WILDLIFE -- Should grizzly bears be relocated to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness? Idaho ponders the possibility. Idahoans face decisions on just where they want to see grizzly bears There are an estimated 700 grizzly bears roaming the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and next year the U.S. Fish...
WILDLIFE -- Another step in the developing bird crisis... Call it Gone with the Wind: Company to pay $2.5M for protected birds killed at Wyoming wind farms PacifiCorp Energy, a subsidiary of Oregon-based PacifiCorp, will pay $2.5-million in fines for the deaths of 38 golden...
Q. I shot a mallard recently that had an aluminum band around its leg. How do I report it? A. To report the band, call toll-free to 1-800-327-2263 (BAND) or report online. You can keep the band, as most duck hunters want to do. The…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A wolf made headlines last month for roaming hundreds of miles from Wyoming to Utah. About the same time, another wolf, from Idaho, became the first in Arizona in seven decades. But someone wasn't paying attention. Utah coyote hunter kills wolf near…
WINTERSPORTS -- The Mount Spokane cross-country ski trails were a happy place to be on Saturday, as snow dumped onto the sprawling 60K trail system -- finally -- and The Spokesman-Review's beloved columnist Paul Turner turned out for his first cross-country skiing lesson. Lisa Sunderman,…
OUTDOORS -- In my Sunday stories and lists reviewing 2014 in the region's outdoors, I somehow left out one of the biggest prizes -- Washington's state record walleye caught in February from the Columbia River. Maybe it's a matter of repressed jealously!
Environmental groups say a recent court loss won’t make them remove lead ammo from their crosshairs. "We are absolutely going to push forward with our campaign to end lead ammunition. We think it’s the right thing to do for both wildlife and human health," Bill…
WINTERSPORTS -- A muscle-powered, night-time, uphill-downhill skiing event set for Jan. 31 takes advantage of the groomed and lighted runs at Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park. The third annual Mount Spokane & Mountain Gear Nachtspektakel starts at 5 p.m. as participants attach skins to…
HUNTING -- Cougar hunting seasons will close Jan. 2 in several areas of Washington where harvest quotas have been reached, the Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced. Of the state's 49 cougar hunt areas, four will close Jan. 2, including Game Management Units (GMUs)...
Two snowmobilers who died Friday after plunging into a lake’s frigid waters were taking a fairly common shortcut home by venturing onto the ice instead of sticking to a road around the lake, Missoula County sheriff’s officials said. Unfortunately, Seeley Lake had yet to completely…
CAMPING -- Just about every outdoor park and forest in North America that has bears requires bear-resistant camping methods. But even in the wake of having to kill eight bears that had become camp robbers, Montana lags... Montana Parks Board won't require bear-proof food containers…
HUNTING -- Although it's mainly a West Side issue at this point, all Washington waterfowlers should be on avian influenza alert after two birds have been documented with the disease this month. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking for the public's help…
WINTERSPORTS -- Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park has announced it will open for the first time this season on Wednesday -- Christmas Eve. Although the base is thin -- just 7 inches at the lodge -- more snow is in the forecast. See Mt.…
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- A news story published today digs into the background of the Washington Office of Financial Management survey that ranked Department of Fish and Wildlife employee satisfaction with the Department of Corrections in the cellar of state agency morale. In two front-pages stories…
UPDATED 9:35 a.m. with further response from ISP WILDLIFE WATCHING -- Bald eagle numbers continue to increase at Lake Coeur d’Alene in time for the annual Eagle Watch event Dec. 27-31. However, an Idaho State Police trooper gave the boot to some eagle viewers and…
HUNTING -- Abiding by the laws and never putting a loaded gun into a vehicle prevents countless firearms accidents. Beyond that, a hunter who's around children or animals must be especially vigilant to firearms safety, often beyond the law. I like the actions-open approach to…
PUBLIC LANDS -- A Western Montana man and former wilderness ranger recently received a national award for tending to the recreation programs in the Cabinet Mountains and wilderness area. Joel Sather, recreation technician on the Cabinet Ranger District, traveled recently with his wife Carmin to…
WINTERSPORTS -- Skiers can learn to have a wild time with their dogs during skijoring clinics this season. Skijoring is a sport in which a person wearing skis is drawn over snow dog-sledding style by one or more dogs. Clinics include: Jan. 8 at the…
FISHING -- Anglers are getting the run around at Rocky Ford Creek, a fly-fishing holy water north of Moses Lake. The issue: Lack of money to fix the lower footbridge. Since wading is prohibited at the desert spring creek, anglers have only one way to…
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- A bobcat made a guest appearance in a northwest neighborhood recently. The photo was captured by Sarah Lathrop above Park Boulevard at Glass and H streets -- just above Downriver Golf Course. It was posted on the Northwest Neighborhood - Spokane Facebook…
WINTERSPORTS -- The foot of snow that accumulated on Methow Valley cross-country ski and fat biking trails last night isn't the most impressive number from Washington's Nordic Nirvana. Get a load of the season's accumulated miles of grooming in today's Methow Trails report: The first…
HUNTING -- Soaking wet, heading into a brisk wind with two pounds of Palouse mud on each boot -- today could have been a miserable hunting experience until this "double your pleasure" moment with Zuni and Scout.
WINTERSPORTS -- Finally -- enough snow fell on the higher elevations of Mount Spokane in the past 24 hours to allow the state park to groom cross-country ski trails today. Here's a report from Cris Currie of the Friends of Mount Spokane State Park: Conditions…
WINTERSPORTS -- Brown-earth-weary skiers, boarders and snowshoers aren't giving up hope in Idaho. "The snowshoe hut is ready for the season," reports Geoff Harvey of the Panhandle Nordic Club after rigging up the warming structure on the Fourth of July pass winter trail system and…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.