The number of muzzleloader hunters has quadrupled since the early 1980s from fewer than 1 million to as many as 4 million. But it's a population of two very distinct communities on opposite sides of a philosophical fence. Read more »

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers biologists will kill more double-breasted cormorants in 2009 to see if the predators are gorging themselves on juvenile chinook salmon, hampering recovery of the endangered species. Read more »

Last winter, my 10-year-old son and I headed to a destination that had friends and family wondering if we'd lost our minds. We went to Fairbanks. In February. Read more »

Eighty cross-country ski and snowshoeing locations nationwide are promoting winter sports with a free one-day event Jan. 10 called "Winter Trails." Read more »

Skilled climbers spend years accumulating the experience and equipment to ascend cliffs like this one, but as a beginner I have scaled this rock face after little more than 15 minutes of training. Read more »

American Todd Lodwick was runner-up for a second straight Nordic combined World Cup event in his comeback from retirement, losing on Sunday to overall leader Anssi Koivuranta of Finland. Read more »

If you've ever been riding down the street and had your pants cuff ripped asunder, there may be a revolution at hand. Read more »

Danny Davis won the superpipe final, and Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler topped the women's field Sunday in the first stop of the Winter Dew Tour. Read more »

Olympic gold medalist Shaun White won the snowboard slopestyle competition, and Canada's Spencer O'Brien took the women's event Friday in the first stop on the inaugural Winter Dew Tour. Read more »

For those willing to brave the cold, winter may be one of the best times to visit the vast desert wilderness known as Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in central Idaho. Read more »

If you're thinking about a trip to a national park next summer, you may want to start researching your itinerary now. Read more »

Deep snow in the high country drives elk, deer and bison down into the open valleys, where the weather is milder and they can more easily paw or push snow aside to get to the dried grass beneath. Read more »

It's only about half as big as Rhode Island, but it more than makes up for its size with diverse attractions running from beaches to scenic mountains. Read more »

Golf is one of three tourism niches being targeted for promotion in Puerto Rico. Read more »

Wheeling and tromping across thousands of miles of Maine's remotest points, author Tom Hanrahan has seen plenty. Read more »

Beachcombers find endless treasures along the Oregon coast, from seashells to shipwrecks. State archaeologist Dennis Griffin says more ships may emerge from the sands this year along the stretch of Pacific coast long known as the "Pacific Graveyard." Read more »

Several suicides are prevented by rangers each year, but it would be impossible to stop them all. Read more »

State wildlife officials are trying to figure out how dozens of mallard ducks died along a ditch in the eastern Idaho town of Ammon. Read more »

A U.S. aerials skier from Idaho who was dismissed from the 2006 Turin Olympics after a drunken brawl outside an Italian bar has been cited for public urination. Read more »

The National Park Service has named the new chief of the U.S Park Police. Read more »

Conservationists who have battled for years to eliminate lead ammunition they say is the biggest threat to the survival of endangered California condors are now setting their sights on Utah. Read more »

The state Salmon Recovery Funding Board has awarded $19.8 million in grants to protect and restore salmon populations throughout the state.

A researcher at Montana State University says Jell-O, ultrasound, microwaves and electroshocking are among the possible solutions to eliminate lake trout in Yellowstone National Park. Read more »

Recreational saltwater anglers who were supposed to register with the federal government by January are off the hook for a year. Read more »