CONSERVATION -- The 36 nominations for Spokane County Conservation Futures land acquisitions have been winnowed to a top-10 list to be considered by the County Commissioners on Tuesday.The commission plans to review the recommendations at 9:30 a.m. at the Public Works Building, 1026 W. Broadway.Since…
WINTER SPORTS -- A new additional parking area has been designated for snowmobilers heading out to ride areas near Lookout Pass and Mullan, Idaho, the Idaho Panhandle National Forests announced today. The new parking area is along Mullan Road, behind the fish hatchery, approximately three…
FISHING -- Two Spokane-area men ranked in top 10 earners among anglers who collected $1.2 million from the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program this yearEdward Williams ranked ninth while Daniel Geiger ranked 10th, bringing back tens of thousands of dollars to pump into the local…
SHOOTING -- If you own a gun and you're impulsive and impressionable, DO NOT view this video of two guys performing a really dumb stunt, whether it's for real or a put-on, even if the rifle were a .22 instead of a .50 caliber.
ICE CLIMBING -- A year ago this month, the world of ice climbing lost one of its premier figures near Bozeman, Mont.,to an avalanche that had nothing to do with the skills he plied on vertical walls of frozen water.Carve out 16 minutes to check…
WILDLIFE – Washington Fish and Wildlife officials say they’re struggling to keep up with reports of poaching and fishing violations in Cowlitz County because the department has no game wardens stationed there.Four game wardens are allocated to Cowlitz County, but two of the officers are…
FISHING -- The 2010 Northern Pikeminnow bounty program on the Snake and Columbia Rivers paid $1.2 million to anglers who helped to reduce the numbers of a salmon-eating pest called the northern pikeminnow.One devoted angler cashed in on the deal, earning a record $81,000 during…
NATIONAL PARKS -- It's official. This week's temporary closure of the North Cascades Highway will continue through the winter, according to avalanche experts who assessed the danger there Wednesday after a storm deposited 2 feet of snow high in North Cascades National Park.The scenic portion…
DEER HUNTING -- Gabe Bancroft, 14, enjoyed the complete package of being a successful deer hunter last weekend. Taking advantage of the late muzzleloader season that opens as the whitetail rut begins to ebb, he joined his uncle Shawn O'Kert to get in position where…
Should hunting be allowed for wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains? Here’s a summary of the answers given to me in interviews from leading wolf experts:• “You have to remove the bad apples.” Doug Smith , Yellowstone National Park wolf project leader • “Wolves are…
WINTER SPORTS -- Although weekly avalanche advisories won't begin until Dec. 17, Forests Service hydrologists with the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center issued an advisory this afternoon warning snow travelers of unstable snow conditions likely to last at least for a day or two. Read on…
SNOWMOBILING -- The snowmobiling closure in the woodland caribou recovery zone along the crest of the Selkirk Mountains will be enforced this winter, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a press release issued this afternoon.A free map of legal snowmobiling trails is available…
SNOWCAT SKIING -- A North Idaho snowcat skiing operation has be issued a temporary permit to continue operating their backcountry ski business out of Cataldo, the owners told S-R reporter Becky Kramer Tuesday.Peak Adventures, as the company has for years, soon will take advantage of…
NORDIC SKIING -- Fourth of July Pass cross-country ski trails should be in shape for skiing by the end of this week, according to Geoff Harvey of the Panhandle Nordic Club.Forest Service crews were out clearing blowdowns off the trails Monday and a groomer should…
FISHING -- The Spokane area's two winter fishing trout lakes open on Wednesday. The fish are there, but the conditions are iffy.The waters are Fourth of July Lake just south of Sprague and Hog Canyon Lake off I-90's Fishtrap exit.Fourth of July's east end has…
Rex Rammell, Idaho Falls, is under investigation in the illegal killing of an elk following a confrontation with an Idaho Fish and Game conservation officer. The officer was patrolling the Tex Creek Wildlife Management Area east of Idaho Falls late this morning where a late…
WINTER SPORTS -- The cross-country ski trails in the Methow Valley near Winthrop are finally getting a good coating of snow, and new trails are opening to skiers.The Washington Transportation Department has closed the North Cascades Highway because of heavy snow expected from this new…
WATERFOWL -- Ice-up has ushered the trumpeter swans out of Turnbull National Wildlife refuge to where ever they go during winter.Solo, the geriatric patriarch of his growing trumpeter family, departed the refuge with his mate and this year's crop of five cygnets during Thanksgiving week,…
WINTER SPORTS -- Spokane Parks and Recreation is beginning an extensive slate of winter recreation clinics and outings starting this week, usually in the winter wonderland at Mount Spokane State Park.Snowshoeing classes and nordic skiing classes are offered in different distinctions, such as "women's only"…
WILDLIFE -- Early Sunday morning, Ken Mondal of Spokane took advantage of the fresh powder and for a snowshoe hikeup the East Ridge of Iller Creek to Big Rocks, an excellent public natural area west of the Dishman-Mica Road.Coming around a switchback on the new…
WILDLIFE -- Wisconsin whitetails apparently are willing to challenge any bull elk that come wandering into their turf during the rut.In an early November battle, a whitetail buck fought to the death with a 640-pound concrete elk lawn ornament. Both critters suffered serious damage.The La…
WILDLIFE -- Karen Calisterio, 52, the North Idaho woman involved in a wolf encounter near her Tensed home and featured in my column today has posted on the Facebook page of Idaho For Wildlife, a group that's been critical of wolf management in Idaho. This…
FISHING -- Washington and Oregon on Tuesday closed the final remnants of commercial smelt season in the Columbia River, ending a century-long fishery that once tallied its harvest in the millions of pounds, according to Al Thomas of the Vancouver Columbian.The National Marine Fisheries Service…
WILDLIFE -- I'm posting this anonymously received photo showing a ménage à trois of white-tailed deer purely in the interest of natural science.Perhaps it demonstrates the natural intensity of the rut, or it's just two bucks with an unnatural tendency to make love rather than…
WILDLIFE -- A North Idaho woman said she was confronted by at least four wolves as she walked alone up her rural driveway between Tensed and Plummer at dusk on Saturday.Karen Calisterio, 52, was trudging up the snow-plugged lane when she saw two dogs about…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
| Dec. 2010 | Nov. 2010 |
