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Stories tagged: national forests

Report: National Forest visitors spent roughly $290 million in Washington communities

In Washington, National Forest visitors spent roughly $290 million in nearby communities and supported 2,130 year-round jobs, according to a new report.

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 20, 2017, 3:02 p.m.

Agency pulls some Idaho, Wyoming snowmobile maps after suit

The U.S. Forest Service has withdrawn snowmobile use maps for two national forests in Idaho and part of another in Wyoming after environmental groups said the maps violate the federal …

In brief: Fall Fishing Derby at Lake Pend Oreille

Anglers will be fishing for more than $10,000 in cash and prizes under a new format when the

Out & About: Seniors to pay more for federal lands pass

Congress passed legislation in December that will significantly ramp up the cost of a federal pass that gets citizens age 62 and older into federal recreation sites where entry fees …

UPDATED: Sat., April 1, 2017, 3:50 p.m.

Field Reports: More help needed to maintain national forest trails

The Forest Service is letting the public suggest trail systems that should receive priority for maintenance in an era of bare-bones trail budgets.

Past opinions provide perspective

Looking Back reviews opinions published in The Spokesman-Review during this week in history. National forests, Feb. 18, 1906

Transferring federal land: an old idea that still offends the masses

Having a beef with the federal government is as old as the USA. So is the associated idealism and greed that’s helping fuel the current campaigns to transfer federal public …

Forest Service on hold for hiring seasons firefighters, trail crews

Federal workers scrambled last week to interpret how President Donald Trump’s hiring freeze of civilian employees might affect seasonal firefighters and other part-time employees such as trail crews.

Destroyed Little Snowy Top lookout provided shelter, memories to many

The cabin stood tall in the wilderness of northeastern Washington to combat wildfires and shelter visitors for 84 years.

Field Reports: Colville National Forest looking to fill 50 seasonal jobs

The Colville National Forest is looking to fill 50 seasonal jobs in northeast Washington for next summer. Forest officials are going so far as to hold workshops to help applicants …

Hells Canyon boating fee proposal caught public off guard

The citizen’s council with the power to decide if a Hells Canyon river fee should move forward learned about the proposal more than 18 months before the general public.

Colville Forest plan will ration recreation on 1.1 million acres

Something is at stake for everyone from mountain bikers to loggers in the 1.1 million-acre Colville National Forest as the July 5 deadline approaches for public comment on the draft …

Landers: Most forest recreation areas open for holiday with some restrictions

Most of the region’s public lands campgrounds are opening just in time for the Memorial Day weekend – the unofficial opening of the camping season. However, some roads and trails …

Expected bumper crop of mushrooms spells new rules, permits

Inland Northwest national forests swept by 2015 wildfires are gearing up with rules, permits and educational pamphlets as officials expect a spring rush of mushroom gatherers. A bumper crop of …

Field reports: Nez Perce working to reintroduce condors to Hells Canyon

BIRDS – Idaho’s Nez Perce Tribe has been awarded a $200,000 federal grant to pursue reintroducing California condors in Hells Canyon. The Nez Perce grant is a share of nearly …

Rich Landers: Pet dogs caught up in Idaho’s wolf-control effort

Mary Franzel and her pets almost made it through Idaho’s 2015-16 wolf trapping season unscathed. On Friday, the Clark Fork resident was cross-country skiing north of town on Lightning Creek …

National forest road hazards spring up in wake of 2015 fires

Landslides occurring on the region’s national forests are prompting warnings from Forest Service officials that anyone traveling in the snow-free areas of low-elevation mountains should have an exit plan.

Mount Hood’s Timberline Trail to fully reopen in 2017

One of the most spectacular trails in the United States – and perhaps the most iconic pathway in Oregon – is scheduled to reopen in full by the summer of …

Fire-related closures affect winter recreation

Wildfires

Field reports: State laws ban hunter harassment

Field reports: State laws ban hunter harassment

Motorized users sue Kootenai Forest for more access to proposed wilderness areas

Snowmobile clubs and advocacy groups from Montana and Idaho are suing the U.S. Forest Service and its plan that bars motorized access in certain protected areas of the 2.2 million …

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 9, 2015, 11:16 p.m.

Fourth-graders can get free Christmas trees from national forests

Fourth-grade students are eligible for a free Christmas tree permit from local national forests as part of an initiative to get children outdoors.

Spokane Mountaineers celebrate centennial with 100 miler in Pasayten

A 100-mile backpacking trip is a good start for sizing up a wilderness area as well as understanding what makes a century-old outdoors club tick. The Spokane Mountaineers, celebrating their …

Field reports: WATV lawsuit filed as forests open routes

ORV-ING – Six routes for wheeled ATVs (WATVs) were opened June 26 across the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. However, on Thursday a lawsuit was filed seeking to bar street-ready all-terrain vehicles …

Out & About: National forests hurdle language barrier

OUTSPOKEN – A pilot “on demand” phone interpretation service to enhance public service to non-native English speakers has been announced by the Pacific Northwest Region of the USDA Forest Service …

Recreationists will find summer-like conditions for holiday outings

Campers, hikers, boaters and anglers should be thinking of the 2015 Memorial Day holiday weekend as taking place in mid-to-late June rather than this Saturday through Monday. The region’s snowpack …

Lake Chelan hikers earn sweet reward in 18-mile trek to Stehekin

Stehekin is a Northwest classic backcountry destination at the end of Lake Chelan, accessible by boat and floatplane and, most deliciously, by foot. Hikers who tough out an 18-mile trail …

Out & About: Mudders trash restored national forest meadow

OUTLAW – Colville National Forest officers are looking for tips in the case of a four-wheel-drive vehicle that left deep marks in a restored meadow this month. After the meadow …

Montana trail managers and rangers travel long distances to measure remote snow sites

Snow courses, which are spread throughout the Montana’s mountain ranges, are one tool the Natural Resources Conservation Service uses to measure snowpack and predict stream flows. Many of the state’s …

Bonner County board backs Scotchman Peaks wilderness proposal

Bonner County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for the U.S. Congress to designate the Idaho portion of the Scotchman Peaks as a wilderness. “The Scotchmans is a …