WINTER SPORTS -- Spokane has been named to a list of Top 10 Best Winter Vacation Destinations by Livability.com, a national website that highlights more than 500 of America’s best places to live and visit. Note: It's not clear if Mayor Condon owns this site.…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Federal authorities are laying groundwork for possible trophy grizzly bear hunts around the Yellowstone area as soon as 2014, the AP reports. It's the surest sign yet that more than 30 years of federal protection for grizzlies in the area is nearing…
FISHING -- Not unexpected.... Canada lists bull trout in Alberta, Saskatchewan as species of concern On Monday, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada listed 42 species as at risk, including the bull trout, which is Alberta's provincial fish. -- Calgary Herald
FISHING -- Following dismal returns that forced closure of some king salmon fishing seasons this year, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has announced that his Fiscal Year 2014 budget will contain $10 million for the first component of a five-year, $30 million comprehensive Chinook Salmon Research…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Wolf hunting has arrived in Washington. Although gray wolves are still listed by the state as an endangered species, the Colville Confederated Tribes have opened a wolf hunting season for tribal members on a portion of their reservation, according to the 2012…
HUNTER EDUCATION – With current enrollment nearing 2,000 hunters, the Master Hunter Permit Program administered by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has stopped accepting new applications for membership until further notice. The enrollment freeze is designed to give the department time to absorb…
READER REACTION: A woman just made this comment to me (slightly smiling): "I don't know why I read the Outdoors Blog while I'm eating lunch." Apparently she's reacting to the graphic and educational and fascinating if not gross post of the local snowy owl giving…
Ask Idaho Fish and Game: New Fishing License Q. I just purchased a 2013 Idaho fishing license; can I use it to fish to the end of 2012? A. No. To fish in December 2012, you must have a valid 2012 fishing license. The 2013…
WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT -- "Sorry, officer, but I thought that llama was an elk -- even after I gutted it out and put it in my pickup." Sound like a tall tale? Nope. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks employees have seen some doozy cases over the…
WINTER FISHING -- Hog Canyon had an average turnout, but the pressure was down somewhat at Fourth of July lake when the fisheries opened for their winter trout season on Saturday. Fishing was good, but anglers had trouble getting their limits after catching two fast…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- An arctic migrant snowy owl continues to treat birdwatchers near Mount Spokane High School, not only by perching and modeling for photos, but also by letting people watch as it hunts nearby for rodents. Of course, most of what goes in must…
BOATING -- Most of the recreation facilities at Dworshak Dam and Reservoir are buttoning up for the winter. Dam View, Grandad and Canyon Creek campgrounds, and Merrys Bay day-use area are closed for the season and will reopen in the spring 2013 as weather conditions…
FISHING -- As Oregon and Washington consider banning gill nets from the lower Columbia River, some worry the move could have unintended and negative consequences on salmon fisheries in Idaho and Eastern Washington. Check out this report by the Columbia Basin Bulletin.
WILDLIFE -- The good news: Wildlife populations in the U.S. have experienced an astonishing resurgence. The bad news: All those animals are now our neighbors. See the story: America Gone Wild in the Wall Street Journal.
FISHING -- Trout were present while any sign of ice was absent during Saturday's winter fishing season at several northeastern Washington trout lakes. Here's Saturday's field report from the Colville area by Bill Baker, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist: Hatch Lake -…
WINTER SPORTS -- Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park has moved up another administrative step toward developing a new ski lift and seven new ski runs on the west side of the mountain, on an 850-acre area known as the Potential Alpine Ski Expansion Area…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Traditional uses can be overpowered by heavy public use of popular public lands. Agreement puts trapping off-limits in area of Montana national forest The Bass Creek Recreation Area in the Bitterroot National Forest gets the second highest number of visitors in the…
HUNTING -- Wyoming lawmakers will decide in coming months whether to follow a growing national trend and allow the use of silencers on hunting guns -- a practice already permitted in 39 states. See today's story here. The law is being promoted by companies that…
FISHING -- Steelhead fisheries on the upper Columbia River will close one hour after sunset on Saturday (Dec. 1) from Wells Dam to the Highway 173 bridge at Brewster and on the Wenatchee, Icicle, Entiat, and Methow rivers. Several whitefish fisheries scheduled to open that…
Outdoor enthusiasts may see footwear prices jump 30 percent Unless Congress can negotiate with the Obama administration's opposition to outdoor industry duty suspension bills, the cost of footgear for hiking, biking and other outdoor activities that are manufactured overseas will increase prices nearly 38 percent,…
WATERFOWLING -- How crazy could it get if Washington had allowed electronic waterfowl decoys? Check out this video.
WINTER SPORTS -- The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association is opening portions of its 120-mile groomed nordic trail system to bicycles this year. Skiers headed out on a few of the nationally celebrated nordic trails that had enough snow for grooming this week. When more…
HUNTING -- While we're on the subject of parasites and other buggers in the meat of the fish and game sportsmen might bring home from the field, here are a couple of subjects I did not cover in today's outdoors column: Rabbits should be well-cooked…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Here's the latest snowy owl sighting from Lincoln County: At 3:09 p.m. Wednesday for about 30 minutes we had very close-up eye level views of a Snowy Owl sitting on a wooden fence post approximately 1.1 miles west of Hwy. 231 on…
WILDLIFE -- A moose was freed from a strange backyard entanglement this summer thanks to a brave Utah deputy and a pair of cutters. Maybe you read the story about the bold and unusual rescue. But the video above offers a clearer image. Anyone who's…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
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