Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller, hosts of The Nevada Wild Podcast teamed up with Tim Akimoff and Beth Quillian, hosts of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Beaver State Podcast at the 6th International Human-Bear Conflicts Workshop in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. We take you on a journey around North America to look at solutions to human-caused problems for bears in places like Arviat in Nunavut where the mayor, Joe Savikataaq Jr., talks about efforts to reduce polar bear conflicts by redirec...
Oct 21, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Upland game hunters have a lot to look forward to! Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 15, statewide chukar and quail seasons open! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's Upland Game Staff Specialist Shawn Espinosa, who breaks down the 2022 Chukar Forecast, explains the best locations for hopeful hunters, and gives us an update on other upland game species. Buy your license at ndowlicensing.com so you can join in on the fun. Make it a combination license so you can...
Oct 14, 2022•28 min
In this week's Nevada Wild, we introduce you to NDOW's new Western Nevada Fisheries Biologist Sam Sedillo. Sam fills Nevada Wild hosts, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller, in on his background and passion for fish! He tells us about the projects he's been working on since beginning his position at NDOW in March. He also highlights a major project near Wall Canyon Reservoir to protect a unique Nevada species called the Wall Canyon Sucker, which is only found in the Wall Canyon watershed.
Oct 07, 2022•29 min
In celebration of Elk Week, we're featuring special guest, Randy Newberg! At his core Randy is a hunter, an advocate for public land, and uses a variety of platforms to advocate for hunters and public land access! Some of his platforms include Fresh Tracks (TV/YouTube), Hunt Talk Radio (Podcast), RandyNewberg.com (Website), and Hunt Talk (Web Forum). In short, Randy is a leading voice for public land hunters across the nation! In this week's Nevada Wild, he joins hosts Ashley Sanchez and Aaron K...
Sep 29, 2022•31 min
Tomorrow, Saturday 24, is National Public Lands Day (NPLD), a celebration that brings out thousands of volunteers to help restore and improve public lands around the country. In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Bureau of Land Management Archaeologist Alicia Jensen, who fills us in on an NPLD cleanup volunteer opportunity at the Fernley Swales. This site a mile north of Fernley, is the only place where emigrant wagons and oxen left deep sand swales as they tr...
Sep 23, 2022•28 min
In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Nevada Department of Wildlife Veterinarian Nate LaHue to talk about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a transmissible neurological disease that is always fatal to animals in the deer family. Currently, CWD is found in 34 states and provinces but not in Nevada. Nate explains the state's efforts to prevent the disease from entering Nevada, and explains what hunters can do to help. Find more information and a list of the check s...
Sep 08, 2022•29 min
With dove season opening yesterday, we thought it was the perfect time to sit down with NDOW Migratory Game Bird Staff Biologist Russell Woolstenhulme to get an update on populations and tips to be more successful. In this week’s Nevada Wild, we cover everything you need to know if you’re interested in hunting dove. We switch gears and talk about banding projects, including the state's first ever band-tailed pigeon banding project and annual duck banding efforts, which help agencies across the n...
Sep 02, 2022•30 min
In this week’s Nevada Wild, we sit down with Miranda Crowell. As part of her PhD work for University of Nevada Reno, Miranda has been working on a collaborative project for over five years to learn more about pygmy rabbit populations in Nevada and how they are changing over time. She explains how she got involved in working with pygmy rabbits, the work she's doing for her study, and why it’s so important to learn about this species! See the posts/photos we refer to in the podcast here: https://w...
Aug 26, 2022•26 min
NDOW's Conservation Education Division has a wide variety of educational programming free for classrooms, homeschoolers, after-school programs, and really anyone interested in learning more about Nevada's wildlife. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Statewide Wildlife Education Coordinator Julie Bless to talk about a variety of education programs available to teachers, students, and the public. She covers award winning classroom programs, like Nevada K...
Aug 19, 2022•26 min
In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with NDOW Biologist Heather Reich to talk about bears! Heather corrects some common misconceptions surrounding Nevada’s black bear populations and explains some steps to take as bears get more active due to hyperphagia, the phase they go through to build up calories before spending the winter in their dens. She also tells us why these tips apply to anyone in Nevada, not just those who live or spend time in northern Nevada. Find...
