ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A second wolf has been removed from the Smackout Pack in the ongoing effort to reduce numbers until the pack no longer is killing livestock in Washington's Stevens County. The order to lethally remove some of the wolves was issued July 20…
WILDLIFE -- As announced in June, the U.S. government lifted protections for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region today, though it will be up to the courts to decide whether the revered and feared icon of the West stays off the threatened species list. The…
HUNTING -- Idaho's coveted annual lottery tag to hunt bighorn sheep has been won this year by a California hunter. John M. Taylor of Arroyo Grande, California, was chosen for the 25th annual bighorn tag during the July 26 drawing at Idaho Fish and Game…
WILD FIRES -- Two northeastern Washington wildfires continue to grow and block recreation because of the Noisy Creek Fire on Hall Mountain area east of Sullivan Lake and the North Fork Hughes Fire in a portion of the Shedroof Divide in the Salmo-Priest Wilderness. The...
FORESTS -- Sportsmen were concerned last year when the Wilks brothers -- the Texas fracking billionaires -- bought the 172,000-acre equivalent of a national forest from a private timber company in Idaho -- and quickly banned hunters. A video of a Wilks security guard offers…
RETAILERS – Around 2,500 people marched in Salt Lake City Thursday to show support for federal public lands in a departing salvo from the Outdoor industry. The rally marks the end of the Outdoor Retailer trade shows' 22-year association with Salt Lake. The Outdoor Industry...
POISONOUS PLANTS -- Bikers and hikers who feel an itch or find a rash on their ankles or lower legs after exploring Spokane River trails may have brushed against poison ivy. In some areas along the river -- where people swim, fish, hike, bike, raft...
FISHING -- Top prize in the 2017 Brewster King Salmon Derby is $2,000 with lots of other cash prizes in adult and youth categories for anglers who reel in whopper kings from the Upper Columbia River. The 12th annual event is Aug. 4-5 with a…
HIKING -- Mountain goats are icons on Scotchman Peak, luring hikers up the 3.5-mile trail northeast of Clark Fork, Idaho, to be in the realm of the usually docile white-coated animals overlooking Lake Pend Oreille. But some hikers continue to act poorly around the goats,...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- One wolf from the Smackout Pack in Stevens County has been killed by a ground-based government shooter in an effort to change the behavior of a pack that's killed at least five cattle since September. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials…
CARNIVORES -- Wolves have posed little threat to humans as they recover in their native range of the Northern Rockies, but they are known to be aggressive toward dogs that enter their territory. What could have been a tense encounter recently with two wolves during...
HUNTING -- Should Washington bear hunters be tested to prove they can tell the difference between a black bear and a protected grizzly? That requirement is already in effect in Montana, but just now being considered as a proposal in Washington, where grizzlies are more...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Wolves from two different packs -- one already targeted for lethal removal -- have been associated with new attacks on livestock, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reports today. The Smackout Pack is charged with killing a calf in a private…
HUNTING -- A story on the ethics of long-distance shooting for big game is among the reasons I'm a fan of the Elk Network website that came online in March, created by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. "Just because you can shoot long, doesn’t necessarily...
PARKS – Mountain goats are eating themselves out of house and home in Olympic National Park, where officials are weighing several options to remove the non-native species to uphold their mission to preserve native habitat. Capturing and relocating the animals or even killing some of...
PADDLING – The 36th annual Pend Oreille River Poker Paddle will launch on Aug. 5, but organizers are offering incentives to register before July 31. Formerly a two-day event, this sometimes zany gathering has been honed to one day on the Pend Oreille River Water...
OUTDOOR RETAILERS -- John R. Conley Sr., who founded the Spokane White Elephant Stores 71 years ago, is dead at 90, The Spokesman-Review reported today. He deserves local legend status for creating a business model that started with military surplus before evolving to routinely deliver...
PARKS -- The Washington State Supreme Court on Friday issued an order preventing logging that would clear new ski runs on Mount Spokane until after a legal challenge brought by conservationists is decided. After years of effort, Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park received it's...
PARKS -- Wildflowers are still putting on a show at Mount Spokane State Park, according to Patty Sparks, who put together this short video of images after she and her husband hiked Trail 140 near the summit on Wednesday. "The wildflowers were prime," she said.
WILDLIFE -- An aggressive black bear was reported Thursday along the popular national forest hiking-biking trails of Canfield Mountain near Coeur d'Alene, the Idaho Fish and Game Department says. "We have varying second-hand reports that a black bear with at least one cub has been...
FORESTS -- Because of wildfires and firefighting activity that have extended to expand this week, the Idaho Panhandle National Forests has issued temporary road and trail closures on the Sandpoint Ranger District including Forest Service Road 275 north of the Huckleberry Campground, Road 1091 and…
FORAGING -- As predicted after seeing bountiful blooms during June hikes, the region is enjoying a bumper crop of huckleberries from all reports. With so many berries around, pickers can be picky. No need to harvest small less-than-ripe berries. Be judicious if you use huckleberry…
TRAILS -- More trails and roads have been temporary closed because of firefighting activity in the Hall Mountain area of the Colville National Forest near Sullivan Lake. Colville National Forest officials announced today that the Noisy Creek Fire is burning three miles east of Sullivan…
FISHING -- Anglers are a victim of their own success at Lake Roosevelt where the reservoir's first sturgeon fishing season will be closed after opening two months ago, a state fisheries manager said today. The closure, which hasn't yet been officially announced, is being set...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A wolf pack in northeastern Washington recently associated with a fourth confirmed attack on livestock since September -- despite the presence of range riders -- has triggered a protocol that authorizes lethal removal, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today....
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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