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Becky Kramer

Becky Kramer is a reporter for The Spokesman-Review in the Idaho department. She covers the environment, natural resources and utilities.

How to contact Becky

Email: beckyk@spokesman.com
Phone: 208-765-7122
Fax: 208-765-7149

Recent stories by Becky

Proposal for Colville National Forest a collaborative effort

July 29, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 A proposal to designate 215,000 acres of new wilderness areas in the Colville National Forest is drawing support from a broad coalition of forest users. The plan would expand the …
Diver found dead near Floating Green

July 27, 2010 in Idaho A diver died near the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course’s Floating Green on Lake Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday afternoon.
Idaho Avista rates rising

July 27, 2010 in Idaho on Page A7 Avista’s Idaho customers could see a 6.6 percent rate hike in their electric bill by Oct. 1, along with a corresponding 1.9 percent increase in natural gas rates. The Spokane-based …
Goats help park nip problem in the bud

July 21, 2010 in Outdoors, Idaho on Page A1 Heyburn State Park is renting 540 goats from a Grangeville, Idaho, rancher to help control weeds along Plummer Creek. Each goat eats about 3 1/2 pounds of vegetation a day. … 11
Warming could change aquifer, research shows

July 20, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 A warming climate could diminish the volume of water in the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to most of Spokane and Kootenai counties. A Boise State University …
Pilot program for equality

July 16, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 In 1943, Millicent Peterson Young gathered up her earnings from the wheat harvest, and ran away to learn how to fly. World War II was in full swing, and the … 2
Long Lake dead fish creating quite a stink

July 13, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 At Long Lake, hundreds of dead carp are washing up on beaches, collecting under docks and creating a stink for residents living along the 24-mile reservoir. “If you’re water-skiing on … 5
Panel eases Idaho wolf-hunting rules

July 9, 2010 in Idaho on Page A7 Trapping wolves will be allowed in Idaho, and hunters can use electronic calls to attract the elusive predators, Idaho wildlife officials decided Thursday. By liberalizing hunting methods, members of Idaho’s … 1
Smog possible as days grow hotter

July 8, 2010 in City on Page A8 Hot weather over the next few days could cause a build up of smog-forming ozone. High temperatures in the 80s and 90s are expected throughout Washington for the next several …
Extraction begins at gold mine

July 7, 2010 in Business on Page A10 After two decades of permitting battles, Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. has begun extracting gold from its Kensington Mine in Alaska. Nearly 200 people work at the underground gold mine, located …
Forester’s commitment revived Bunker hill landscape

July 6, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 In the early 1970s, Kellogg’s bleak backdrop reminded Ed Pommerening of Vietnam. Bare hills rising from the historic mining town bore an eerie resemblance to the napalmed jungles the young …
Lead screening still a dilemma in Silver Valley

June 30, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 Community leaders in Idaho’s Silver Valley are searching for ways to encourage more parents to have their children tested for lead exposure. Paying parents to have their kids screened might …
BLM swap includes North Idaho

June 23, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 An Arizona developer is proposing a land swap that would trade about 8,000 acres of federal timberland in North Idaho for a ranch in the Boise Foothills. M3 Companies, the …
Idaho asked to keep log booms

June 22, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 A group of Cougar Bay neighbors is asking the Idaho Department of Lands for permission to keep the old logging booms and pilings that make the bay a tranquil spot …
Volunteers find plenty to pick up in Idaho forests

June 20, 2010 in Idaho on Page B1 At an informal shooting range near Hayden Lake, the targets are anything that will take a bullet. That includes vacuum cleaners, air conditioners and a mysterious square of pock-marked metal …
Accident kills ex-Grizzly

June 19, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 A former All-American football player at the University of Montana died Friday of internal injuries from a rock fall in a morning accident at Galena Mine near Silverton, Idaho. Timothy …
Ex-contractor to repay clients over 14 years

June 17, 2010 in Business on Page A14 A former contractor accused of bilking his North Idaho clients out of tens of thousands of dollars has agreed to pay more than $100,000 in restitution to victims. During a …
EPA plans next stage of Superfund cleanup

June 16, 2010 in Idaho on Page A7 The silver and lead mines that once flourished in Burke Canyon are a distant memory, but a negative aspect of their legacy lives on in the metals that wash down …
Source of PCBs a river mystery

June 15, 2010 in Idaho on Page A5 Industry has flourished along the banks of the Spokane River for more than a century. So, perhaps it’s no surprise that high levels of PCBs show up in rainbow trout … 2
Preserving a giant

June 13, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 BONNERS FERRY – Chris Lewandowski pressed gently on the white sturgeon’s belly, forcing a stream of glistening black eggs through the ovarian duct. Jose Ponce caught the eggs in a …