ENDANGERED SPECIES -- The Obama administration is setting aside 187,000 square miles in Alaska as a "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas. The total, which includes large areas of sea ice off…
WILDLIFE -- The Obama administration is seeking to lift Endangered Species Act protections from two of the most iconic symbols of the American West, the gray wolf and grizzly bear, in moves likely to spark fierce resistance from environmentalists. Read the entire Washington Post update.
FISHING -- Spokane-area angler Ed Williams earned $22,374 in this year's Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program, according to information just received from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.This is an update from last week's blog post revealing that the Bonneville Power Administration paid out…
ALPINE SKIING -- Only 20 of the multi-mountain ski passes being offered by Ski the NW Rockies are still available, the group says this afternoon.The pass offers 25 lift tickets for $750 (plus tax). That's $30 a ticket.The lift tickets can be used one at…
FOUR-WHEELING -- A 22-year-old Ellensburg man who was outed by disgruntled off-road vehicle enthusiasts was ordered last week to pay $2,000 to help restore a Reecer Creek meadow that he extensively damaged with his pickup.Jose Mora Villanueva, 22, was charged in U.S. District Court in…
BIRDING -- Snow buntings and a late-lingering osprey were in the birder buzz this weekend.One person in the Inland Northwest Birders group reported counting 160 snow buntings during a cruise through Lincoln County. These are the small birds -- grey-brown backs, white fronts and black…
HUNTING/FISHING -- Spokane-area wildlife enforcement officers are still in high gear even though most big-game hunting seasons area winding down.Here are a few highlights from the past week's officer reports:An anonymous tip led officers to a man who had five deer hanging in his south…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- An official with the state's wildlife agency has told Montana State University’s president that cooperation between the two entities could end due to one of the school’s scientists challenging the agency’s conclusions on how significantly a proposed wolf hunt would reduce wolf…
PALEONTOLOGY -- Montana hunter Dave Bradt, 43, wasn’t able to tag the bull elk he wanted to shoot while bowhunting for elk in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in September. Instead, he found the fossilized remains of an ancient sea creature, according to…
RIVER RESTORATION -- According to the conservation group American Rivers, 2011 will be the ‘year of the river’ because of the unprecedented number of major river restoration projects happening nationwide.After more than a decade of ground work, two of the world’s biggest river restoration projects…
FISHING -- Washington salmon and steelhead fishermen will not be required to use barbless hooks in the Columbia River beginning Jan. 1, according to the Vancouver Columbian.Phil Anderson, state fish and wildlife director, said Friday he will issue an emergency rule rescinding the barbless hook…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
