Out & About

OUTBACK

Lucky Lab licks avalanche

“I’ll probably always see her eyes just looking up at me as she slid down into that thing,” said Montana backcountry skier Tom Pick, describing the last sight of Lizzie, his 3-year-old Labrador retriever as she broke loose a cornice and was swept down a hillside by an avalanche this winter.

“Once the snow cleared on the bottom, I couldn’t see anything. There was no response; there was nothing moving around. It was about as helpless a feeling as you could experience,” Pick told the Associated Press, noting that he came back and looked for the dog the next day in the Mount Blackmore area south of Bozeman before giving up.

A week later, he received a call from a snowmobiler who found the dog while ice fishing at Hyalite Reservoir and decided to call the number on the dog’s collar.

Except for the gash on her head, a few smaller cuts and being about 10 pounds lighter, “She looked great,” Pick said, noting that she’s going to retire from the steeps and stick with low-angle pheasant-hunting terrain.

OUTBOUND

Volunteer in Alaska

Need a reason to see Alaska? Check out hundreds of state park volunteer positions for campground hosts, ranger assistants, natural history interpreters, trail crews and more. Some positions include subsistence stipends and cabin accommodations.

Contact: Volunteer Coordinator, Alaska State Parks, 550 W. 7th Ave., Suite 1380 Anchorage AK 99501-3561; On the Net: www.alaskastateparks.org.

OUTDRAW

Fishy kid contest

The 10th Annual Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest is under way to catch the imagination of youngsters while teaching fisheries conservation.

The contest, open to all students grades 4-12, will accept entries through March 31.

Spokane student Cassia Fox of Evergreen Elementary School won last year’s Washington competition for fourth-graders.

Info: www.statefishart.com.

OUTLOOK

Best fishing times

Lunar tables from the U.S. Naval Observatory. Be fishing at least one hour before and one hour after peak times. Applies to all time zones.

(* indicates best days.)

Through March 16

Today: 2:30 p.m., 2:55 a.m.

Monday: 3:45 p.m., 4:10 a.m.

*Tuesday: 4:40 p.m., 5:10 a.m.

*Wednesday: 5:40 p.m., 6:10 a.m.

Thursday: 6:40 p.m., 7:15 a.m.

Friday: 7:45 p.m., 8:15 a.m.

Saturday: 8:45 p.m., 9:10 a.m.

Next Sunday: 9:40 p.m., 10:05 a.m.

See the Hunting-Fishing Report

every Friday in Sports