Aug 12, 2022•27 min
Take your best guess! How much money do you think big game and upland game hunters spend on hunting in Nevada per year? In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller, and Bobby Jones dive into the dollars and cents details of hunting in Nevada with UNR Research Scientist Alec Bowman. Alec lets us know just how much Nevada hunters support our state’s economy using an in-depth report he worked on detailing Nevada hunting expenditures. View the report: https://www.ndow.org/wp-content/upl...
Aug 05, 2022•29 min
Have you ever been interested in learning how to shoot a bow or rifle? NDOW offers learn-to shoot classes throughout the state to teach safe and responsible shooting practices to youth and adults. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW’s new Statewide Recreational Shooting Coordinator, Adam Kavanagh to talk about the shooting programs NDOW offers. Adam also explains his hopes of getting the National Archery in the Schools Program into more local schools to...
Jul 09, 2022•27 min
As animals get more active in the late spring and early summer, NDOW sees an increase in phone calls from community members asking questions about wildlife they come across in their neighborhoods, whether they've found an injured animal or they have an unexpected visitor in their yard. Those are the calls that keep our Urban Wildlife Coordinators busy. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW’s new Urban Wildlife Coordinator Raquel Martinez and former Urban ...
Jul 01, 2022•28 min
In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Wildlife Diversity Biologist Mackenzie Jeffress to talk about North America’s cutest mammal, the pika, and the new Nevada Pika Atlas. The atlas is a compilation of information from researchers across the west shows where pika can be found across the state! Mackenzie explains why this is important in helping us learn more about pika and protect the species. She also explains how she found her love of researching pika a...
Jun 24, 2022•27 min
In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Wildlife Education Coordinator Julie Bless and Conservation Education Division Administrator Chris Vasey to talk about the Nevada Department of Wildlife's "Conserve Wildlife" license plate, which is available at any Nevada Department of Motor Vehicle office. They explain how proceeds from the sale of this license plate featuring a mule deer, sage-grouse, and cutthroat trout against a classic Nevada landscape, benefits diff...
Jun 17, 2022•27 min
Nevada's Free Fishing Day is tomorrow, Saturday, June 11. This is the one day of the year you can fish any public water in the state without a fishing license. If you have never been fishing, Free Fishing Day is the day to get out and try it! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Angler Educators Jan Nemec, Julie Gabrielson, and Abbey Czarnecki to talk about all of the fun Free Fishing Day events happening across the state, the annual Free Fishing Day Pos...
Jun 10, 2022•27 min
Boating season is here! We encourage you to prepare before you head out on the water, so you can be sure to have a safe and fun boating experience with your friends and family. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's Statewide Boating Education Coordinator Aaron Meier to talk about the steps to take to prepare your boat and stay safe while boating or paddling, and they highlight some of the great waters to explore! Find boating education courses on ndow.o...
Jun 03, 2022•29 min
This week's Nevada Wild is shell-e-brating Wild Turtle Week! Hosts Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to NDOW Wildlife Diversity Biologist Matt Flores and clear up some confusion around the difference between turtles and tortoises. He gives us an overview of Nevada species, and explains the threats they face. We're also joined by Christian Daniels, the creator of the Desert Balloon Project, a Facebook page that encourages everyone to do their part to clean up balloons and litter in the desert ...
May 27, 2022•24 min
In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Educators Zac Campbell, Jan Nemec, and Abbey Czarnecki to talk about carp fishing in Nevada! Abbey recaps the recent annual Carp Rodeo at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, and Jan fills us in on the Kids Carp Derby on Saturday June 4, at Lahontan Reservoir, along with other western Nevada Carp Derbies this summer. Find information on the June 4 Kids Carp Derby here:https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/182658?fbc...
May 13, 2022•30 min
Nevada's big game tag application period deadline is quickly approaching! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Conservation Educators Martin Olson and Julie Gabrielson to talk about frequently asked questions they've received about the application period, tools like NDOW's Big Game Application Seminar, and tips to follow when preparing to apply. Watch the Big Game Application Seminar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOVfvcn7CI4 Apply for tags until ...
