FLY FISHING -- A series of fly tying classes is set at Silver Bow Fly Shop, 13210 E. Indiana Ave., to help anglers gear up for the upcoming seasons. Info: 924-9998 Beginner Fly Tying What: Learn the basic to fly tying and 6 patterns in…
HIKING – State Parks across Washington are sponsoring family-oriented New Year’s Day hikes to get the year off on the right foot. Events in the Spokane area include: Mount Spokane, 10 a.m. -- Snowshoe along Trail 130 for a 2- to 4-mile, round-trip hike. Meet…
HUNTING -- Luckily, I could pass the time this morning listening to the last of the NPR Sunday morning news program as I waited for the fog to lift, but my dog was more than anxious to get out. When I finally had couple hundred…
WINTER SPORTS -- Yesterday I noted two snowshoeing trails recently marked on Mount Spokane for all to follow. Today, snowshoer Warren D. Walker announced that another route has been flagged (tape to be removed at end of season). Here's his notice: New OFF-TRAIL option to…
WINTER SPORTS -- The first nordic event of the season will be held Sunday at Schweitzer Mountain Resort, but skinny skiers won't be the only participants The Great Scott race has divisions for snowshoers and snowbikers as well as a nordic division. Competitors can come…
HUNTING -- Cougar hunts in several areas of the state will close at dusk on Dec. 31 as harvest guidelines for the animals have been reached in those areas, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Thursday. Eight of the 49 cougar hunt areas…
Former USFWS biologist: Wyoming elk feedgrounds disaster in the making Bruce Smith, a longtime biologist at the National Elk Refuge, gives Idaho credit for phasing out its elk feeding operations and said that Wyoming's persistence in continuing to feed elk during the winter will likely…
WINTER SPORTS -- The Friends of Mt. Spokane State Park, which have a list of trails and routes posted on their website, have opened a new 1.3-mile snowshoe route that starts near the Mount Spokane Cross-Country Ski Park. Here's a description, posted today by Cris…
WINTER SPORTS -- Snowshoer and state park volunteer Warren D. Walker got up very early this morning to be high on the slopes of Mount Spokane for sunrise. To get even more from his outing, with the permission of park staff, he marked a trail…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Who do you believe on this issue? Analysis paints different picture of Idaho taking over federal lands The Idaho Conservation League released an economic analysis done by a Wilderness Society economist with a Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry that…
HUNTING -- A friend sent a message of holidays woe that only a lifelong hunter, who knows the odds of bagging a trophy bull elk, can fully appreciate. Read a Christmas letter today from a guy I hunted with a few times, back in the…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- As wildlife lovers and their families flock to Lake Coeur d'Alene Eagle Watch activities to view congregating bald eagles in Wolf Lodge Bay this week, let's not forget that very few if any bald eagles would be gracing our Inland Northwest skies…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Here's a glimpse of the holiday season from the view of the region's critters, courtesy of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- You were more likely to see Santa's reindeer last night than Idaho's wild version of the critter. Woodland caribou were once fairly common in North Idaho. Trapping records from the 1880s indicate that caribou thrived in northern Idaho and could be found…
WINTER SPORTS -- Have a happy, holy and safe holiday in and out of doors. Use the kid-keeping tip above at your own risk. Cheers!
Idaho hunter organizing two-day wolf derby Diving buffleheads duck in for a show on Spokane River Field reports: Pronghorn herd removed from Umatilla depot Outdoor writing contest high school winners announced Country Homes causeway will be replaced with swale (wildlife danger sidebar) Red tide raises…
CLIMBING -- Spokane alpinist John Roskelley, 65 -- one of the world's premier mountaineers in the 60s, 70s and 80s -- will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Piolet d’Or in Chamonix, France, in late March 2014. The honor is given to those “whose…
WINTER SPORTS -- Mount Spokane is gearing up for holiday crowds at the alpine and nordic areas. Here's the latest: The historic stone Vista House at the mountain summit will open Dec. 26 and stay open daily through the holiday break. After Jan. 5 it…
WINTER SPORTS -- Skiers and boarders who work at Big Mountain out of Whitefish didn't need to see ads to lure them to the mountain this morning. They heard the powder horn loud and clear. Here's a short video of today's action put together by…
WRITING CONTEST -- I've been reading the entries for the annual Spokesman-Review Outdoor Writing Contest for high school students for 28 years and it's still a pleasure and a fascinating glimpse into the minds of the region's teenagers. If you didn't see the stories of…
HUNTING -- I'm not big on contests that promote killing predators, but it's almost humorous to watch the reaction to the two-day wolf-coyote hunting derby being promoted for Dec. 28-29, out of Salmon, ID. The controversy is like putting a spotlight on the extremist views…
UPDATE 12/23/13 at 2:10 p.m.: The historic stone Vista House at the mountain summit will open Dec. 26 and stay open daily through the holiday break, according to Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park. After Jan. 5 it will be open weekends and holidays. New…
WILD EDIBLES -- For Metaline Falls mycologist Drew Parker, Christmas is the season to reflect on the Return of the Fungi, as you can see in the photo above. Meantime, would you be shocked to discover that the secular tradition of Santa Claus and the…
WINTER SPORTS -- Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests plan to have the Clearwater Over Snow Vehicle Use Maps (OSVUMs) available to the public by mid-January. At that, forest officials plan implementation road and area closures that will be spelled out on the map. OSVUMs are the…
SHELLFISHING -- Clam diggers can ring in the new year with an eight-day razor clam dig on ocean beaches that starts Dec. 29 and stretches through Jan. 5. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved the dig after marine toxin tests showed the…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
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