from trail planning to vegetation treatment such as timber harvest and fuel reduction. We continue to take advantage of funding opportunities that align with existing planning efforts while also focusing on what is most important to our community and the American people.
The SLRD is proud to be a part of the Seeley Lake community. We thank the community for support through recent transition in workforce and leadership changes. We also appreciate the respect you demonstrate toward public facilities and for your passionate involvement and interest in the management of the SLRD! Our commitment to the community we serve and partners who help us meet our mission is critical to our mutual success.
So look for us out and about this summer and know that we are working hard to be a good neighbor. Thank you!
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