STATE PARKS -- The Washington state House has passed HB 2373, which would allow two cars to share one Discover Pass, a $30, year-long parking pass for state parks and some other state lands. Unlike a similar bill that recently passed the Senate unanimously, the…
PUBLIC LANDS -- The fees forest visitors have been paying to access trailheads in some national forests may be history following a federal court ruling. The Ninth Circuit Court of appeals recently ruled the U.S. Forest Service "Federal Lands Access Enhancement Fees" are not legal.…
FLY FISHING -- Weather put a chill on the Yakima skwala hatch today. Scored with Pat's Rubberlegs under an indicator, though. Dry flies ready... and waiting for a week, more likely two. Patience.
RIVERS -- American Whitewater, a national river and river running advocacy group, needs support to continue standing up for free-flowing rivers that are always under pressure for water demands. Last year, the group had a voice in taking down a few dams, protecting flows in…
FISHERIES -- A presentation on the rehabilitation of Yellow Dog Creek, a major tributary of the North Fork Coeur d'Alene River, is set for Tuesday (Feb. 28). This and other watershed restoration projects are being undertaken by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests in partnership with…
ADVENTURING -- Spokane Mountaineer Connie Connelly is set to share highlights of recent far-flung outdoor trips in a free slide show program tonight. Follow Connelly biking the rice paddies of Southern China and hiking, kayaking, snorkeling and biking Turkey. The program starts 7 p.m. at…
WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS -- A wolf was caught on tape by a police cruiser's dash cam roaming through northwest Kalispell. The video and tracks were confirmed as a radio collared wolf by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists. Tough neighborhood. Read the story in the Daily…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have suggested they would support degrees of selling federal public lands or transferring federal lands to states to manage. Similar proposals promoted during the Reagan administration by controversial Interior Secretary James Watt…
SHOOTING – Hosts of the Discovery Channel’s “American Guns” will be in Spokane March 3 for a meet-and-greet before the Friends of the NRA fundraiser at the Red Lion Inn at the Park. Rich, Renee, Paige and Kurt Wyatt, a family known for firepower and…
OFF-ROADING -- It's no secret that off-road vehicle riders run rampant in some areas of national forests and other public lands that are closed to motorized traffic. But even if you catch them in the act, little can be done to report the offenses because…
TOURNAMENT FISHING -- Brandon Palaniuk, 24, of Rathdrum, Idaho, didn't get skunked today but he also didn't come up with enough fish to make the cut for the third and final day of competition in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River near Shreveport-Bossier…
TOURNAMENT FISHING -- Brandon Palaniuk, 24, of Rathdrum, Idaho, had a horrible start among the 50 select anglers who roared off this morning to start the 2012 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River near Shreveport-Bossier City, La. The weigh-in has just been completed, and Palaniuk…
WINTER SPORTS -- Persisting weak layers, new snow, wind, changing temperatues -- and more new snow forecast for the weekend -- add up to warnings for backcountry travelers to use great caution in the backcountry this week, according to this morning's avalanche advisory from the…
TRAILS -- The 4th annual Friends of the Centennial Trail Adventure Auction is set for March 9 at Northern Quest Resort and Casino. Silent auction starts at 6 p.m.; dinner's at 7 p.m.; live auction at 8 p.m. People who support the fabulous 39-mile trail…
HUNTING -- The Idaho Senate, in a rare 17-17 tie vote, killed a bill that sought to allow landowners to sell special hunting tags they receive because their properties provide important habitat for deer, elk, or pronghorn. The measure that died Wednesday was sponsored by…
Yokes Outrageous Air 2011 Schweitzer Show Highlight from Bob Legasa on Vimeo. WINTER SPORTS -- Crane your necks upward for some serious ski stunts Friday and Saturday.... What: Yoke's Outrageous Air Show aerial ski-jumping exhibition, plus fireworks, music Who: Olympic freestyle gold medalist Jean Marc…
PUBLIC LANDS – Colville National Forest Supervisor Laura Jo West has withdrawn the South End Motor Vehicle Project enacted in November after years of planning to guide off-highway vehicle use. This decision was appealed in January by Conservation Northwest, the Lands Council, and the Kettle…
WINTER SPORTS -- Elyse Saugstad, who survived the Stevens Pass-area avalanche that killed three of her skiing companions on Sunday, provided more details about the event in a followup interview with the Anchorage Daily News, her hometown paper so to speak. Click "continue reading" for…
WILDLIFE -- Alberta appears to be taking a Stone Age mentality to petroleum development in the realm of its highly regarded wildlife resources. Read this Calgary Herald report about 145 black bears that were shot last year by Fish and Wildlife conservation officers after the…
PREDATORS -- Idaho hunters and trappers have killed a total of 58 wolves in the Idaho Panhandle region with another five weeks left in the seasons that started last fall. At least 318 wolves had been reported killed by hunters and trappers across the state…
From grizzly bears to fly fishing, several interesting outdoors related programs are scheduled tonight in Spokane, plus one biggie for anglers in Sandpoint. It's too bad people have to choose just one to attend. Here's a sampling of the lineup: Fly fishing film helps anglers…
PREDATORS -- Wolf culling has ended for the season in the Lolo Zone as aerial gunners, trappers and sport hunters have killed a total of 42 wolves since spring 2011, Idaho Fish and Game Department officials reported this afternoon. With moose and elk populations at…
HUNTING -- Californians love and protect their mountain lions, even though the state is among the few where cougars have attacked and killed people in the past 20 years. But the president of the California Fish and Game Commission is getting pressure to resign after…
Tonight's program on trekking in an exotic land is aimed at funding a local issue at Mount Spokane. Spokane mountaineer John Roskelley will present a program on trekking in Bhutan tonight, 6 p.m., at the Community Building, 35 W. Main. Donations benefit Save Mt. Spokane…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.