WILDLIFE -- The $10 million claim against Olympic National Park for the October 2010 goring death of a hiker already is having an impact on the park's tolerance of overly friendly or aggressive wildlife. Park officials said they knew of at least one disruptive mountain…
PUBLIC LANDS – Friday is a thrifty time to visit Washington and Oregon national forests that require an access pass for popular recreation sites. In honor of Veterans Day, the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service will waive the fees at sites that normally…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet Nov. 9 and 10 at the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn, 506 West Appleway in Coeur d’Alene. A public comment period begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The commission’s routine agenda starts at 8…
FISHING -- A channel catfish, of all things, has set the record for traveling the longest distance of any fish in Wyoming fish-tagging history. Wyoming Game and Fish Department official say the catfish was tagged in June 2007 just below the Kendrick Diversion Dam on…
RETAILING – Outdoor equipment store Cabela’s fiscal third-quarter profit rose 65 percent in the period, propelled by the elimination of an unprofitable store promotion and the strong performance of what the company calls its ”next-generation” stores, according to the McClatchy-Tribune News Services. The Sidney, Neb.-based…
BACKCOUNTRY FILMS -- John Latta of the Stevens Peak Backcountry Coalition is reminding outdoor enthusiats that we're just a week away from the Winter Wildlands Alliance 7th Annual Backcountry Film Festival, set for next Friday (Nov. 11), in the Wolfe Auditorium at Gonzaga University's Jepson…
COLUMBIA RIVER -- The level of Lake Roosevelt was 1288.72 feet above sea level at 8:18 a.m. today. The reservoir's elevation is expected to remain in the 1287-1288 range over the next week. Lake Roosevelt currently is being operating for chum spawning in the lower…
SKIING -- Eat your heart out, backcountry skiers. The people doing the early Nov. 1 snow surveys on the Durrand Glacier in the Canadian Selkirks found plenty of snow -- and it looks like they haven't lost their form for turns in the months off…
STATE PARKS – A survey regarding mountain biking at Mount Spokane State Park has been launched by Washington State Parks. People who love the park should comment, even if they are not mountain bikers. Read on and I'll tell you why. The public has until…
HUNTING – Hunters have until Nov. 16 to comment in an online survey on two new proposals for 2012 hunting regulations being considered by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Electronic decoys: Several waterfowl hunting guides have petitioned the state to consider allowing electronic…
BIG-GAME HUNTNG -- Northeastern Washington's 15-day late whitetail buck hunt opens Saturday, and the deer appear to be rising to the occasion. The pre-rut is on. Local hunters I've contacted are seeing bucks moving with does and in some cases chasing does. See my outdoors…
FISHERIES — U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-WA, is calling on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to independently confirm the presence of a deadly virus found in two Pacific salmon in British Columbia, the Associated Press reports Canadian researchers recently announced they detected infectious salmon…
BIRDWATCHING -- Ospreys were late to arrive in the Inland Northwest this year, and some of the fish-eating hawks are hanging around longer this fall, possibly because they got a late start producing their young. According to Coeur d'Alene Audubon Society Records, ospreys usually arrive…
OUR KIDS -- "Take a kid fishing" is an accepted slogan in the outdoor industry ... Most people agree that our world would be a better place if everyone took an interest in our children and made an effort to get them outdoors. But but…
POACHING – Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials are seeking tips to help them nab poachers involved in killing two bull moose on or around Oct. 29. The bulls were killed within 25 yards of each other in French Gulch near Frost Peak in…
FISHING -- Nice try. Even Washington fish biologists couldn't tell just by looking. But they were skeptical, so they did some tests.... The photo above shows a fish submitted as a potential Washington state record brown bullhead after being caught this fall from Lacamas Lake…
TRAILS -- A federal judge has decided to temporarily close down trail access to off-road vehicles in sections of the Salmon-Challis National Forest pending a review of the forest's travel plan, the Idaho Statesman reports. The order issued Tuesday follows a February ruling that the…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- The first wolf confirmed in western Oregon in 65 years has been roaming Douglas County for a week as wildlife official track its exploration in the high Cascades by satellite. The 2-year-old collared male, dubbed OR-7, has been staying mostly in the…
ENDANGERED SPECIES – Washington’s proposed Wolf Conservation and Management Plan will be presented and discussed during the state Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting today, starting at 9 a.m. at the Ramada Spokane Airport, 8909 W. Airport Dr. Public comment will be taken during the afternoon…
SALMON FISHING -- Anglers got some thrills last month from the Yakama Tribe's 15-year effort to reestablish coho salmon in upper Columbia tributaries. This year's count of the late-spawning salmon into the upper Columbia region is the highest in 78 years, and more are still…
PUBLIC LANDS -- National parks will be waiving entrance fees to celebrate Veterans Day weekend, Nov. 11-13. The Park Service is waiving fees for a total of 17 days in 2011. The Veterans Day weekend fee waiver is the last scheduled for the year. Fee-free…
FISHING -- The sturgeon population in the lower Columbia River continues to dwindle and state officials have started talks on how to tweak back sport-fishing seasons for 2012, according to Allen Thomas of the Vancouver Columbian. Brad James, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife…
FISHERIES -- It's November, the season of love for chum salmon, which are beginning to head into South Puget Sound streams to spawn. The annual event is greeted by nature lovers who have numerous areas where they can watch the spectacle. A good option is…
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING -- Some people were surprised by the forecast for snow today. But cross-country skiers are ready to gear up for it at the annual Nordic Ski Sale and Gear Swap at Fitness Fanatics, 12425 E. Trent in Spokane Valley . The buying starts…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The Big Year, a humorous film based on the more tedious true story (and book of the same name) is flying high at movie theaters across the country. The movie follows birders devoting 12 months to setting a record for logging as…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.