PUBLIC LANDS -- The Knight's Lake property along Lake Spokane -- owned by Washington DNR and at the top of the list for proposed Spokane County Conservation Futures acquisitions -- is a misnomer. The property proposed for sale doesn't include Knight's Lake. SR county government…
FLY FISHING -- The Bitterroot River, which runs through Missoula, is warming up and anglers are starting to squirm at the thought of the season's first hatch of big fish-arousing stoneflies. There's still ice on the lower end of the popular Montana stream, and a…
FISHING -- Anglers soon will need new fishing licenses in Washington where the 2010-2011 licenses will expire on March 31. Note that: Idaho's new license requirement kicked in Jan. 1. Montana new fishing licenses have been required since March 1. In Washington, be careful not…
HIKING -- Late winter hikers don't have to look any farther than the Washington State Parks system to find excellent year-round trails. This week, with the state legislature looking for ways to keep the park gates open through the state budget crisis, the Washington Trails…
HUNTING -- Idaho Fish and Game is seeking public comments on proposed changes to 2011 big-game hunting seasons in meetings throughout North Idaho this week. Details of proposed changes are available on the Fish and Game website at or from regional Fish and Game offices.…
STATE PARKS -- Rock climbers and people fascinated by caves will be among the first to feel the impact of the budget crisis facing Washington's State Parks. Two state parks in Eastern Washington – Crawford and Peshastin Pinnacles – will not open this season because…
HUNTING -- The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission heard public input on proposed 2011-12 hunting season rules during its meeting Friday and Saturday in Spokane. No action will be taken until the panel's April 8-9 meeting in Olympia. Proposals include: Restricting hunters to shooting only…
FISHING -- At least one busload and several carpools of anglers are heading to Helena on Tuesday to challenge proposed changes to Montana's stream access laws, according to the Missoulian. "I've got high school friends I haven't talked to in 10 years that want to…
PUBLIC LANDS -- If you enjoy the South Hill Bluff trails or the landscape, check this out. A High Drive Bluffs planning meeting is set for Tuesday. Any area neighbors or users of the trails are invited to join in developing a vision and action…
OUTDOOR IMAGES -- If you haven't seen this panorama photo technology, check it out. Click on the photo of an Utah's Double Arch and drag the cursor for seamless panning in any direction. Click here for other 360 Degree Spherical Panoramas In and around Utah.
HUNTING -- Washington hunters have two deadlines coming for special permit applications: Spring black bear hunting permit applications are due by midnight March 10. Multiple-season permit applications for deer and elk hunters are due March 31. Read on for details and Washington Department of Fish…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- Wildlife managers, sportsmen and elected officials all bent the ear of the six panelists who attended the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting at the Spokane Convention Center on Friday and Saturday. The hottest topic was the four-point minimum whitetail buck rule…
WILDLIFE -- For three hours on a recent afternoon, Blaine County Undersheriff Pat Pyette and a deputy shot wounded antelope in Montana. The herd had congregated on the only place clear of snow — railroad tracks used by BNSF Railway Co. Pyette figures he and…
OUTFIELD -- If you know an outdoors-oriented student looking for a summer job, here's one with perks that caught my attention, including $2,000 worth of top-quality outdoor gear, a $2,500 stipend and expenses-paid backcountry trips in multiple states. The Sierra Club is billing its summer…
WINTER SPORTS -- The Inland Northwest avalanche advisory issued this morning notes moderate to considerable danger for avalanche, especially on the wind-slab areas of the Selkirks and Lookout Pass area. The heavy snowfall of the past week in the Lookout area has not posed much…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- The Idaho Fish and Game Commission just announced the six candidates the panel is considering for director of the Idaho Fish and Game Department. The candidates, who come from inside and outside the agnecy, will be interviewed by the commissioners this month…
WILDLIFE -- A Montana photographer has been convicted of illegally feeding bighorn sheep near Big Sky Road in order to photograph them with the area's signature mountain -- Lone Peak -- in the background. The state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department says 35-year-old Ryan Molde…
ENVIRONMENT -- Artists and naturalists will be mingled in a local gathering that will link world-wide activities during the Faith and Environment Network's annual Called to Care event on Earth Hour Day, March 26 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 127 E. 12th…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will hear public comment on proposals for 2011 big-game hunting seasons when it meets Friday and Saturday at the Spokane Convention Center. State officials didn't do sportsmen any favors by booking the meeting downtown at the…
INDOOR CLIMBING – REI is offering three free ways for co-op members to get a feel for rock climbing this month at the Spokane store’s indoor climbing wall: Saturday climbing – Each Saturday in March, an REI staffer will be at the wall from 1…
FLY FISHING -- Any day now. Or maybe any week... The skwalla stonefly hatch is simmering in Montana's Bitterroot River. The Skwalla nymphs are near the shore and will start to crawl out as soon as warmer weather and more sunshine settles in the valley.…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The recent cold snap hasn't caused wild turkeys to forget it's time to start posturing for the breeding season. This photo was snapped this morning by a reader who lives in the foothills of Mount Spokane. "The rest of the group (hens…
BOATING -- Peter Hunt of Oak Harbor, Wash., didn't go ballistic when he discovered his boat had been targeted by burglars. He went to the Internet, where he found the thieves selling the stolen items taken during a rash of boat burglaries – including his…
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES -- July might be the best month of the year for camping, hiking, fishing and other outdoor activities, and this year's version will deliver even more than usual. July 2011 will have 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays -- a bonanza recreational…
WINTER SPORTS -- Lookout Pass ski area has just been cited as having received "the most snowfall in the world" among reporting ski resorts during the past seven days. The one week total: 6.5 FEET, most of which fell Sunday-Tuesday. The distinction has just been…
