Ice fishing season is here! For those anglers new to ice fishing, you are in for a surprise. It is relaxing, quite easy and much more social than its warm weather cousin. In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to eastern Nevada's Conservation Educator Joe Doucette and southern Nevada Angler Education Coordinator Abbey Czarnecki about the best ice fishing locations around the state, ice fishing tips, upcoming events and more!
Jan 17, 2020•28 min
It's a new decade and NDOW has a lot going on moving into 2020! In this week's Nevada Wild NDOW's Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with NDOW Director Tony Wasley. They talk about major projects the Department took part in 2019, like wildlife safety crossings, the support for Recovering America's Wildlife Act (a bill that would direct $1.4 billion to state conservation efforts), and more. They also look ahead to the upcoming year and discuss what anglers, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts ...
Jan 10, 2020•28 min
You may not realize the Nevada Department of Wildlife has engineers who are dedicated to maintaining, improving and creating new infrastructure that improves recreational opportunities in Nevada. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Engineer Bob Ragar and Chief Engineer Rodd Lighthouse. The guests explain their role in the Department, why it is so important, and what projects their working on now that will benefit you.
Jan 03, 2020•26 min
The season opener for fishing at Topaz Lake is January 1. For many this has become a New Year's Day tradition. In this Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with fisheries biologists Kris Urquhart and Chris Crookshanks to talk about fishing conditions at Topaz Lake, an underutilized fishery at the lake, and how anglers can give their input on a year-round season being considered for the lake.
Dec 21, 2019•28 min
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 3742) is a federal bill that would provide states with $1.4 billion each year to more fully implement state wildlife action plans (SWAPs). If passed, Nevada would receive at least $23 million to put toward wildlife management and conservation, funding for law enforcement, conservation education, recreation, habitat restoration in addition to management of priority species, including mule deer, bighorn sheep, sage grouse, waterfowl, songbirds, reptiles, nat...
Dec 20, 2019•28 min
National Audubon's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the nation's longest-running citizen science bird project. Over a century's worth of data has been collected since the project began, and now it's as much of a tradition for many friends and families as it is a massive scientific project. In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Lahontan Audubon Society's Jim Woods and Rob Lowry to talk about local bird counts, how you can get involved and the significance o...
Dec 13, 2019•28 min
NDOW funds improvements at shooting ranges across Nevada to make them safer and more accessible to the community. This funding also allows for more facilities to host Hunter Education classes. Soon NDOW will be accepting applications from communities for grants that would go toward needed improvements at their local shooting range. In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Conservation Education Division Administrator Chris Vasey to talk about the importanc...
Dec 05, 2019•27 min
Nevada's state-owned Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are home to many resident and migratory birds and mammals. Found throughout the state and generally less than two hours from populated areas in Nevada, WMAs offer a variety of recreational opportunities including waterfowl and upland game hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing. This week's Nevada Wild focuses on northern Nevada's Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area. Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Western Complex Wildlife Area...
Nov 25, 2019•26 min
Black Friday weekend is almost here! That means soon people will rush to the stores to find the best deals on gifts for their family and friends. NDOW wanted to help you out with some gift ideas! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Conservation Education Division Administrator Chris Vasey, and Nevada Wild regular Julie Watson to share gift ideas for hunters, anglers, and anyone who just enjoys spending time outside.
Nov 22, 2019•28 min
With many hunters bringing home their harvested game, and the holidays approaching, we thought it was the perfect time of year to share our favorite wild game recipes. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Engineer and 2019 Chili Cook-off Winner Bob Ragar. We share some creative recipes for both small game and big game. Bob also explains some easy recipes for those who are new to cooking, and we discuss ways to utilize all of the meat from your harvested ...
