Becky Kramer

Avista Utilities and the Sierra Club have reached an agreement that requires Avista to maintain minimum flows of water over the Upper Falls north and middle channels in Riverfront Park. It also includes provisions for additional spills for lower Spokane Falls below the Monroe Street Dam.

Protecting grizzly bears across a 4,560-square-mile swath of the Selkirk and Cabinet mountains will require closing hundreds of miles of backcountry roads used by hunters and huckleberry pickers, the Forest Service says. Grizzlies need secure areas to avoid contact with people, according to a new agency report. Despite 2-inch claws and a fierce reputation – the grizzly’s Latin name is Ursus arctos horribilis, or “horrible northern bear” – bears are typically the losers during encounters with humans.

Protecting grizzly bears across a 4,560-square-mile swath of the Selkirk and Cabinet mountains will require closing hundreds of miles of backcountry roads used by hunters and huckleberry pickers, the Forest Service says.

Avista Corp. reported improved first-quarter earnings, citing revenue growth from higher electric and natural gas rates, as well as growth in the number of customers the utility serves. Avista reported net income of $31 million, or 57 cents per share, compared to net income of $25.2 million, or 47 cents per share, during the first quarter of 2008. The results were released Wednesday.

Avista Corp. reported improved first quarter earnings, citing revenue growth from higher electric and natural gas rates, as well as growth in the number of customers the utility serves.

Two years ago, illegal dock construction in Lake Pend Oreille destroyed critical spawning grounds for the lake’s kokanee population, and killed tens of thousands of fertilized eggs. Now, the dock’s owner is blaming his contractor.

Stimson Lumber Co. has withdrawn plans for a luxury golf resort on 1,500 acres near Farragut State Park. Andrew Miller, Stimson’s CEO, notified Kootenai County’s planning department late Thursday that his company wouldn’t pursue a rezone for 477 homes and an 18-hole golf course on the timbered property. About 150 residents who opposed the rezone had planned to attend a Thursday night public hearing, which was canceled.

Good news for irrigators and thrill-seeking rafters. Parched mountain snowpacks in the Inland Northwest rebounded during March, thanks to late storms that pelted the region with heavy, wet snow. The current snowpack should keep local rivers flowing at 85 to 100 percent of normal this summer.

Stimson Lumber Co. has withdrawn plans for a luxury golf resort on 1,500 acres near Farragut State Park. Andrew Miller, Stimson’s CEO, notified Kootenai County’s planning department late Thursday that his company wouldn’t pursue a rezone for 477 homes and an 18-hole golf course on the timbered property.

The Box Canyon Dam is about to enter a new era – one that’s kinder to fish and more attentive to the Kalispel Tribe of Indians’ long history in northeast Washington. Dignitaries from the tribe and the Pend Oreille Public Utilities District will meet at 10 a.m. today in Usk to sign an accord over the dam’s future operations. Drumming and songs from the Frog Island Singers will lend a festive note to the ceremony. George Skibine, acting director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is traveling from Washington, D.C., to attend.

Stevens County must protect habitat for Canada lynx as part of the county’s growth planning, a recent court decision says. Fewer than 100 of the shy forest cats are believed to remain in Washington. Their territory includes high ridges in the northeast corner of the state, where the lynx’s large feet and long legs help them navigate deep snows and stalk snowshoe hares, their preferred food.

Avista Corp. and three other utilities are exploring the possibility of building a high-voltage transmission line that would stretch roughly 1,000 miles from southern British Columbia to the San Francisco area. The line would move up to 3,000 megawatts of electricity to California, including kilowatts harvested by wind farms in Eastern Oregon and Washington, as well as electricity produced by British Columbia’s dams. At capacity, the line would transport enough electricity to serve 2.25 million households. The energy would help California utilities meet stringent guidelines for renewable energy in their product mix.

Avista Corp. and three other utilities are exploring the possibility of building a high-voltage transmission line that would stretch roughly 1,000 miles from southern British Columbia to the San Francisco area.

The buzz of an electric alarm clock, the sweet heat of the shower, steam rising from a coffee mug. All over the Northwest, people start their day with energy from Columbia River dams. From its headwaters in British Columbia to its outlet at the Pacific Ocean, the 1,200-mile Columbia is an electrical powerhouse, generating more kilowatts than any other North American river. The prodigious output is a result of 14 dams and international teamwork.

The buzz of an electric alarm clock, the sweet heat of the shower, steam rising from a coffee mug. All over the Northwest, people start their day with energy from Columbia River dams.