FLY FISHING -- Indeed, the fishing was excellent today at Cutthroat Creek, at least for a few hours. The March Brown hatch was booming at noon. Elk were along the river along with Canada geese and freshly hatched goslings. I'd call it a killer day,...
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- A friend of mine is in Yellowstone National Park mainly to observe wolves, which he's been doing from daylight to dusk daily. He's shunned the temptation to chase bear jams and reports of cougars killing deer within sight of the road. But…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Trail maintenance budgets for work on national forests continue to shrink. Here's an excerpt from an interview I did recently with Mike Ball, the Forest Service river ranger for the Idaho side of the Hells Canyon National Recreation area and wilderness. “I...
DOGS -- I've had some close calls in falling among forest downfall and having sharp broken branches nick my skin. I've recognized the potential for me to be impaled in a fall while hunting or hiking, as well as the danger to my dog while...
HUNTING -- The Idaho Fish and Game Commission has approved seasons and limits for all ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, doves, and crows for 2016. A new process and schedule, established in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was used this year. It allows…
RIVERS -- Tip of the hat to future-wise people and groups who know better than to take public access to a great fishing stream for granted. Federal funds seal deal to protect public access to Montana's Rock Creek Montana's first use of federal Land and…
FISHING -- The action isn't always red hot when trolling for trophy trout. This opens the doors for good conversation and making new friends. Jackson Sifford was fishing the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club's K&K Spring Derby with his Grandpa, Dan Lenz, when a mallard…
PUBLIC LANDS -- With mushroomers clamoring for access to areas charred by 2015 wildfires, the Colville National Forest has removing fire-hazard closures in some areas. The temporary emergency closures issued during last summer’s fire season were lifted Friday on the Colville National Forest portion of...
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- An open house focusing on the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its partnership with the state Department of Fish and Game is set for Thursday, April 28, from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the Idaho Fish and Game regional office, 3316 16th…
TRAILS -- The bloom of spring wildflowers is luring hikers to higher and higher ground. The photo above was made Sunday in Field's Spring State Park, where trails ascend to 4,500 feet on Puffer Butte (Hike 125 in Day Hiking Eastern Washington). Do you need…
PUBLIC LANDS -- National parks will be featured in the mail starting this summer. On June 2, the U.S. Postal Service will begin celebrating the National Park Service’s Aug. 25 centennial just in time for summer vacation letter writing by issuing a pane of stunning...
PUBLIC LANDS -- In celebration of the National Park Service centennial, PBS is re-broadcasting the landmark Ken Burns series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” Showings of the 12-hour, six-part series started Sunday and run through Saturday, April 30. See the KSPS Public TV programming…
RIVERS -- Two non-profit groups that have advocated wise use of the Spokane River have merged to continue that effort. The Friends of the Falls gained notoriety for efforts to preserve the Spokane River gorge, being involved in the proposal for a whitewater park near...
INVASIVE SPECIES -- Volunteers are needed to inventory invasive weed species in the Lightning Creek area in a program organized b y the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. With a grant from the National Forest Foundation, volunteers will be trained on identifying weeds and…
TRAILS -- Volunteers are needed to help with maintenance work on Friday, April 29, on Trail 80 of the English Point trail system near Lake Coeur d'Alene. The project is being organized on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests by the Forest Service and Panhandle Backcountry…
PARKS – A $3 million renovation to the historic Lake McDonald Lodge at Glacier National Park is under way, marking the first overhaul of the building in nearly 30 years. Xanterra Parks and Resorts is paying for the upgrades and maintenance to the 102-year-old Swiss…
FISHING -- Anglers who gave the opening weekend of the lowland fishing season a shot had pretty good luck an most area lakes. The cool weather helped keep angling pressure relatively low at many lakes, such as Badger, but that means there are higher than…
FISHING -- A few trout are still looking ahead to the future while anglers are trying to catch big trout during the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club's K&K Spring Derby. "This is an awesome sight to behold," says the club's Facebook post about the Gerrard...
FISHING --The federal government has approved a West Coast ban on new commercial fishing for forage fish, the small fish that bigger fish, seabirds and marine mammals depend on for food. NOAA Fisheries says the move is needed to proactively protect the little fish that...
NATURE -- The annual community work party to plant trees and shrubs and other projects at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge south of Cheney is set for 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, April 30. The Spokane Audubon Society and Friends of Turnbull are helping the refuge's ongoing...
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Bison were dropping calves in abundance the past few days in Yellowstone National Park. Nature times the bulk of the calves to hit the ground in a short period to reduce the chances that bears, wolves and other predators will be able…
OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY -- There's still time to visit a Stevens County refuge to snap a great shot and enter the 2015-16 photo contest. The Friends of the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge once again are encouraging shutterbugs to pause on the refuge southeast of...
CLIMBING -- Photos that arrived in the S-R Outdoors in-basket this week seem to explain without any words the attraction of Cascades mountaineering. The photos show Lisa Webster summiting Mt. Hood April 19 with her brother, Clint Webster. Both Websters are emergency room RNs who…
HUNTING -- Hunters applying for big-game permits in multiple states have a full spring calendar. Some drawings already have occurred. Here are some of the remaining 2016 application dates to note: IDAHO April 30 -- Deadline for moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat hunt controlled...
PARKS – The North Cascades Highway will reopen at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 22, a week earlier than predicted when the snow clearing work began last month. Washington state Department of Transportation crews began clearing snow off State Route 20 west of Winthrop on…
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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