Nov 15, 2019•28 min
The bighorn sheep herd in Nevada's Stillwater Range is so healthy, NDOW has relocated 51 wild sheep to establish a new herd in unoccupied habitat in the Mineral Mountains of Utah. Last week we captured the sheep in Nevada, and then transported them to Utah. In this week's Nevada Wild Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with NDOW Staff Specialist Mike Cox to talk about the project, more capture and transplant projects coming up within Nevada, and shares how you can get involved.
Nov 01, 2019•28 min
We're celebrating Bat Week and Halloween in this week's spooky edition of Nevada Wild. Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Diversity Biologist Jason Williams to talk about his extensive work with bats roosting in caves and mines. Jason also explains some of the other findings he's made in his cave explorations over the years!
Oct 21, 2019•29 min
Fall is one of the best times of year for fishing across the state, and Nevada fisheries are thriving! Whether it's a stream or a lake, NDOW biologists are able to determine the health of fish populations in different bodies of water with a process called electroshocking. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with NDOW Fisheries Biologists Chris Crookshanks and Travis Hawks to talk about electroshocking. They explain how it works, where we do these projects and why...
Oct 18, 2019•26 min
Fall is well underway, which means bears have entered hyperphagia. This means they're trying to fatten up for the upcoming winter, ultimately needing up to 25,000 calories a day! Ensuring that the community is living responsibly in Bear Country is a team effort, and requires NDOW to work with different agencies to educate the public and locate problems spots, where attractants are bringing bears into urban areas. One partner that has greatly helped NDOW in its mission is Douglas Disposal, Dougla...
Oct 11, 2019•28 min
The Nevada Department of Wildlife is rolling out the second year of its Nevada Knockout program. Thirty-two animals who call Nevada home have been chosen to compete in a single elimination tournament. Kind of like March Madness, but with animals! The program encourages not only students to learn about wildlife, but the entire public. This year more than 3,000 students across the state will complete the program. The general public can also take part in Nevada Knockout by filling out a bracket, wh...
Sep 27, 2019•26 min
Nevada's waterfowl season is kicking off this weekend in part of the state, and quickly approaching in others. In this week's Nevada Wild NDOW's Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with NDOW Waterfowl Biologist Russell Woolstenhulme and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 Waterfowl Biologist Chris Nicolai to talk about the work the agencies do to understand and manage waterfowl populations in the state. They also talk about what hunters can expect for the season, and go over tips and gr...
Sep 20, 2019•27 min
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and general health. While the event is officially recognized this year on September 28, a number of events and volunteer opportunities will be hosted by different agencies on that date and in the week leading up to it. In this week's Neva...
Sep 13, 2019•26 min
Very few people are willing to sacrifice so much of their personal time for wildlife as Brett K. Jefferson, who has made a second career for himself by volunteering his time for conserving wildlife. He has a long and productive history of working with numerous bighorn sheep non-governmental organizations including the Wild Sheep Foundation, Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited (NBU) – Reno, Fallon – NBU, NBU – Midas, and Elko Bighorns Unlimited. His work coordinating partn...
Sep 06, 2019•28 min
Upland Game hunters... it's that time of year! September 1 (this Sunday!)is the opener for dove, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, Himalayan snowcock and crow. On top of that, many more upland game seasons are approaching! In this week's Nevada's Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Upland Game Staff Specialist Shawn Espinosa and Migratory Game Bird Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme to talk about the upcoming upland game seasons, population numbers for a variety of the major sp...
Aug 30, 2019•28 min
A joint Nevada Department of Wildlife(NDOW) and Nevada Department of Transportation(NDOT) initiative to install wildlife safety crossings in northeastern Nevada has received the Federal Highway Administration 2019 Environmental Excellence Award. The award recognizes nine crossings on I-80 between Wells and Wendover and US-93 between Wells and Jackpot. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOT wildlife biologist Nova Simpson and NDOW Wildlife Staff Sepcialist ...
