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…
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…
PALEONTOLOGY -- Montana hunter Dave Bradt, 43, wasn’t able to tag the bull elk he wanted to shoot while bowhunting for elk in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in September. Instead, he found the fossilized remains of an ancient sea creature, according to…
RIVER RESTORATION -- According to the conservation group American Rivers, 2011 will be the ‘year of the river’ because of the unprecedented number of major river restoration projects happening nationwide.After more than a decade of ground work, two of the world’s biggest river restoration projects…
FISHING -- Washington salmon and steelhead fishermen will not be required to use barbless hooks in the Columbia River beginning Jan. 1, according to the Vancouver Columbian.Phil Anderson, state fish and wildlife director, said Friday he will issue an emergency rule rescinding the barbless hook…
HUNTING -- I meant to take a relatively brief hike today from the Snake River up to the canyon rim and back. But I made the mistake of bringing my shotgun and following my English setter. I think we saw the whole freaking canyon, up-down…
WILDLIFE -- At least four 65 bald eagles are gathered in the Wolf Lodge Bay area of Lake Coeur d'Alene for their annual feast of spawning kokanee. BLM wildlife biologist Carie Hugo counted 39 adults and 25 immature eagles on Friday.“I know I missed some…
CONSERVATION -- The 36 nominations for Spokane County Conservation Futures land acquisitions have been winnowed to a top-10 list to be considered by the County Commissioners on Tuesday.The commission plans to review the recommendations at 9:30 a.m. at the Public Works Building, 1026 W. Broadway.Since…
WINTER SPORTS -- A new additional parking area has been designated for snowmobilers heading out to ride areas near Lookout Pass and Mullan, Idaho, the Idaho Panhandle National Forests announced today. The new parking area is along Mullan Road, behind the fish hatchery, approximately three…
FISHING -- Two Spokane-area men ranked in top 10 earners among anglers who collected $1.2 million from the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program this yearEdward Williams ranked ninth while Daniel Geiger ranked 10th, bringing back tens of thousands of dollars to pump into the local…
SHOOTING -- If you own a gun and you're impulsive and impressionable, DO NOT view this video of two guys performing a really dumb stunt, whether it's for real or a put-on, even if the rifle were a .22 instead of a .50 caliber.
ICE CLIMBING -- A year ago this month, the world of ice climbing lost one of its premier figures near Bozeman, Mont.,to an avalanche that had nothing to do with the skills he plied on vertical walls of frozen water.Carve out 16 minutes to check…
FISHING -- The 2010 Northern Pikeminnow bounty program on the Snake and Columbia Rivers paid $1.2 million to anglers who helped to reduce the numbers of a salmon-eating pest called the northern pikeminnow.One devoted angler cashed in on the deal, earning a record $81,000 during…
NATIONAL PARKS -- It's official. This week's temporary closure of the North Cascades Highway will continue through the winter, according to avalanche experts who assessed the danger there Wednesday after a storm deposited 2 feet of snow high in North Cascades National Park.The scenic portion…
DEER HUNTING -- Gabe Bancroft, 14, enjoyed the complete package of being a successful deer hunter last weekend. Taking advantage of the late muzzleloader season that opens as the whitetail rut begins to ebb, he joined his uncle Shawn O'Kert to get in position where…
Should hunting be allowed for wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains? Here’s a summary of the answers given to me in interviews from leading wolf experts:• “You have to remove the bad apples.” Doug Smith , Yellowstone National Park wolf project leader • “Wolves are…
