Out & About
Spring forest burns boosts wildlife
OUTFIELD – Many national forests are announcing they will be conducting “controlled burns” in the next few weeks while forests are just dry enough to burn but damp enough to prevent “hot’ burns and runaway fires.
The goals usually include removing unnatural accumulations of brush and fuels on the forest floor that could explode into the forest canopy and cause major fires later in the summer.
Wildlife conservation groups such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation promote the cool-season burning by providing funding to federal agencies.
Fire is nature’s way of rejuvenating forage for wildlife and stimulating production of everything from mushrooms and huckleberries to elk and moose.
Climbers go out of their way
What: “The Continuum Project,” a new HD film featuring some of the world’s best climbing talent in some of the continent’s most inaccessible terrain.
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
Where: North Idaho College, Molstead Library, Todd Hall.
Who: Filmmaker Chris Alstrin will introduce his new film, sponsored by Outdoor Pursuits and the Spokane Mountaineers.
Donations accepted for Adopt-A-Crag climbing area cleanup. Info: (208) 769-7809.
Kayaker’s photos detail arctic trips
OUTPADDLE –Curtis and Maribel Johnson of Coulee City, Wash., will present a free slide show on their arctic river trips Monday, 7 p.m., at Corbin Community Center, 827 W. Cleveland.
In 2008 they paddled 800 miles from the Dempster Highway in the Yukon to the Dalton Highway northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, via the Eagle, Bell, Porcupine and Yukon rivers.
Last summer they canoed 1,200 miles from Fort Nelson, British Columbia, to Inuvik, Northwest Territories.
Raft training offered for whitewater guides
OUTFLOW – A six-day whitewater rafting and guiding class on the Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Clark Fork rivers will be offered next month by Pangaea River Rafting based in Superior, Mont.
The class is geared to river enthusiasts seeking to be river guides as well as to those who simply want to learn the skills to safely take friends and family through rapids. Topics include flipping rafts, swimming rapids, saving swimmers and navigating rafts through big rapids.
Cost: $459. Info: (406) 239-2392, www.leave boringbehind.com/
Photos capture woodpeckers, owls
OUTSEE – Learn how the 41 species of owls and woodpeckers in North America impact their environment in an extraordinary visual program Friday, 7 p.m., at the Colville Community College Theater.
The speaker: Paul Bannick, Seattle nature photographer, naturalist and author, who has written and photographed the book, “The Owl and the Woodpecker.” Admission is free.