INVASIVE SPECIES -- A month-long government effort to eliminate feral pigs in Grant County is prompting the closure of a two-square-mile area of public land west of Moses Lake. USDA Wildlife Services in cooperation with the state will be using helicopter gunners in an attempt...
Lou Slak, one of the fastest grandma's in town, has taught many Spokane-area winter goers the basics of cross-country skiing. Her excellent form in Sunday's Spokane Langlauf says tons about her and the sport. So does the finish-line rally in the same event at Mount...
HUNT-FISH – A fundraising banquet is set for March 5 in Moses Lake to raise funds for a statewide nonprofit group that sets up hunting and fishing trips for youths diagnosed with life-threatening illness or physical disability. The sixth annual Youth Outdoors Unlimited fundraiser will…
HUNTING -- A Mule Deer Summit stacked with educational programs is set for March 12 in Omak, sponsored by the Okanogan Trails chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation. The free event will runs 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Omak Elks Lodge, 110 Ash…
WILDLIFE WATCHING – “Wild for Wilderness – An Evening of Untamed Films” will feature award-winning documentaries and captivating footage of wildlife at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26, at the Eagles Lodge, 209 Sherman Ave. in Coeur d’Alene. Featured films cover topics such as: The...
WINTER CYCLING -- A Fairbanks, Alaska, cyclist has finished a frigid course that challenges the continent's best sled dog teams. Jeff Oatley, the 2014 Iditarod Invitational record holder, pedaled his fatbike on the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest route in just over two weeks. With a one-week…
WATERSPORTS -- With ample mountain snowpacks hinting at a great rafting and paddling season ahead, the Spokane Canoe & Kayak Club is tapping a top rafting expert and Eastern Washington University recreation professor for a primer program on whitewater safety. Paul Green, who taught hundreds…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- Changes in the protective status of four wildlife species will be considered by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission at a public meeting Feb. 26-27 in Olympia. The meeting, which also will cover salmon and shellfish issues, will convene at 8 a.m.…
FLY FISHING -- A women's-only intro to fly tying will be led by guest instructor Heather Hodson from Spokane Women on the Fly on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 22-23, at Silver Bow Fly Shop, 13210 E. Indiana Ave. in Spokane Valley. "This introduction class is...
FISHING -- Testing has confirmed that two walleye caught in western Montana's Swan Lake last fall were illegally transplanted and not spawned there, state wildlife officials say, and they're not happy about it. Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists say microchemistry analysis of the inner ear...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Wolf recovery in Washington is leaving some people with a lingering hangover. But instead of digging in heels on one end or the other of wolf sentiment, some people are stepping up to work out livable solutions
WILDLIFE -- A conservation group is suing the federal government for the second time in two years for failing to reclassify a small population of grizzly bears as endangered, the Associated Press reports. The roughly 40 grizzly bears in the Cabinet-Yaak area along the Montana-Idaho…
WINTERSPORTS -- The big thaw is forcing skiers and snowshoers to look higher for good snow this week. The Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club has had to cancel the Bald Loppett scheduled for this Saturday, Feb. 20. "Unfortunately, most of the first 5 miles of…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Every president of the United States plays a role in managing the country's wealth of public lands, for better or worse. Eight presidents are especially noteworthy for their efforts or milestones in conserving parks, forests, range lands, marine areas and refuges, according to the Department of Interior...
FISHING -- The North Fork Coeur d'Alene River has spiked to 12,000 cfs in the past three days. That's 10 times its average flow for mid-February. Leave the fishing rod at home.
WATERSPORTS -- Although a construction project has allowed the Centennial Trail to reopen below the Sullivan Bridge in Spokane Valley, a closure remains on floating the Spokane River under the bridge project. Increased water flow has caused the river to rise, reducing the clearance between...
TRAPPING -- A fur auction organized by the Intermountain Fur Harvesters Association is set for Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Panhandle Region office, 2885 W. Kathleen Ave. in Coeur d’Alene. The event replaces the fur sale previously held each…
BIG GAME -- Despite millions of dollars in research, pneumonia continues to plague bighorn sheep herds in Washington, Idaho, Montana and elsewhere, including Canada. However, one thing is well-documented: wild sheep loose in virtually all close encounters with domestic animals. Domestic sheep believed to have…
PREDATORS -- Pro-wolf groups touted a 2014 Washington State University researcher's study that indicated killing wolves involved in attacking livestock would simply exacerbate the problem long term. In recently published dueling science, University of Washington researchers have surveyed research and found the opposite may be…
FISHING -- The Washington fishing season at Coffeepot Lake will open as scheduled on March 1, but the boat launch at the BLM access will remain closed because of low water. The access has been closed since February 2015, when the record dry year was...
LAKES -- No boaters, blimps or angels were taking advantage of the "dock in the clouds," photographed this afternoon at Priest Lake by area blogger Pecky Cox. "So glassy still at the lake... not a sound," she said.
HUNTING -- A Canadian hunter has set a world record high of $410,000 for a bid to hunt one of the giant mule deer bucks at a Utah state park in November. The auction, which raises money for wildlife management, was held last weekend during...
FISHING -- Conservation groups are suing the federal government over what they describe as foot-dragging when it comes to recovering wild Puget Sound steelhead, the Associated Press reports. In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Duvall-based Wild Fish Conservancy and other…
FISHING -- Sportsmen are fond of stocking ponds and endorsing events that give kids and other newcomers a chance to try the sport of fishing. To that point, the Spokane Valleyfest fishing pond event at Mirabeau Point pond is praiseworthy. But after that, it gets...
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.