ENDANGERED SPECIES -- The Center for Biological Diversity is distributing 50,000 free Endangered Species Condoms for holiday and New Year’s Eve celebrations around the country. More than 600 volunteer distributors are handing out the condoms at events in all 50 states. The condoms are part…
FISHING -- Starting New Year’s Day, anglers will be required to use barbless hooks until further notice when fishing for salmon, steelhead and cutthroat on a large section of the Columbia River. The rule will affect sport fisheries from the mouth of the Columbia River…
UPDATE: Disregard the previous post about a record count of bald eagles at Lake Coeur d'Alene. I got the numbers wrong. Updated version below: WILDLIFE WATCHING — Bald eagles were crowd pleasers at Lake Coeur d'Alene today, although the number of eagles counted in the…
UPDATE: Disregard the previous post about a record count of bald eagles at Lake Coeur d'Alene. I got the numbers wrong. Updated version below: WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Bald eagles were crowd pleasers at Lake Coeur d'Alene today, although the number of eagles counted in the…
BIRD HUNTING -- Upland bird hunters should be aware that the Eastern Washington pheasant season closes Jan. 13 while the season for other upland birds -- quail, chukars, Huns -- runs through the Martin Luther King holiday and closes on Jan. 21. Most waterfowl seasons…
HIKING -- Here's a way to rally on New Years Day: Walk it off! Riverside State Park in Spokane is among 13 parks in the state beckoning walkers to ring in the new year -- and celebrate the 100th year of Washington State Parks --…
FISHING -- Idaho anglers have a list of new fishing rules that take effect Jan. 1. In the Panhandle Region, Lake Pend Oreille is in the spotlight for several notable changes: Kokanee fishing will be allowed for the first time since 1999, with a six-fish…
WINTER SPORTS – Idaho snowmobile registrations, which fund trail grooming and access plowing, were down by nearly 8,800 early this month, probably because of meager snowfall to start the season. That means Idaho Parks and Recreation collected $286,000 less for its snowmobiling programs, or about…
WINTER SPORTS -- Buried with more than 180 inches of snowfall this season, Schweitzer Mountain Resort reports the deepest early-season snowpack since records were started during the 1982-83 season. Schweitzer has been able to open all 2,900 acres of terrain with a village depth of…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Carlene Hardt heard about the huge numbers of bald eagles congregating at Lake Coeur d'Alene and finally made time on Sunday to go out and see for herself. "I was NOT disappointed," she said in an email. "I saw LOTS of bald…
HUNTING -- Although the story in the video doesn't totally add up, this footage illustrates the power and violence two rutting mule deer bucks devote to battle -- even if one of the bucks is dead. The hunters probably picked up a rifle sooner for…
SHOOTING – Clubs from around the region are registering for The Spokesman-Review Trapshoot, celebrating the 95th year of the annual winter event. Participants shoot their 25 target rounds each Sunday for eight weeks at their own clubs in Washington, Idaho and Montana and email their…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- A bounty of at least 260 bald eagles counted last week bodes well for the annual Eagle Watch Week, Dec. 26-30, along the eastern shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene. The eagles are congregating for their annual winter feast of spawning kokanee in…
WINTER SPORTS -- Have a happy, holy and safe holiday in and out of doors. See the Idaho Panhandle avalanche advisory if you're heading to the mountains. Use the kid-keeping tip above at your own risk. Cheers!
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Here's the latest on gray wolf management plans being developed by the Colville and Spokane Tribes in a story by Capital Press.
WINTER SPORTS -- Local outdoorsman Tanner Grant offered this photo today to prove his opinion that snowshoeing conditions are ideal at Mount Spokane State Park this week.
HUNTING – Thia Anderson, a mother of three boys and nurse practitioner who works in Pullman, is among 10 finalists from across the country in the Extreme Huntress 2013 Contest presented by Tahoe Films. She needs online votes from supporters by Jan. 1 to help…
FISHERIES -- Trout Unlimited officials are disturbed by this week's news that the federal Food and Drug Adminstration finds no danger in raising or eating farmed salmon genetically engineered to grow twice as fast as natural salmon. Here's the statement from TU: Trout Unlimited is…
WINTER SPORTS -- To heck with shopping: Saturday is prime time for a cheap snowshoeing date. Introduce somebody new to the sport. Mountain Gear is offering $5 snowshoe rentals Saturday (Dec. 22) at the retail store, 2002 N. Division. Rent a pair of new Atlas…
WINTER SPORTS -- Beautiful cross-country skiing tracks have been groomed into the Ferry County Rail Trail along the Kettle River today. Retired Forest Service recreation specialist Keith Wakefield used a snowmobile to groom the trails today, supported by donations by members of the Ferry County…
WINTER SPORTS -- Our newspaper covered the Feb. 19, 2012, avalanche tragedy that killed three expert skiers at Stevens Pass, and I wrote a column that week explaining why avalanche tragedies must be explored. And my blog followed up with a video interview with a…
WILDLIFE -- This video of a huge herd of wintering elk crossing a highway near Helena, Mont., has several interesting elements. First, it's awesome to see so many wild elk after hunting so hard for them during the elk seasons and concluding that most of…
HUNTING -- Hunters have a chance to win one of nine 2013 special hunting permits if they report this year’s hunting activities for black bear, deer, elk, or turkey to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife by Jan. 10. Hunters who file their mandatory…
AVALANCHE -- A woman who was buried by an avalanche at Crystal Mountain on Wednesday was rescued by a group of skiers, one of whom had a helmet cam on during the entire event. She was wearing no avalanche beacon to help her rescuers with…
Quote of the day: "We would like to caution people about the fact that there are live traps in the area. They legally can be there. People should probably keep their dogs on a leash or leave their dogs at home." Bitterroot National Forest recreation…
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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