2011: Highlights from the field
ANNIVERSARIES
140, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
120, National Forest System
75, Lookout Pass Ski Area
75, National Wildlife Federation
50, National Shooting Sports Foundation
50, Cabela’s
25, Spokane River Canoe Classic
20, Inland Northwest Land Trust
TRANSITIONS
Died: Solo, the long-lived trumpeter swan that called Turnbull National Wildlife refuge home for at least 35 years.
Hired: Daniel Picard, 49, Spokane District manager for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, from Bureau of Indian Affairs in Utah.
Defunct: Peak Adventures snowcat skiing, lost BLM permit after 17 years because of rules protecting wolverine denning habitat.
Defunct: Kaufmann’s Fly Shops in Oregon and Seattle, after 42 years.
Defunct: Tour Des Lacs, two-day September bicycle touring event between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, after 19 years.
Defunct: “Columbia Country: Sport Fishing the West” syndicated TV outdoor program, after 10 years, produced by Bob Asbury of Liberty Lake.
Debut: “Trout TV,” featuring Hilary Hutcheson and Rich Birdsell, produced by Bob Asbury.
Demolished: Condit Dam, returning southern Washington’s White Salmon River to a free-flowing stream for the first time since 1913.
MILESTONES
A record 273 bald eagles were counted Dec. 29 as they gathered to feast on a big run of spawning kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Wolf Lodge Bay.
Native cutthroat trout were restored by the Kalispell Tribe in a 5.5-mile stretch of a Pend Oreille River tributary.
Lead was restricted in fishing tackle at 13 northern Washington lakes where loons are known to nest; lead shot was prohibited at pheasant release sites in Eastern Washington.
Pygmy rabbits of the Columbia Basin, an endangered species, were reintroduced in Douglas County and produced the first kits there in a decade.
An OHV safety course became a requirement for unlicensed drivers operating off-highway vehicles on national forest roads in Idaho by order of the state Legislature.
Motorized vehicle use was prohibited on 3,600 acres of Inland Empire Paper Co. land near Mica Peak.
The bicentennial of David Thompson’s mapping and surveying expedition of the upper Columbia River was commemorated by the Columbia Brigade in 25-foot replica canoes.
Expedition Idaho, the region’s first serious outdoor adventure race, debuted with sleep-deprived teams covering 500 miles in roughly 150 hours.
Stricter food storage rules were enacted in the Kootenai and Idaho Panhandle national forests to help reduce incidents involving bears.
A free fishing class for adults was offered by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and volunteer anglers.
Crystal Mountain Resort near Mount Rainier closed its chairlifts on July 16, ending the longest season in the resort’s 48-year history. The slopes held a record 612 inches of snow – 51 feet – from November to June, 20 inches more than the record set during the winter of 1998-99.