PUBLIC LANDS – A former Alaska wilderness ranger, now activist, photographer and author, George Wuerthner will present a free program, “Why Wilderness?” on Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., at the Coeur d’Alene Eagles Club, 209 Sherman Ave. Wuerthner, who’s written 38 books on America’s wild places and…
THREATENED SPECIES -- Federal scientists and land managers who’ve been crafting strategies to protect a ground-dwelling bird’s habitat across the American West for nearly two decades are going back to the drawing board under a new Trump administration edict to reassess existing plans condemned by…
PARKS – Speakers will take 10 minutes apiece this week to tell personal stories or offer perspectives on what connects the public to the trails and natural area of High Drive Bluff Park, better known as the Spokane’s South Hill bluff. BLUFF Talks, a fundraiser...
WINTERSPORTS -- Lookout Pass and 49 Degrees North are open for skiers and snowboarders starting today through the weekend, and Schweitzer Mountain resort has just announced its lifts will begin running on Nov. 18. Lookout Pass Ski Area led the pack of the region’s resorts…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A rancher has killed an adult female gray wolf as it was caught in the act of attacking livestock on private grazing grounds in northern Ferry County. The livestock producer reported the incident on Oct. 27, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife…
PUBLIC LANDS – Renting the historic Red Ives Ranger Cabin on the St. Joe River is being switched from a mail-in lottery to a national online reservation system, the Idaho Panhandle National Forests reports. Starting this month, reservations will be made through the Reserve America…
WINTERSPORTS -- Lookout Pass led the pack of the region’s resorts to start its lifts for the season last weekend providing good snow for the opening. Lookout Pass plans to reopen Friday through the weekend. Lifts at 49 Degrees North also are scheduled to run...
FISHING -- Steelhead enthusiasts have until Sunday to donate and boost a juvenile steelhead research project on tributaries to the Clearwater River. The Clearwater-Snake Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited has received a $3,000 grant sponsored by Orvis and Trout Unlimited to study juvenile steelhead in...
FISHERIES -- Sullivan Lake is a great option for getting out to enjoy what's left of fall colors -- on the forest and on the fish! The Western larch needles are yellow and the crimson-colored kokanee are running from the lake into Harvey Creek where…
WINTERSPORTS -- It was an autumn winter wonderland at Mount Spokane State Park on Monday. Nora Searing and Cris Currie enjoyed their first ski tour of the season by breaking trail in decent snow conditions to the Nova Hut and beyond. More to come! Sno-Park...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Another gray wolf has been found dead in Oregon, marking the third such unsolved death of a federally protected wolf in the past year, state and federal wildlife officials told the Associated Press. Another wolf was shot by a hunter who claimed…
FISHERIES -- The Memory of Fish, a film about the effort leading to dam removal and restoration of Washington's Elwha River, will be screened at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Magic Lantern Theatre in Spokane. American Rivers and award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Galvin...
HUNTING -- Perhaps the potential for repelling a grizzly attack with a can of bear spray hadn't been fully explored, until this.... An elk hunter near Livingston, Montana, was able to deploy bear spray at a charging bear, but the nozzle of the spray got...
HUNTING -- While bird hunting along Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, a sportsman must consider being loaded for bear as well as pheasant. On Saturday near Pendroy, a pheasant hunter shot and killed a grizzly bear that charged him after it was surprised by the hunter’s...
PREDATORS -- An elk hunter got the benefit of the doubt for killing a wolf in self-defense in northeastern Oregon last month, the first time that’s happened since the predator began migrating to the state in the late 1990s, state police said Thursday. The story...
BIKING -- In the attached photo, mountain biker Dan Wilson plummets down an "advanced" roller feature at Beacon Hill/Camp Sekani area. The rock is a purely optional route just above the trail Old School. "It's one of the many rocks up at Beacon, one if not the steepest rollers...
TRAILS --With new pole structures set and the majority of wire strung for Avista's transmission line rebuild project, Spokane South Hill bluff trail closures for safety are nearly over. All trails will be open Sunday, Nov. 5, for the Bloomsday Road Runners Club Cross Country…
HIKING -- The future for mountain goats on North Idaho's Scotchman Peak is brighter, thanks to "goat ambassadors" who have been hiking the popular trail to educate hikers on avoiding contact with the goats. The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness (FSPW) have wrapped up a...
HUNTING -- I've killed an elk near a road where it could be loaded in a pickup exactly zero times in my hunting career. Every one had to be quartered or the meat removed from the bone in the field to be hauled by a…
WINTERSPORTS – Sno-Park permits will be required on vehicles parking at Mount Spokane State Park trailheads starting with the first significant snowfalls that require plowing, said Jerry Johnson, park ranger. Until then, Washington Discover Passes will suffice, he said. Usually significant snowfall occurs by Thanksgiving,…
PUBLIC LANDS -- The National Park Service is floating a steep increase in entrance fees at 17 of its most popular parks, mostly in the West, to address a backlog of maintenance and infrastructure projects. Visitors to the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion and other…
FLY FISHING -- Winter is prime time for fly fishers to build their inventory of patterns. To get novices on the right track at their vise, Wayne Jordan will be teaching four Beginner Fly Tying Classes. The first one is set for Nov. 11 at...
TRAILS – Progress in research, mapping and planning a public trail corridor along Hangman Creek will be presented at a open house meeting on Saturday, Oct. 28, starting at 1 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 5810 S. Meadowlane Rd. in Spokane. The Hangman-Latah Creek...
WILDERNESS -- A federal judge last week upheld protections for some of the last roadless areas of the Kootenai National Forest in northwest Montana and the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, according to a release from Earthjustice. A challenge by snowmobilers that sought to overturn the...
PADDLING – Mike Elliott, author of “This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe,” will present a free program on wooden canoes, 7 p.m., tonight, Oct. 23, at Mountain Gear Corporate Headquarters, 6021 E. Mansfield in Spokane Valley, sponsored by the Spokane Canoe &…
