FISHING -- Two Spokane area finished first and third in the unofficial results from the 2013 Kendall Chevrolet Clearwater Snake Steelhead Derby that started Nov. 23 and ended today, according to the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce. Although results won't be verified until Monday,…
FLY FISHING -- My Sunday Outdoors feature story sheds some light on April Vokey, the celebrated British Columbia fly fishing guide and founder of Fly Gals Ventures, who was giving presentations in Spokane recently. But you'll get another glimpse of her appeal and talent in…
FLY FISHING -- A friend of mine taunted me while I was at elk camp in October with text messages raving about the fly fishing fun he was having for bigger-than-average brown trout in the Missouri River near Craig, Mont. Surveys recently released by the…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Bald eagles are way short of their historical mark for showing up to feed on spawning kokanee at Lake Coeur d'Alene. Carrie Hugo, U.S. Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist, counted only 11 adult bald eagles in the Wolf Lodge Bay area…
WINTER SPORTS -- This is transition time for nordic skiers and snowshoers at Mount Spokane State Park. This week: State Park staff was out recently to clear about 50 trees that had blown down on the 60-kilometer cross-country trails system after two feet of snow…
PUBLIC LANDS -- On Monday, students and teachers will get a huge opportunity to hear Jimmy Carter explain an historic federal public lands deal that was big, big, big in every way. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter doubled the size of the National Park System…
WINTER SPORTS -- Silver Mountain Resort plans to open its lifts for skiers on Friday, Nov. 29, joining the rest of the region's ski resorts in opening limited terrain to take advantage of early season snow. Although Schweitzer Mountain Resort does its own thing with…
WINTER SPORTS -- As more backcountry skiers use roads and parking areas plowed by ski resorts and then strap on skins and climb their way up groomed or controlled slopes to reach their backcountry destinations, the U.S. Forest Service has proposed a rule change that…
WILDLIFE -- Wild turkeys are found across Idaho, and there’s even an open hunting season on them right now in the Panhandle Region and portions of the Clearwater. But wild turkeys are not native to the state. Merriam's strain turkeys were introduced by the Idaho…
PUBLIC LANDS -- The Clearwater National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) has been released to guide where motor vehicles can be used on the forest. The published maps, which answer frequently asked questions about roads and trails open to motorized traffic, are available online…
Updated 11-26-13 at 9 a.m. with correction from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. WILDLIFE -- Just in time for Thanksgiving! Montana's online permitting system to legally take possession of road-killed big game goes operational today. A new state law allows people to salvage deer, elk,…
Habitat loss blamed for decline in monarch butterflies, wild bees The return of the monarch butterflies to central Mexico didn't happen on Nov. 1 this year, but instead just a fraction of the millions of butterflies expected straggled in a week late, and the decline…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Birders and biologists were scratching their heads last week at reports of the dearth of bald eagles gathering to feed on on spawning kokanee at Lake Coeur d'Alene's Wolf Lodge Bay. Could the revival of kokanee at Lake Pend Oreille be detouring…
POACHING -- Rewards of up to $5,000 are being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for illegally shooting a cow elk recently and leaving it to waste on private land between Moscow and Troy. Anyone with…
Colorado's elk, deer lure hunters despite new gun laws After Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a trio of new gun bills into law earlier this year, there was a public outcry and a warning that hunters would shy away from the Centennial State, but preliminary…
WILDLIFE -- Following last week's milestone court settlement in which Duke Energy will pay $1 million to mitigate for the deaths of golden eagles and other birds caused by wind turbines in Wyoming, Northwest Public Radio featured this EarthFix graphic to help explain in simple…
Landers: Canoeists paddle way of Columbia salmon Froma Harrop: Help save the wild turkey Spokane River Centennial Trail one step closer to completion Fall seasons give hunters one last shot at wild turkey dinner Out & About: Wolf kill rumor tracked down Field reports: Idaho…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- A rare dark-colored mule deer was documented recently in photo on the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area as the doe fed with three normal-colored deer, including a buck in the rut. Wildlife biologists say the deer appears to have an unusually high occurrence of…
WILDLIFE -- A wind energy company has agreed to pay about $1 million in fines and mitigation actions in the deaths of 14 golden eagles and 149 other protected birds in Wyoming. The American Bird Conservancy says its the first prosecution of a wind company…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Peregrine falcons have long been considered the fastest bird on the planet. But now we're getting firm numbers. Using high-tech sensors, scientists are ending the conjecture on how fast these sleek falcons can stoop on their hapless prey. What's your guess? Watch…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- This week marked the peak of the whitetail breeding season, and this buck was clearly in the mood, said Montana outdoor photographer Jaime Johnson. "Girls on the mind," he said.
PADDLING -- A kayaker's body was recovered this morning from the Palouse River, according to the following statement released this afternoon by the Whitman County Sheriff. Alison Webb, 54, who was on the Palouse city council, was found dead early Friday morning, her life apparently…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Some smart asses had a lot of fun this week spreading rumors that wolves had attacked three horses near La Crosse, Wash. A Whitman County Gazette reporter tried to track down the word-of-mouth reports and so did several Washington Department of Fish…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The annual gathering of bald eagles in the Wolf Lodge Bay area of Lake Coeur d'Alene is lagging. The eagles provide a popular wildlife-viewing attraction as the birds are lured to the northeast corner of the lake from mid-November into January to…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.