SPOKANE RIVER -- The City of Spokane Valley and the entire region apparently got short-changed in the $11 million Barker Road Bridge construction project. City officials turned their backs on citizens and agencies that tried to work from the beginning of the project to improve…
KAYAKING -- Associated Press in JOHANNESBURG reports a pair of Northwest kayakers watched in horror as a crocodile snatched their guide from his kayak while he led an expedition from the source of the White Nile into the heart of Congo. South African Hendrik Coetzee,…
HUNTING – While we don’t have good statistics on the number of big-game animals wounded and lost by hunters, no one would doubt that it’s significant. The number might even be staggering.So why do Washington and a few other states prohibit hunters from using trained…
HUNTING -- A 16 year-old honor roll student and cheerleader from Columbia Falls, Mont., faces expulson from high school after she told school officials after she arrived for classes that she'd forgotten to remove her hunting rifle from her car after a Thanksgiving weekend hunt.Even…
OFF-ROADING -- The supervisor of the Nez Perce National Forest has criticized the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, contending the state agency tried to rile up off-road vehicle riders over a proposed plan that could limit their access to the forest's trails.An e-mail exchange…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- In a telephone conference today, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission suspended Idaho’s 2008-2012 species management plan for wolves.The 2002 Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, approved by the Idaho Legislature and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, remains in effect as…
HUNTING -- Tony Mayer of Twin Falls, Idaho, -- founder of the anti-wolf website SaveElk.com -- is charged with illegally killing a bull elk with antlers so large the crime qualifies as a felony.A judge on Tuesday ruled that Mayer must come back to Blaine…
WINTER SPORTS -- The season's first big snow storms had barely blanketed the mountains before this year's first avalanche deaths were recorded in the West.Three people already have been killed.On Sunday, a Colorado backcountry skier died in a 15-foot avalanche in Clear Creek County between…
WINTER SPORTS -- The Friends of the Scotchman Peaks and Idaho Conservation League are sponsoring a winter backcountry film festival Friday and winter outdoor skills workshops on Saturday in Sandpoint.Winter backcountry films will be shown at the Panida Theater Friday starting at 7 p.m.On Saturday,…
BICYCLING -- I don't advise volunteering to be a crash dummy for the development of this product, but cyclists who don't like to mess up their hair in sweaty helmets should take note of this video report.
NATIONAL PARKS -- Managing a 21-room lodge can't be easy anywhere, but would it be be more enjoyable in paradise?Check out this story on the National Park Service search for someone to run the Stehekin resort at the wilderness end of Lake Chelan in North…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- None of Washington's state government agency heads is making any friends by suggesting possible program cuts in order to comply with voter wishes to reduce government -- and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlfie Director Phil Anderson is no exception.After the elections,…
HUNTING -- Hunter's I've surveyed believe this kid has a bright future, and photo admirers with a good sportsman-style sense of humor.
WILDLIFE EDUCATION -- Here's a list of cool educational stuff to consider getting a kid 4-9 years old for a holiday gift, regardless of whether you're an environmentalist or someone who's afraid of that title but still loves the outdoors.The list that comes from imaginechildhood.com…
CONSERVATION — At 9:30 this morning, the Spokane County Commissioners will hear the final recommendations in this round of nominations for Conservation Futures acquisitions.The 36 nominations for Spokane County Conservation Futures land acquisitions have been winnowed to a top-10 list.The commission plans to review the…
HUNTING -- Nothing celebrates a successful hunting season more than putting the meat on the table. Hunters work hard for their game, and they pay respect to their effort and their animal when they take care to serve it with a flair."Venison is the crowning…
HUNTING -- Washington Fish and Wildlife officials adding incentive to get hunters to file their manadatory post-hunt report forms by phone or online.Hunters who file reports will avoid hassles when they try to buy a license next year -- and they'll have a chance to…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- The Obama administration is setting aside 187,000 square miles in Alaska as a "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas. The total, which includes large areas of sea ice off…
WILDLIFE -- The Obama administration is seeking to lift Endangered Species Act protections from two of the most iconic symbols of the American West, the gray wolf and grizzly bear, in moves likely to spark fierce resistance from environmentalists. Read the entire Washington Post update.
FISHING -- Spokane-area angler Ed Williams earned $22,374 in this year's Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program, according to information just received from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.This is an update from last week's blog post revealing that the Bonneville Power Administration paid out…
ALPINE SKIING -- Only 20 of the multi-mountain ski passes being offered by Ski the NW Rockies are still available, the group says this afternoon.The pass offers 25 lift tickets for $750 (plus tax). That's $30 a ticket.The lift tickets can be used one at…
FOUR-WHEELING -- A 22-year-old Ellensburg man who was outed by disgruntled off-road vehicle enthusiasts was ordered last week to pay $2,000 to help restore a Reecer Creek meadow that he extensively damaged with his pickup.Jose Mora Villanueva, 22, was charged in U.S. District Court in…
BIRDING -- Snow buntings and a late-lingering osprey were in the birder buzz this weekend.One person in the Inland Northwest Birders group reported counting 160 snow buntings during a cruise through Lincoln County. These are the small birds -- grey-brown backs, white fronts and black…
HUNTING/FISHING -- Spokane-area wildlife enforcement officers are still in high gear even though most big-game hunting seasons area winding down.Here are a few highlights from the past week's officer reports:An anonymous tip led officers to a man who had five deer hanging in his south…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- An official with the state's wildlife agency has told Montana State University’s president that cooperation between the two entities could end due to one of the school’s scientists challenging the agency’s conclusions on how significantly a proposed wolf hunt would reduce wolf…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
