Pam Pritzl of Camano Island wasn’t about to let foul weather stop her from participating in the 24th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count.
Skagit Outdoors
ROCKPORT — Don Smith, senior park aide at Rockport State Park, has held a program called Deep Forest Experience the past couple winters.
DECEPTION PASS STATE PARK — What better way to memorialize someone who loved the outdoors than by placing their name on a picnic table or bench at Washington’s most visited state park.
MARCH POINT — Some of the region’s great blue herons will begin their seasonal move-in this month at a rookery, or nesting site, on March Point.
DECEPTION PASS STATE PARK — Several area state parks are reeling from the mid-January windstorm that pummeled Western Washington.
Portions of the Skagit and Sauk rivers will open to steelhead fishing Monday.
A recent outbreak of salmonellosis is leading to the deaths of wild birds throughout the northern United States.
The hunting season for brant geese in Skagit County will once again be abbreviated.
The start of the new year is a great time to hunt for waterfowl, cast for fish in winter lakes, and enjoy the annual spectacle of bald eagles, snow geese, elk and other wintering wildlife.
Though it has been clear and cold, there are still excellent recreational opportunities for those willing to layer up.
The state Recreation and Conservation Office is recommending the state allocate $2 million for expanding Deception Pass State Park.
Two state Department of Fish & Wildlife officials will take questions from the public in an online open house from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
MARBLEMOUNT — At Skagit County’s little-known Pressentin Park in Marblemount the landscape is awash in fall colors and the fast-moving Skagit River has turned a rain-fed brown to match.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved razor clam digging through Wednesday after marine toxin tests showed the clams are safe to eat.
The Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) is continuing to offer folks a chance to see salmon returning to spawn in local streams.
Some of the state's most popular hunting seasons are either underway or will soon be underway, with hunters taking to the field for deer, elk, ducks, geese and other game birds.
Dutch garden designer Oudolf is best known in the U.S. for his design of the Highline garden in New York and the Lurie garden in Chicago, although he has done many other gardens around the world.
The practice of tilling the soil has been around since ancient times. Using a hand-held tool like a hoe, or animals to turn the soil, has been done for centuries.
Recreating in the outdoors means taking precautions as fires rage in the Northwest.
SWIFT CREEK — Without a group of committed, skilled and hearty volunteers, the Swift Creek Trail would be swallowed by the forest.
Hiking trails are the latest casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For several months now, most of us have been cooking at home far more than usual. Fresh herbs are one of the best ways to perk up your cooking, and the freshest herbs are the ones you cut from your own garden seconds before using them.
MARBLEMOUNT — A plan to offer recreation opportunities and improve salmon habitat where a bend in the Skagit River hugs Marblemount is getting a boost in funding.
Saltwater anglers will get the opportunity to fish for halibut beginning Thursday.
SEDRO-WOOLLEY — Riverfront RV Park will close Friday for the rest of the camping season while work is done to improve infrastructure.
Erin McMillan of Sedro-Woolley and her 7-year-old son, Mason, recently found a way to get outside and enjoy nature, have fun and learn something all at once on the Skagit Watershed Letterbox Trail.
A fresh bouquet, whether from your own garden, a local flower grower or a floral designer, brings a smile to your face and warmth to your home.
SEDRO-WOOLLEY — Not having the necessary outdoor gear used to be a major problem.
We are eager in spring to see buds opening and flowers blooming after a dark, mostly rainy winter.
The Summer Solstice is Saturday, June 20, an event that traditionally indicates the beginning of summer.
Although many of us are unfamiliar with the term “trap cropping,” we may have used this technique in our gardens.
The North Cascades National Park Service Complex is putting out the welcome mat at its campgrounds.
I know that everybody’s focus is on vegetable gardening right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the return of our favorite garden flowers like roses, peonies or irises.
No fishing license, no problem.
The state Department of Fish & Wildlife plans to build a parking lot at its 100-acre Samish River Unit to improve access to the recreation site.
In the heat and cool of late spring, our gardens soon become jungles. As you weed, snip, and snack, collections for your home compost are also building.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public comment on proposed rules for this year’s recreational and commercial salmon fishing seasons.
SEDRO-WOOLLEY — For a decade, Trek for Treasure participants have overcome plenty of obstacles in their quest to win the competition.
A seven-week fishing season will open June 1 on the Cascade River.
The photography skills of Skagit Valley Herald readers are more and more evident each week. Today, we’ll feature three scenes from the outdoors that illustrate the magic of what’s around us.
(This is the second in a two-part series. If you missed Part 1, look for it in last week’s “Ask the Master Gardener” column.)
It may be awhile before the state Department of Fish & Wildlife knows if the delayed opening day of the lowland lakes fishing season Tuesday was a success.
Local bodies of water were busy Tuesday as fishermen took advantage of the opportunity to cast their lines.
The sun is coming out at the most opportune time as certain outdoor restrictions put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic are easing today.
Animals — their activities and antics — get some attention this week in “Skagit View.”
S'mores cooked over the kitchen stove, tent pitched in the backyard or living room.
On the 50th year of our Earth Day celebrations, we are in a unique position to pause and focus on home.
In these uncertain and chaotic times, people are finding friends, family and connecting with the natural world as good ways to ease anxieties and keep calm.
Continued low returns of some key chinook salmon stocks are expected to limit numerous state salmon fisheries for the upcoming season, state fisheries managers announced Monday.
Jack Hartt knows his way around the local trails.
