FISHING -- The salmon are charging upstream in near-record numbers for the Wednesday, July 1, season openers on the upper Columbia River. Here's the latest update on the chinook and sockeye runs from Joe Hymer, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife salmon specialist: SUMMER CHINOOK…
OUTDOOR TRAVEL -- Good timing if you, like me, picked this summer for a wilderness adventure in Alaska. Alaska's wildfire season worries scientists While 2004 is currently the holder of the record wildfire year in Alaska, fire activity this month has put 2015 in contention…
HABITAT -- Shade from trees and shrubs is often essential to keeping water temperatures in Idaho forest streams cool enough for healthy fish and other aquatic species. Many stream organisms also benefit from the deep pools created in streams when large logs fall into the...
FISHING -- The Idaho Fish and Game Department is stocking 10- to 12-inch hatchery rainbow trout in a dozen Panhandle lakes in the news few weeks to enhance the Fourth of July holiday fishing experience. Photographers know this also is a good time to get good osprey feeding...
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- A yearling moose apparently was trying out as a walk-on for the North Central High School track team this morning. It would be hard to beat in the hurdles.
OUTDOOR SKILLS -- Women can learn the basics of fishing, hunting and other outdoor skills at a September weekend workshop presented by Washington Outdoor Women. The annual workshop is scheduled Sept.18-20 at Camp Waskowitz near North Bend. WOW is a non-profit program dedicated to teaching...
CLIMATE CHANGE -- If we were smart here in the Inland Northwest, we'd let 2015 be our incentive to embrace water conservation. Fish and wildlife depend on water the flows on the surface as well as that precious ground water. All sources of water, from…
FISHING – Public meetings are scheduled this week to air changes in fishing regulations proposed for 2016-2018 by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The proposals have been drafted based on previous public meetings, angler surveys and work by fisheries biologist. Proposals for the...
PUBLIC LANDS -- National forests, wildlife refuges, parks and Bureau of Land Management agencies have enacted fire restrictions as the landscape continues to bake to toward tinder dry. Fireworks are banned in most areas and campfires are allowed only in designated campground pits. State land...
FISHING -- Stream temperatures are spiking high much earlier than normal because the region's snowpack already has disappeared. The Snake River near Anatone is reading 72.32 degrees F, that's about 8 degrees warmer than the median for this date. The Okanogan River at Malott is...
PUBLIC LANDS -- A pilot “on demand” phone interpretation service to enhance public service to non-native English speakers has been announced by the Pacific Northwest Region of the USDA Forest Service for its offices in Oregon and Washington. Actually, it was announced last week to…
PREDATORS -- A young female cougar was shot and killed as it attacked a goat on the porch of a home near Elk, Washington last week. The cougar, a kitten of the year still showing spots, was able to kill the goat shortly after midnight…
OUTDOOR RIGS -- It's no surprise to anyone who's scanned the Mount Spokane cross-country ski area parking lot on a winter weekend. Subaru rules in this area where people want a sure bet for getting up a snowy winter road to home as well as...
WILDFIRES -- Multiple fires have been reported to in the Blue Mountains from the Pomeroy and Walla Walla districts to the John Day area as a result of recent lightning activity. More fires are expected to be reported throughout the day and lightning is in…
FISHING -- The sockeye fishing seasons that opened in mid-June in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia has been a bust as lower than normal flows have foil techniques anglers had been honing in recent years to cash in on the booming salmon run. But…
FISHING -- Indian tribes and the state have moved ahead with gillnet surveys to get a handle on how well-established invasive northern pike have become in the upper reaches of Lake Roosevelt and the Columbia River. The research stems from a spike in catches of…
BOATING -- The level of Lake Roosevelt was at 1282.60 feet above sea level today -- up more than two feet since Tuesday. The elevation of Lake Roosevelt is expected to continue to slowly rise over the next week. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation predicts...
PUBLIC LANDS -- In about 100 days the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund will expire unless Congress moves quickly to reauthorize the program. The fund provides the base money for timeless conservation and outdoor recreation efforts. Created in 1964, LWCF has invested more than…
FISHING – A Camas, Washington, angler had a close call with a 50-year-old state fishing record Wednesday on the Columbia River. Using a plastic grub near Stevenson, the angler caught a 8.53 pound smallmouth measured by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist Joe…
PUBLIC LANDS -- Several routes for wheeled ATVs (WATVs) will open on Friday, June 26, across the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. WATVs are different from ATVs in that they are designed or modified for on-road use according to regulations set by Washington House Bill 1632 of...
PUBLIC LANDS -- The Kettle River Campground on Lake Roosevelt reopened today after being closed because of a human-caused ground fire started on June 22. The fire burned less than an acre. An investigation is underway, National Park Service officials said.
FISHING -- Washington’s marquee salmon fisheries could take a serious hit in a few years unless funding for mass marking is restored to a state budget proposal, reports Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman. Hundreds of thousands of dollars for clipping certain fins off Chinook and…
WINTERSPORTS -- A federal appeals court has decided the U.S. Forest Service failed to thoroughly analyze or publicize the impact of snowmobiles on wildlife in Montana’s Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. According to the Associated Press, the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday ruled that…
FISHING -- As summer chinook salmon and sockeye are moving up the Columbia, the fat lady is about to sing for the 2015 spring chinook season. Here's the announcement from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Action: Spring chinook salmon fishing to close. Locations:...
HABITAT -- Workers in the major project to shore up island erosion and restore wildlife habitat in Idaho's Clark Fork Delta are doing a little unexpected weeding. Illegal marijuana growing plots have been discovered two consecutive years, the Idaho Fish and Game Department reports. Several...
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
| June 2015 | ||||
| 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 20 |
| 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 09 |
| 08 | 07 | 05 | 04 | 03 |
| 02 | 01 |
