NATURE -- Most butterflies seem to have benefited from blooms produced by this year's abundance of moisture in Eastern Washington, experts from the Washington Butterfly Association report. Exceptions could include monarch butterflies that may have found some of their milkweed habitats flooded this spring. Butterfly…
PADDLING -- Spokane Parks and Recreation will begin its annual service on Saturday to shuttle canoes, kayaks or SUPs from the 9 Mile take-out of the Little Spokane River to the put-in at St George's. Shuttle runs on Saturdays between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 1-Sept.…
FISHING -- Salmon fishing in the Tri-Cities area of the Columbia River has been fairly slow as chinook and especially sockeye runs have lagged so far this season. The 48,405 adult chinook that passed upstream of Bonneville Dam from June 1-25 is 86 percent of…
FISHING -- On a movie set of some kind, to Russians appear to be demonstrating a fabled fishing method, apparently for the first time. The basics of Fishing with a Hand Grenade: Pull the pin. Throw it far from the boat. Net the stunned and…
OUTDOORS -- Spokatopia -- a festival gathering of outdoors enthusiasts letting visitors "test drive" their sports -- isn't until July 8, but now's the time to preregister for some of the most popular clinics, which are known to fill. What: Spokatopia – demos, clinics, vendors…
THREATENED SPECIES -- Protections that have been in place for more than 40 years for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park area will be lifted this summer after U.S. government officials ruled today that the population is no longer threatened. Here's the breaking news…
RIVERS -- Spring flows have subsided enough to allow the river recreation on the Spokane River near Post Falls, Avista said today in a release. River recreation is now permitted again in the area between the Spokane Street Bridge and the boater safety cables located…
WATERSPORTS – The public access site at Newman Lake in eastern Spokane County will be closed Wednesday-Thursday, June 28-29, to allow treatment of the lake with herbicide to control Eurasian milfoil and other aquatic invasive weeds. The Newman Lake Flood Control Zone District, under permit...
BOATING – Lake Pend Oreille should rise to its summer level of 2,062 feet by Monday, according to the Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps operates Albeni Falls Dam, which regulates the level of Lake Pend Oreille. The lake elevation ranges from…
BICYCLING -- The streets will be vehicle-free and kids and families on foot, bikes and other wheels will rule as another Spokane Summer Parkways takes over the pavement tonight, June 21, on the South Hill at Comstock-Manito Neighborhood, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. The event is designed…
PUBLIC LANDS -- The Settler’s Grove of Ancient Cedars and its associated 5-mile trail is reopening to visitors on Saturday, June 24, the Idaho Panhandle National Forests says in a release. Located on the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District, the area has been under an...
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The popular annual Osprey Boat Cruise that follows biologists checking nests and banding young "fish hawks" of the year is set for 9 a.m. on July 15. Reserve a seat on the two-hour cruise by calling the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce,…
FISHING -- Holy shad! Fish managers couldn't believe their eyes when they scanned the fish count numbers from Bonneville Dam this morning. "I had to call the COE fish count hotline message to confirm 497,738 shad were counted at Bonneville Dam yesterday," said Joe Hymer,...
PARKS -- Proposals for increased cell phone coverage in Mount Rainier, Yellowstone and several other national parks are opening for another round of public comment, with constituents divided on the issue in a previous comment period last year. Yellowstone National Park would be blanketed with...
WILDLIFE -- Volunteers from the Be Bear Aware Campaign recently were in Glacier National Park handing out brochures on being safe in bear country. "One group heading out on the trails said they didn't need the brochure," said Chuck Bartlebaugh. "One of them said, 'We're…
PADDLING -- The North Fork Payette River has never been beginner water in the first half of June, but this year even the experts had their hands full of flow at the North Fork Championship. The annual race held last weekend can always be expected…
WILDLIFE ATTACKS – Authorities say a black bear killed a 16-year-old runner while he was competing in a 3-mile Alaska hill-climb race near Anchorage on Sunday. The teenager, whose identify has not been released, was a participant in the juniors division of the Robert Spurr…
HIKING -- A series of Community Kids Hikes are being organized this summer near Lake Pend Oreille by the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness to encourage families to get outdoors. The hikes will be in both the Idaho and Montana portions of the proposed…
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- One or more wolves from the Sherman Pack were responsible for the death of at least one calf whose carcass was discovered on June 12 in a grazing allotment of Ferry County, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed. The...
POWERSPORTS -- If you've been feeling underpowered in your Subaru, take a break for family show of size and horsepower in North Idaho on Sunday, June 18. Raminator, the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® record holder for the Fastest Speed for a Monster Truck, is scheduled...
PADDLING – A kayak guide in his first season on the job in Yellowstone National Park has died while trying to rescue a park visitor who capsized on Yellowstone Lake. Initial reports have not indicated whether the guide or the client were wearing wet suits...
MUSHROOMING -- Local mountain man Ed Cairns stumbled onto this giant puffball Thursday. No injuries reported. "It's what's for dinner," he said.
CRITTER ATTACKS -- Although other alternatives would be recommended if possible, a 21-year-old Maine woman took on an attacking raccoon, which turned out to be rabid, and drown it with her bare hands. “Imagine the Tasmanian devil,” she said. “It was terrifying.” Here's the chilling...
FLY FISHING -- Conditions have been ideal: mountain runoff has subsided; weather hasn't been too hot; some cloud cover to promote hatches. I'm not the only one who's noticed.... "June, in my opinion, is the peak-of-the-peak fishing in our area," says Sean Visintainer of Silver...
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Field staff for state and federal wildlife agencies trapped, collared and released what is believed to be an adult male gray wolf east of Burlington near Marblemount, officials say. Wolves are federally listed as endangered species in the western two-thirds of Washington...
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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