HIKING -- I made some footprints on the BLM's Pacific Lake/Lakeview Ranch near Odessa on Wednesday. The 40-degree day was perfect for hiking this dry country studded with magnificent basalt rock formations. The area's signature end-to-end hike is featured in my guidebook, 100 Hikes in…
SKY WATCHING -- A big solar flare -- perhaps the biggest in five years -- combined with a chance for clear skies over much of the region, could offer up a rare chance to see the northern lights in the few hours before dawn on…
PREDATORS -- Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its 2011 annual report on gray wolf populations in the Northern Rockies. Going into 2011, wolves had increased by more than 120 across Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and portions of Eastern Washington and Oregon and a…
PUBLIC LANDS -- It's a wish coming true for Washington State Parks visitors. The Washington state Legislature has passed a bill allowing one Discover Pass to be shared among two vehicles. House Bill 2373 passed the House this afternoon by a vote of 60-37, with…
FISHING -- A thin crust of ice still covered the boat launch area at Coffeepot Lake on Wednesday evening, but that didn't stop a fly fisher from launching his aluminum pram to fish the fingers of open water at the east end of the lake.…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Organized outings and access to experts are among the benefits of visiting festivals celebrating the arrival of migrating birds. Tundra Swan Day in the Pend Oreille Valley, set for March 17, is a good example of locals sharing a wildlife spectacle in…
WINTER SPORTS -- The current playboy is one for the shredder. No longer your daddy's magazine, the March issue of the bunny pub features Burton snowboard pros Danny Davis, John Jackson and Mark Sollors. See more on their Playboy debut in this ESPN online story.
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
