TRAILS -- Olympic National Park has reopened a road and trailhead leading to Olympic Hot Springs. The Kitsap Sun reports Olympic Hot Springs Road and the Boulder Creek Trailhead had been closed for three years while workers dismantled the Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha…
POACHING -- Two trophy class bighorn rams were illegally killed up Asotin Creek on the Asotin Creek Wildlife area last weekend. "One was shot and wounded and we just found it (Tuesday)," said Paul Mosman, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife police sergeant in Clarkston.…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- The heat is on this indicator species. Who's next? Study finds 40% decline in polar bear numbers in E. Alaska, W. Canada A study done by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and Environment Canada, as well as other groups, followed polar…
ENVIRONMENT -- The new "CO2ld Waters" documentary will debut in the 2015 Fly Fishing Film Tour (January-February) as fly fishers such as Yvon Chouinard call on anglers to pay attention to the signals their sport is sending about climate change. Some quotes: (Fishing) is not...
RIVERS -- Dredging in the Snake River at the ports of Lewiston and Clarkston could begin as early as mid December. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Walla Walla District says it's awarded a $6.7 million contract for maintenance dredging of the lower Snake River…
PADDLING -- The Ins and Outs of the Pend Oreille River Water Trail will be detailed in a program for the Spokane Canoe & Kayak Club, 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 24, at the Mountain Gear Corporate Office, 6021 E. Mansfield in Spokane. Pend Oreille County…
PREDATORS -- A newly organized anti-wolf group says it's targeting Spokane with a billboard campaign "to inform residents about the reality of an increasing number of wolves in Washington State," according to a media release posted today. Four billboards featuring a snarling wolf are being…
SKYWATCHING -- Craig Goodwin, pastor of Millwood Community Presbyterian Church and outdoor photographer, gave us the heads up on Saturday that the weekend was sizing up to be a good opportunity to see the Northern Lights. Indeed, the aurora borealis did put on a dance,…
HUNTING -- Fewer hunters turned in to hunter check stations north of Spokane over the weekend compared with last year, but the ratio of deer taken during the late whitetail buck season appears to be about the same. Some hunters reported the cold snap that…
WINTERSPORTS -- The cozy warming hut destined for the outer reaches of the sprawling 60K Mount Spokane Cross-Country Ski Park was taking shape this weekend, thanks to volunteers from Selkirk Nordic.
CONSERVATION -- Outdoor films with a message are coming to Sandpoint on Thursday, Nov. 20. The Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour features thrill-seekers climbing the towering limestone cliffs of China and braving a beast of a wave in California plus other flicks that explore adventure, culture…
WINTERSPORTS -- An action flick on snowmobiling -- 509 Snowmobile Films Vol. 9 -- will be screened at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, at McLain Hall Outdoor Center at North Idaho College. The movie is free but donations of two or more nonpersishable canned food…
OUTDOOR TRAVEL -- A photographic journey encircling the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho, eastern Washington and southeastern British Columbia has been compiled into a new book. “Selkirks Spectacular” (Keokee Books) highlights the International Selkirk Loop, a 280-mile scenic route named by Rand McNally as one…
SKYWATCHING -- This is a good weekend for sky watching, with increased solar activity coinciding with clear skies. Craig Goodwin, pastor of Millwood Community Presbyterian Church and outdoor photographer, captured the photo above at Sullivan Lake and posted this comment Saturday: The Aurora is active.…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Conservation groups announced today a $15,000 reward for information that helps convict a poacher who killed a federally protected wolf near Salmon la Sac. U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials confirmed this week that a female gray wolf from the Teanaway pack in…
PREDATORS -- A camera fixed on a deer's neck to study what it eats also gave University of Washington researchers a glimpse of how the deer was eaten -- by a mountain lion. The short video below shows the whitetail feeding in the snowy woods…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Conservation groups announced today a $15,000 reward for information that helps convict a poacher who killed a federally protected wolf near Salmon la Sac. U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials confirmed this week that a female gray wolf from the Teanaway pack in…
PREDATORS -- Wolf research in the news includes a report on a study revealing indications that wolves suffer stress when heavily hunted. OK.... I wonder if moose and elk are stressed when wolves are in the neighborhood? Some research indicates yes. My English setter is…
FISHING -- Proposed changes to fishing rules for the Columbia River Basin are open to written public comment through Dec. 1 in an extension announced by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Proposals include: Closing all rivers, streams and beaver ponds in the Columbia…
OUTDOOR READING -- They call her Grandma Gatewood. She carries an umbrella, wears a checked skirt, and she loves to hike. In fact, she is the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. After her first 2,000-mile hike, she did it again, becoming the…
FISHING -- Better news for steelheaders in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River in this report from Paul Hoffarth, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist in the Tri-Cities: Over the past six weeks an estimated 574 hatchery steelhead have been harvested in…
FISHING -- The sudden rush of below-freezing temperatures reminds us that ice-fishing season isn't far off. Time to starting gearing up; make sure the ice auger blades are sharp. Cold weather is the bane of high-tech gadgets, but some companies are offering interesting stuff, especially…
HUNTING -- Trends in controversial issues such as big-game baiting, lead shot restrictions and wolf management are mapped out in Washington's draft 2015-21 Game Management Plan that was revised in October. The plan is online and available for public comment through Monday, Nov. 17. The…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- The Gunnison sage grouse will be listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today. The listing was a downgrade from an earlier agency recommendation — and an acknowledgement of work by Native American…
HUNTING -- The cold snap sending shivers through the region is a boon to hunters out for Eastern Washington's late buck hunt, which runs in selected units through Nov. 19. "It was 9 degrees this morning and the deer were moving," said my hunting buddy…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.