POACHING -- The drive from the Tri-Cities to Portland continues to lose some of its eye-appeal, this time because of poachers who brazenly killed a pair of the bighorn rams often seen in the basalt cliffs along the Columbia River. This winter we learned the...
WILDERNESS -- Environmentalists are challenging U.S. Forest Service approval of a $500 million copper and silver mine in northwest Montana, citing concerns from state officials that it could drain surrounding waterways and potentially harm a species of trout protected under federal law. The lawsuit filed...
WATERSPORTS -- The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation has pledged $3.5 million to develop a whitewater recreational area in west Boise. The grant should help finish the second phase of the Boise River Park, which will include three new play waves, a slalom course,...
WILDLIFE -- An auction for wildlife furs, hides, antlers, skulls and other items will be held by the Idaho Fish and Game Department on Saturday, April 9, at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Government Way, in Coeur d’Alene. The sale will be conducted between…
FISHING -- The boat launch area at Coffeepot Lake in Lincoln County has been reopened for use by boat trailers, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Spokane office said today. Unusually low lake levels led to the boat launch closure earlier this year before the lake's...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A federal judge says the Obama administration brushed over the threat of climate change to the snow-loving wolverine when it denied protections for the elusive predator also known as the “mountain devil.” U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen on Monday ordered wildlife officials...
BIG GAME -- Ten bighorn sheep from from the National Bison Range in Western Montana were relocated to Hall Mountain near Sullivan Lake on Friday. The 10 yearlings – eight ewes and two rams – were fitted with GPS collars before being released near Noisy...
HUNTING -- A St. Helens, Oregon, man has lost his hunting privileges for three years, must do community service and pay more than $16,000 in fines as part of a sentence for poaching elk last year. Oregon State Police’s Fish and Wildlife Division says Darren...
HUNTING -- “I feel bad for the kid that goes out with his uncle and gets a buck the first time out hunting over bait. That’s the only way that kid knows how to hunt. You learn something by not being immediately successful.” That quote...
NATURE -- After the buttercups and yellow bells, the grass widows bloom and make us even happier in the scablands and the pine forests around Spokane. Next: Serviceberry and arrowleaf balsamroot.
HUNTING -- It's spring training season for bird dogs. Little Canyon Shooting, Miller Ranch and other game farms that have pen-raised game birds provide a chance to keep pointing dogs tuned up.
BICYCLING -- Yellowstone National Park officials are opening a section of the park to bicyclists only for the next two weeks, giving them a chance to ride without competing with tourist traffic. The 49 miles between West Yellowstone and Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming will be...
PREDATORS -- Idaho had a minimum of 108 wolf packs and at least 780 wolves at the end of 2015, accord to an annual report posted today. That confirms the reintroduced predator species remains well above the 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs required to...
PREDATORS -- Oregon plans to kill four wolves from the Wallowa Pack associated with repeated attacks on livestock. That sort of management action is legitimate and necessary for maintaining any rural tolerance for wolf reintroduction. The recent story of wolves killing 19 elk in a...
PUBLIC LANDS -- A 15-year-old rule that prevents road-building into otherwise unprotected inventoried roadless areas of national forests has essentially been upheld by the nation's high court. The lack of a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court means Alaska must follow the U.S. Forest Service…
WILDLIFE – White-nose syndrome has been confirmed in a little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) found near North Bend. It's the first recorded occurrence of this devastating bat disease in western North America. Following are details from a media release by the agencies involved -- the…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Idaho’s Nez Perce Tribe as been awarded a $200,000 federal grant to pursue reintroducing the California condor in Hells Canyon. Based on California's example, the use of lead ammunition for hunting is a potential issue in a swath of Idaho, Oregon and...
FISHING -- The Washington fishing license anglers have had in their wallets the past year will expire after today. Starting Friday, April 1, people must have their 2016-2017 license with them while fishing. In Idaho, the new licenses were required starting Jan. 1. Also expiring…
WATERSPORTS -- Northwest paddlers could benefit from a new law that requires the Washington Department of Transportation to consider access to the water when building or refurbishing bridges. Senate Bill 6363, which was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday, seeks to improve public access...
TRAILS -- Advocates of the trails and habitat along the South Hill Bluff invite the public to hear updates TONIGHT on projects along with an historical perspective of slope above Hangman Creek by Spokane naturalist and author Jack Nisbet. The free annual meeting event starts...
HUNT-FISH – The Backcountry Hunters & Anglers are convening at the Holiday Inn in downtown Missoula Friday through Sunday, April 1-3, for the group’s 5th annual Rendezvous focused on sporting skill and conservation. The held the event in Spokane last year to forge its mission...
FISHING -- Local anglers are bringing an acclaimed collection of fly fishing films to Spokane as a benefit for river access and research projects to boost native redband trout. The third annual Spokane River Benefit and International Fly Fishing Film Festival is set for 7…
WINTERSPORTS -- When I woke and saw the fresh snow in town I knew I had only a few hours before receiving an email with photos of the epic skiing conditions somewhere in the mountains. Galen Chamberlain came through, not only with photos of the...
PARKS — Crews are working to rescue two climbers and a snowshoer off Mount Rainier after they were caught in a weekend storm, the Associated Press reports. Park spokeswoman Patti Wold says a Chinook helicopter crew will try again Monday to reach them after extreme...
NATIONAL PARKS – A catastrophic computer system crash at Mount Rainier National Park has put procrastinators on equal footing with backpackers who applied early to get backcountry permits for the Wonderland Trail and other sites. Hikers who want to camp in the wilderness at Mount…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
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