Week of May 30, 2024
Week of May 30, 2024
The Swan Valley Community Council heard a presentation on what it would take for Condon to become its own town at the council's May meeting. No action was taken, other than forming a subcommittee to further investigate incorporation, but general considerations of the idea included the prospect of being able to handle things on the town's own terms - without needing to fit in Missoula County's envelope for some things like road maintenance and building codes - and looking toward the future on...
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...
A day before Montana’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee met to discuss the low precipitation levels of April and look at what was in store for the months to come, a traffic-stopping, Search and Rescue-compelling snowstorm occurred on Bozeman Pass on May 8. According to KBZK, the interstate was closed for almost 24 hours and some travelers were stuck in their cars for 15 hours. Those presenting at the committee meeting — including representatives from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Geological Survey ...
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...
Thirty-five years ago... Thursday June 1, 1989 Montana Senators seek compensation for forest fire losses Montana Senators Max Baucus and Conrad Burns are seeking $10 million in compensation for property losses from wildfires originating in Yellowstone National Park or National Forests in Montana and Wyoming. In a letter sent recently by Baucus, Burns and Wyoming Senators Malcome Wallop and Alan Simpson to Senator Robert Byrd, Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Department of the Interior, the...
In a recent Letter to the Editor, Don Larson contends that the waterfront and riverfront properties are the worst septic effluent polluters on our lakes and waterfront. That is speculation. Even if it were proven to be true, how does that address the known elevated groundwater nitrate issue within the district? Mr. Larson’s comments on testing and repairing waterfront septic systems on all the lakes has merit but again, how does that address the known issue within the district? And, is there any reason why we can’t do what Mr. Larson...
Montanans appreciate our locally grown food, from vegetables to huckleberries, raw honey and grass-fed beef. Can we say the same about our wood products? By supporting the forest industry in Montana, you are ensuring that wood products are coming from forests managed with some of the most stringent environmental laws in the world. The Missoula Chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) supports investment in our local forest products industry. Montana’s identity is rooted in our forests. Sustaining the capacity for active forest...
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...
To the people and voters of Seeley Lake, I thank you for the opportunity and honor of representing you in the Montana Legislature for the past eight years. Under Montana Law, I am ineligible to run again this year but, fortunately, there is a candidate who can and will serve the people of Seeley Lake very effectively. Rep. John Fitzpatrick, who currently represents Deer Lodge and Granite Counties, is now running in a new district which adds Powell County and Seeley Lake to the remainder of his old district. John Fitzpatrick served with me on...
I’m grateful for the spiritual places we can go to get away from the busyness of life, like the temple or even a quiet room in our homes. I have also found that being in nature and its peacefulness has helped me connect with Heavenly Father. Is it great to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, smelling the scent of fresh rainfall, or hearing the sound of a babbling creek. These things have allowed me to quiet my soul and prepare my heart to connect with heaven. Even the simplicity of...
Greetings from the Chesapeake Bay. We have been working our way up through Virginia, now Maryland, through the lands of earliest English exploration, American Revolution, Civil War and other scrimmages/wars/skullduggery that created this country. Last week we visited the very battlefield at Yorktown, where English General Cornwallis blew a fourth quarter lead and surrendered to George Washington. All this history has filled me with patriotic fervor, a desire to give back to honor all the...
In this season of Montana State politics, I cannot resist laying my hammer down, pen this letter to the editor, and expose the ugly and completely dishonest smear campaign that John Fitzpatrick is hurling at the public against Dave Kesler, candidate for House District 76. The citizens of Montana, and particularly your district, should be utterly appalled at the lies. Dave Kesler is an intelligent, honest, hard working and dedicated father who gives much to others. He will represent your district and all Montanans with integrity and truth, not...
