ENDANGERED SPECIES – Washington’s proposed Wolf Conservation and Management Plan will be presented and discussed during the state Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting today, starting at 9 a.m. at the Ramada Spokane Airport, 8909 W. Airport Dr. Public comment will be taken during the afternoon…
SALMON FISHING -- Anglers got some thrills last month from the Yakama Tribe's 15-year effort to reestablish coho salmon in upper Columbia tributaries. This year's count of the late-spawning salmon into the upper Columbia region is the highest in 78 years, and more are still…
PUBLIC LANDS -- National parks will be waiving entrance fees to celebrate Veterans Day weekend, Nov. 11-13. The Park Service is waiving fees for a total of 17 days in 2011. The Veterans Day weekend fee waiver is the last scheduled for the year. Fee-free…
FISHING -- The sturgeon population in the lower Columbia River continues to dwindle and state officials have started talks on how to tweak back sport-fishing seasons for 2012, according to Allen Thomas of the Vancouver Columbian. Brad James, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife…
FISHERIES -- It's November, the season of love for chum salmon, which are beginning to head into South Puget Sound streams to spawn. The annual event is greeted by nature lovers who have numerous areas where they can watch the spectacle. A good option is…
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING -- Some people were surprised by the forecast for snow today. But cross-country skiers are ready to gear up for it at the annual Nordic Ski Sale and Gear Swap at Fitness Fanatics, 12425 E. Trent in Spokane Valley . The buying starts…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The Big Year, a humorous film based on the more tedious true story (and book of the same name) is flying high at movie theaters across the country. The movie follows birders devoting 12 months to setting a record for logging as…
WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS -- The family of a man who was gored to death by a mountain goat in Olympic National Park last year is suing the Park Service, the Associated Press reports. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Tacoma by the Messina…
TRAILS -- The U.S. Senate voted 60-38 to reject Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky) amendment to siphon the only dedicated source of funding for walking and biking trails into bridge repair projects. "The amendment was opposed by both Democrats and Republicans, important news as we head…
FLY FISHING -- Volunteers from the Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club scheduled a work-and-play day at Bayley Lake in Stevens County last Thursday and found plenty to do. Beavers had taken over the inlet stream where the club members had worked with state wildlife biologists…
RIVERS -- If your upcoming Veterans Day weekend plans include a road trip for fishing or visiting on the opposite side of the Snake River, you may want to take advantage of a rare opportunity to drive across Lower Granite Dam on Monday. Most U.S.…
HUNTING -- Idaho is in the second year of allowing handguns to be used during short-range deer seasons. Beginning last year, the use of handguns using straight-walled center-fire cartridges not originally developed for rifles was approved for use in big-game short-range weapon hunts, Idaho Fish…
FISHING -- The movement of steelhead over Lower Granite Dam has slowed way down, but more than 167,000 of the fish have climbed over the dam and are making themselves available to anglers throughout the upper system.
FISHERIES -- Earlier this month fishery officials in Canada and the U.S. confirmed the deadly infectious salmon anemia had been found for the first time in wild Pacific salmon. The disease was found in two sockeye salmon smolts off British Columbia. "This is the same…
OUTDOOR GEAR – The annual Sports Swap organized by the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association is set for Saturday at the Red Barn in Winthrop. Here's a tip: Some great gear from bicycles to nordic skis and all the accessories changes hand at cheap prices…
CONSERVATION -- The Dream Trail through the Dishman Hills from Appleway south past Tower Mountain and Big Rock is one step closer to being a dream come true. On Friday, the land transactions were completed with the Dishman Hills Natural Area Association selling the 80…
STEELHEADING -- Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River turned on recently and has been incredible the past week with lots of double digit days, reports Amy Sinclair of Exodus Wilderness Adventures based in Riggins, Idaho. For the week of Oct. 23-30, she said her boats…
HUNTING -- Tickets for Washington’s 2012 raffle tag go on sale Tuesday (Nov. 1). The $10 tickets are a good deal, and they make a good gift for a big-game hunter. The Inland Northwest Wildlife Council is selling the tickets on behalf of the Washington…
ARCHERY -- This photo is going around the Internet. Although I cannot verify it since there are no contacts or specifics, I agree it illustrates a point of caution needed when trying out archery equipment. The photo reportedly was taken on a cell phone after…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- Compensation to Washington farmers and ranchers for deer and elk damage to their crops would be suspended under the governor's latest proposal to slash state agency budgets even further. And as many as six senior managers in the state Department of Fish…
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING -- The Panhandle Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Club will discuss what needs to be done to continue developing and grooming the ski trails at Fourth of July Pass when it meets for this week. The club's first meeting of the season will start…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Oregon's newest confirmed wolf pack is roaming the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and Wilderness along the Snake River bordering Idaho. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife used hunter reports and remote cameras to help them document at leat five wolves in…
HUNTING -- Check station results indicate slightly more elk are being taken by a slightly smaller number of hunters this year in the Idaho Panhandle. "In VERY general terms, bull elk success rates are looking decent at both check stations (Enaville and St. Maries), and…
FISHING -- Mike Speer was fishing by the Goat Farm area of Lake Roosevelt last weekend with his friend, Steve Alexander, who hooked this 32-inch-long, 10-pound walleye. Each of the two Spokane Valley anglers was trolling a perch-colored fly and a worm, nothing more, Speer…
HUNTING -- Hunters are taking a few more wolves this season than in the first season of wolf hunting in the Idaho Panhandle. Wildlife managers say that trend along with this year's new tool in wolf management -- trapping -- should help get the wolf…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