Aug 23, 2019•28 min
NDOW's Wildlife Educators are rolling out a brand new program in classrooms across the state. The program, Know Your Nevada, is aimed at educating 4th grade students on state symbols and the importance of conservation in the state. In this week's Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Wildlife Educators Julie Watson and Jess Heitt to talk about the program, how it benefits students and how classes can get involved. The hosts are also quizzed on how well they know their Nevada!...
Aug 16, 2019•26 min
This summer we've seen videos of swarms of grasshoppers all over the news and social media. This is also the time of year people are spending more time outside and more likely to get a bug bite! In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with Southern Nevada Wildlife Diversity Biologist Christy Klinger to talk about how these pesty insects impact wildlife, including bats and the yellow-billed cuckoo. The also address how these species keep insect populations in check!
Aug 12, 2019•25 min
The state of Nevada has passed a new law in its ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a nervous system disease that affects deer, moose, elk and reindeer. Senate Bill 85 restricts hunters who have harvested specific game species in other states from bringing certain parts of the carcass into Nevada. CWD has not been detected in Nevada, but biologists continue to monitor our mule deer and elk populations. In this week’s Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller...
Aug 02, 2019•25 min
Chief Game Warden Tyler Turnipseed has been at service with NDOW since 1992. Last week was bittersweet for NDOW staff after Tyler announced he will retire from the agency in early August. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Tyler to take a look back at his nearly 30 years with NDOW, the legacy he's leaving behind, and what's in store for his future. He also gives some great advice to those looking to follow in his footsteps as a game warden.
Jul 26, 2019•27 min
Every summer, NDOW staff and volunteers head to western Nevada's beautiful Marlette Lake for the annual Marlette Lake Broodstock Spawning Project. The eggs we get from this project provide our fish hatcheries with most of the trout we stock in waters across the state. In this week's Nevada Wild NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Native Aquatic Staff Specialist Chris Crookshanks and Western Region Fisheries Supervisor Kim Tisdale to explain the project, its history, its importan...
Jul 19, 2019•27 min
It's almost time for the 30th Annual Angel Lake Kids Fishing Derby! The derby is Saturday, July 20 starting at 8 a.m. at beautiful Angel Lake just outside of Wells in Elko County. The event is geared for children age 4 to 15, but the whole family is invited. In this week's Nevada Wild NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Conservation Educator Joe Doucette to talk about why the event is such a hit year after year, fishing techniques to ensure you catch a fish, and conditions on ea...
Jul 12, 2019•28 min
Nevada Department of Wildlife's law enforcement is joining agencies across the nation in the Operation Dry Water campaign from July 5 through July 7. This is a heightened awareness and enforcement campaign focused on deterring boaters from boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In this week's Nevada Wild podcast, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Boating Education Coordinator Aaron Meier and Boating Law Administrator Captain Brian Bowles to talk about Operation Dry W...
Jun 28, 2019•29 min
Nevada Department of Wildlife's law enforcement is joining agencies across the nation in the Operation Dry Water campaign from July 5 through July 7. This is a heightened awareness and enforcement campaign focused on deterring boaters from boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In this week's Nevada Wild podcast, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Boating Education Coordinator Aaron Meier and Boating Law Administrator Captain Brian Bowles to talk about Operation Dry W...
Jun 28, 2019•29 min
As animals get more active in the late spring and early summer, NDOW is flooded with phone calls from the public about how to deal with wildlife. Many of those calls come from people asking what to do with baby wildlife they believe to be injured or abandoned. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Urban Wildlife Coordinator Jess Wolff and Wildlife Educator Jess Heitt. They give an in-depth explanation of why it's best to leave young wildlife alone, explai...
Jun 21, 2019•26 min
In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez sits down with Wildlife Educators Julie Watson and Jess Brooks to talk about the best summertime hikes in both Las Vegas and Reno. They also share tips on planning ahead to make your experience more enjoyable, and how to beat the heat while enjoying the outdoors. They explain what to do if you encounter wildlife and talk about some of the fun wildlife programs and events NDOW has happening this summer.
Jun 14, 2019•28 min
