ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A Whitman County man who shot a gray wolf last fall told investigators the animal did not pose an imminent threat to humans or livestock. Officers investigating the October shooting say Jonathan M. Rasmussen and his wife did not indicate the wolf...
WINTERSPORTS -- The National Weather Service and the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center have issued an avalanche warning for today for the mountains of North Idaho, including Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, Benewah and Shoshone counties. The warning of "high" avalanche danger is in effect through midnight. Dirty...
RIVERS -- The mid-elevations above the Columbia River were hurting for snow when this photo was made in January by northeastern Washington photograph J. Foster Fanning. The scene will be even browner (or darker, depending on how you look at it) as the current February...
NATIONAL FORESTS -- The St. Joe Ranger District is still accepting applications for the lottery to select reservation rental dates for the popular Red Ives Cabin. Red Ives is among the small percentage of national forest rentals NOT on the national online reservation system. How…
SHOOTING -- History buffs and shooters will step back in time at the 19th annual Coeur d’Alene Muzzleloading Arms & Historical Crafts Show set for Feb. 14-15 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds The event will focus on firearms, clothing and essentials geared to the beaver...
FISHING -- The Upper Columbia River and some tributaries are re-opened for steelhead fishing today. Meanwhile, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also announced that some sections of the Okanogan River will close March 1. Following is the agency's official announcement: Upper Columbia River,…
HIKING — Growing numbers of hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail, the Mexico-to-Canada route made increasingly popular by the movie “Wild,” have led officials to take steps to alleviate traffic. The Pacific Crest Trail Association announced on Wednesday a new permitting system that will limit...
WATERSPORTS -- Private power boaters are switching from a call-in system to an online reservation system for the Main Salmon Wild and Scenic River this year. The change to the National Recreation Reservation Service website was made last year for power boats on the Snake…
WILDLIFE -- Wildlife officials have tallied a 24 percent increase in the size of an elk herd that migrates between Yellowstone National Park and Montana. But they say it’s too soon to know if the change marks a turnaround for a population long in decline....
NATIONAL FORESTS -- National forests across the country, including the Colville National Forest, are still filling summer job positions. The currently available jobs in northeastern Washington are temporary summer positions that start in the late spring or early summer and typically last until the fall,…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- As hard as they are to find during hunting season, here's proof that a few elk survived the guns, highways and wolves of Western Montana. Montana outdoor photographer Jaime Johnson counted more than 450 elk in four herds along winter range areas...
PUBLIC LANDS -- The evidence, logic and sentiment is mounting against the sham some legislators are continuing as they court private interest groups by stumping for state take-overs of federal public land. A few Washington lawmakers are the latest to join the bandwagon. The movements...
SHOOTING -- A shooting range in Western Washington and a gun club in Lewiston, Idaho, are taking heat from neighbors, according to two stories just moving on the Associated Press. Mom who lives near shooting range says stray bullet hit her BRUSH PRAIRIE, Wash. (AP) — The...
NAVIGATION -- Three updated maps detailing roads, property boundaries, trails, recreation sites, and other information about public lands have been published by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Names of the maps and the areas they cover are Chewelah, Mount Baker and Mount Adams. Washington...
CLIMBING -- Wet and wild might describe the first ice-climbing ascent of Niagara Falls on the U.S.-Canada Border, as 150,000 tons of water a minute poured over the crest and pounded the earth beside at speeds of more than 62 mph. Will Gadd of Alberta,...
PREDATORS -- Idaho’s new wolf depredation control board reported to state lawmakers today that since it was launched July 1, it’s spent $140,000 to kill 31 wolves, all of which were attacking livestock, according to a report just posted by S-R Idaho capital reporter Betsy...
WINTERSPORTS -- The NOAA weather chart above gives a hint of what's to come this week: Lots of rain, even at higher elevations will take a whack at our meager snow pack and send a bunch of it rushing down our rivers.
Fly fishing films" ,The Fly Fishing Film Tour will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane." Tickets: $15 at flyfilmtour.com, or $13 in advance at Silver Bow Fly Shop and Swede’s Fly Shop in Spokane and Castaway Fly...
OUTDOOR TRAVEL -- The Canadian -- Rockies, ski resorts, fishing waters -- are calling louder than ever. Gas is cheaper than it's been in years and the Canadian dollar is low, low, low. Pack the bags, baby, this a great opportunity to head north across…
FISHING -- Steelheaders have been having excellent fishing in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia --or not, depending on the day they were there. Here's the latest report from Paul Hoffarth, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist in the Tri-Cities: During the month of...
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Normally, ground squirrels would be sleeping away the winter on the 2nd of February. But this Richardson's ground squirrel apparently was doing its best Ground Hog Day impersonation on Monday. This bold little beast was caught through the lens by Montana outdoor...
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Birders are signing up to contribute 15 minutes of their favorite hobby to science. The Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb.13-16, involves birders of all levels of experience to count the number of birds they see in a 15-minute period and enter their...
WATERSPORTS -- The 61st annual Spokane Boat Show, is ready to start its 2015 run -- Feb. 4-8 -- at Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. Info: (509) 991-1002, spokaneboatshow.com A boating safety class – required for everyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1955,…
PUBLIC LANDS -- A bill has been introduced in Washington -- SB 5405 -- that would form a task force to look into federal land ownership in Washington, with an eye to “to study the risks, options, and benefits of transferring certain federal lands in...
WINTERSPORTS -- Seven snowmobilers recently were cited for riding in the Mission Mountain Wilderness, a protected area in the Flathead National Forest. Motorized vehicles are prohibited in designated wilderness areas. Seven violation notices were issued to the snowmobilers for possessing or using a motor vehicle...
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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