Have some fun in the snow and learn about local ecology, geology, wildlife and winter safety while you’re at it. The US Forest Service, Mount Bachelor Ski Area and Northwest Interpretive Association are conducting the annual program of free natural history snowshoe tours at Mt. Bachelor’s West Village. Forest Service field rangers began the tours on December 26th, and will continue this week, Tuesday through Saturday, January 2-7.  Tours start twice a day, at 10 ... [full story]

Sec­re­tary of the In­te­ri­or Dick Kemp­thorne cit­ed cli­mate change as a key rea­son for the threat to po­lar bears. The state­ment prompted en­vi­ron­men­tal­ists to see in the move a pos­si­bly ma­jor de­par­ture from the Bush ad­min­is­tra­tion’s past in­at­ten­tion to the glob­al warm­ing threat.“Po­lar bears are one of na­ture’s ul­ti­mate sur­vivors, able to live and thrive in one of the world’s harsh­est en­vi­ron­ments,” said Kemp­thorne. “But we are con­cerned the po­lar bears’ hab­i­tat may lit­er­al­ly be melt­ing.”   Courtesy ... [full story]

Trails leading from Upper Three Creek Sno-Park offer scenic views of Cascades I pause to catch my breath and take in the spectacular scenery around me. Ahead looms the massive snow-covered South Sister. To my right, through lodgepole pines, I glimpse Middle and North Sister, equally massive and clad in white. Not a breeze stirs the air; not a cloud appears in the blue winter sky. Occasional chirping of chickadees and nuthatches in the forest ... [full story]

If you're anything like me, I'm sure that during the recent holiday season someone accused you of being a difficult person to buy presents for. Whether it's birthdays, Father's Days or holidays, no one seems to know what to get me. So, like many of you, I ring in the new year with a fist full of gift cards to my favorite sporting goods stores -- each entitling me to my own little shopping spree. ... [full story]

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The Marine Sport Fishing Regulation will change the minimum legal size for lingcod from 24 inches to 22 inches, and add in a separate daily bag limit of 25 for flatfish, which includes flounders, soles, sanddabs, turbots and halibuts, but not Pacific halibut.  All changes are effective Jan. 1, 2007.The change for a more liberal minimum size limit for lingcod is due to a new federal stock assessment indicating the northern population of lingcod has ... [full story]

Zoo's conservation lecture series reveals how global warming is harming the world's wildlife Some say global warming isn't an issue, but in the past 50 years, average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada and eastern Russia have climbed by as much as 4 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit (3 to 4 degrees Celsius). Worldwide, temperatures have risen by about 1 degree (0.6 C) in the past 100 years. The changing climate is affecting animals as large as ... [full story]

I woke up in the middle of the night, stuck my head out of the sleeping bag and thought to myself, “Where the heck am I?” Then I remembered. I’m about six feet under the surface of the snow on the side of Mount Bachelor in the middle of winter. This wasn’t a dream (or a nightmare), but one of the most memorable winter experiences I’ve ever had.   Dave Nissen of Wanderlust Tours of Bend ... [full story]

Recent events involving three lost climbers mobilized a team of Mt. Hood Ski Patrol (MHSP) volunteers led by patroller-in-charge Jeff Heppler to search the White River Canyon and the surrounding areas. The skills of a small handful of backcountry patrollers frequently skiing the many trails surrounding the resort areas are often tapped to rescue injured skiers in these hard-to-reach areas. MHSP Nordic Director Michael Curtis is linked by phone at all times to the Clackamas ... [full story]

Raffle tickets for select 2007 big game hunts went on sale today at license agents statewide and at most ODFW offices. The sale of raffle tickets usually begins Dec. 1 but 2007 ticket sales were scheduled to begin Jan. 2 at ODFW offices and March 15 at license agents due to the release of ODFW’s new point-of-sale (POS) licensing system. ODFW announced yesterday that the new system would be implemented in summer 2007 rather than ... [full story]

The states of Oregon and Washington adopted 2007 Columbia River sturgeon sport fishing regulations yesterday during a Columbia River Compact meeting. “The Columbia River sturgeon population is stable based on recent stock surveys, so fishery managers adopted a season similar to last year,” said John North, ODFW Columbia River fisheries program manager. Beginning Jan. 1, 2007 the following rules will be in effect in addition to the permanent rules printed in the 2007 Oregon Sport ... [full story]

If it's not snow or freezing rain, it's bone-chilling air temperatures and icy winds that make a day on the water nearly insufferable. But just because you're uncomfortable, it doesn't mean that the bass are. Sure, it's December, it's cold outside and I'm sure you still have some holiday shopping to do, but bass are still in the lake. If they want to make it through the winter they will have to eat.As the water ... [full story]