Bud Anderson, center, plugging the dike downtown
Twenty Years Ago
Thursday, Sept. 11, 2003
Elk on public land merit special attention
By Mike Thompson
Upon entering Trixi's Antler Saloon, in Ovando, Montana, you stand at a crossroads between elk populations and in the eye of a storm in elk management.
No one knows for sure how elk sort themselves into "herd units," as wildlife biologists refer to them. They are defined by distinct winter ranges, in this case the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range to the northwest and the eastern slopes of the Garnet Range to the south. When elk scatter from these two separate winter ranges in summer, ne'er the two shall meet, except near Trixi's, the not so imaginary line dividing Game Range elk from Helmville elk. In the social world or elk, as in that of human beings, it matters who you are and from whom you came.
Parenthetically, I might mention that field work for a prize-winning dissertation could be accomplished while sitting at Trixi's bar on a warm spring season and watching through the open door until a group of Game Range elk eventually meets a group of Helmville elk in the meadow across the parking lot.
Would separation of the herd units be defended overtly, with cows rearing up on their hind legs and striking at each other with their forelegs? Or, would aloof dignity be maintained at all times? I surely would require several days at the bar to discern this.
At this time of year, we at Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) field lots of phone calls from hunters looking for good places to find elk. It's tempting to send some to Trixi's. Because in that spot you are literally surrounded by elk for as far as the eye can see, in abundance not surpassed in over 100 years.
But, I do not.
True, it's more fun to send hunters to dark holes with no elk or cell phone coverage instead. But, the main reason I don't send many hunters to Ovando's is because of the frustrations they may endure.
It's a tale of two elk populations, strikingly similar in many ways. Both number roughly 1,000. Both boast uncommonly high proportions of mature bulls. Both have suffered unexpectedly low calf survival since the mid-1990s but are rebounding lately. And both populations have increased steadily in recent years.
But, to hunters, wildlife managers and private landowners they are as different as night and day.
To read more of this article and the rest of the issue visit https://www.seeleylake.com/home/customer_files/article_documents/2003-09-11.pdf
Thirty-five Years Ago
Thursday, Sept. 15, 1988
Plugging the dike: Leak detection saves lots of water
A survey for leaks in the Seeley Lake Water District ended this week with another sizable leak being stopped downtown and a total savings of around 50,000 gallons a day that was just leaking away.
Crews dug beneath the street in front of the Stage Station and Rovero's Hardware to plug another leak in a summer-long effort to shore up the water system.
"That leak was caused by a one-inch copper pipe coupler that had ended and it was probably 20 years old," said Bud Anderson, water district manager. "A similar thing happened at the Mormon Church line recently."
The connection led into Rovero's but was detected when water surfaced by the curb box for the Stage Station.
"It was probably losing around 70,000 gallons a day and we're not sure how long it's been leaking. It had to be sometime in the past two years when I put in the Stage Station line," Anderson said.
Brian Novak, an engineering student on loan from MSU for the summer, finished his work on the leak survey Friday and returned to school.
"We're 100% complete on the survey and we've taken care of the major ones but there will always be minor leaks," Anderson said.
The results are impressive with usage dropping from 828,000 gallons per day to 324,000. At an average usage of 100 gallons per day per person, that's enough water saved for 5,000 more people, according to Anderson.
"We are now running one hour with the city pump on and two hours off. We used to run 23 hours a day. And we're experiencing a full storage tank for the first time," he added.
To read the rest of the issue visit https://www.seeleylake.com/home/customer_files/article_documents/1988-09-15.pdf
Public library opens
By Loretta Cooper
The public is invited to check out the new Seeley Lake Public Library. The library, located in the Seeley-Swan High School Library, will open Sept. 15 for public access to the high school library collection. This collection contains some 8,000 adult and young adult books and 70 current periodicals.
The grand opening of the public library has been set for Oct. 4. At that time, the new shelving will be in place and an additional 2,000 books from the Missoula Public Library will be ready for use. This collection will include books for all ages from preschool through adult.
Lorrie Gobel has been hired as the public library aide and will operate the library during non-school hours. Loretta Cooper, high school librarian, will operate the library during school hours...
The people of Seeley Lake have done an outstanding job to create this library. Many have donated time, money, ideas, books and a lot of hard work. Take time to visit your local library!
To read more of this article and the rest of the issue visit https://www.seeleylake.com/home/customer_files/article_documents/1988-09-15.pdf
Reader Comments(0)