Apr 28, 2022•27 min
This week's Nevada Wild goes on the road at Walker River State Recreation Area! Ashley Sanchez and Bobby Jones are joined by Nevada Division of Natural Heritage Botanist Janel Johnson as she leads a tour at the state recreation area to show NatureServe CEO and President Sean O'Brien around. This is one stop on Sean's journey across the country to visit with natural heritage agencies in different states to learn how we can all work together to achieve great outcomes for conservation. As discussed...
Apr 08, 2022•30 min
NDOW has released a new hunt planning tool for hunters to use during Nevada's big game application period, which is now open at ndowlicensing.com. The tool, HuntNV, includes an interactive hunt unit map, harvest data, draw data, and bonus point data. The map can be filtered by many different hunt options. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with HuntNV creator, NDOW's Mitch Gritts and NDOW Big Game Biologist Cody McKee. They walk us through HuntNV, explain its va...
Apr 01, 2022•29 min
For the opening week of Nevada's big game application period, and the conclusion of our Women's Month podcasts, we thought it was the perfect time to introduce two of our eastern Nevada game biologists. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Game Biologists Sarah Hale and Samantha Fino. The two explain how they recently became biologists at NDOW, their backgrounds and goals, and give encouraging advice to women entering this field.
Mar 25, 2022•27 min
In this week's Nevada Wild, we continue our Women's Month celebration with guest Cynthia Scholl. Cynthia is the Education Coordinator at University of Nevada, Reno's Museum of Natural History, and the Associate Director of Nevada Bugs and Butterflies. Cynthia fills NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller in on both of her positions, her passion for bugs (especially butterflies!) and natural history, and explains how the two fields intertwine. She also talks about how she loves inspiring future ge...
Mar 18, 2022•28 min
In this week’s Nevada Wild, we celebrate women who fish for Women’s Month! Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Angler Educator Abbey Czarnecki and avid bass angler Ryan Pendarvis. Ryan explains her love of bass fishing, and how she got started with fishing and tournaments. Abbey fills us in on fishing hotspots in southern Nevada. They explain how to get started with fishing and find communities online who can support you in learning, and they encourage more women to get out there!
Mar 03, 2022•27 min
In this week's Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Big Game Biologists Kari Huebner and Travis Allen to provide an update on Nevada's growing moose population. Kari and Travis fill us in on the number of moose they have collared to help learn more about the animals, the number of sightings in an ongoing database, and the work they're doing to continue to learn more! They also explain how you can help.
Feb 25, 2022•28 min
In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Fisheries Biologist Travis Hawks and Granite Construction Environmental Manager Tina Mudd to talk about a new trail that improves access to a portion of state land along the Truckee River in Sparks. NDOW partnered with the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail, Nevada Division of State Lands, Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space, Granite Construction, and a private landowner to complete the new trail system in an undeveloped, un...
Feb 18, 2022•27 min
NDOW’s James Lathrop and Wayne Capurro Memorial Internship program gives selected graduating Nevada high school seniors, college, or university students an opportunity to earn funds to support their college education, while receiving “on-the-job” training as a seasonal NDOW employee. This wonderful program is currently accepting applications! In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller caught up with Wildlife Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme and Nevada Bighorn Unlimited’s C...
Jan 27, 2022•29 min
NDOW funds improvements at shooting ranges across Nevada to make them safer and more accessible to the community. We're now accepting applications for these funds from anyone who would like to see upgrades at their local shooting range. In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller explain how this grant program works, how you can apply to have a shooting range near you funded, some examples of how this funding has worked in the past, and the need for safe, accessible shooti...
Jan 21, 2022•28 min
This week's Nevada Wild was recorded on location at the Wild Sheep Foundation's Sheep Show, which takes place at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center and Peppermill Resort Spa & Casino through Saturday, January 15. In the spirit of Sheep Week, NDOW Bighorn Sheep Staff Specialist Mike Cox joined Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller to talk about the status of Nevada's bighorn sheep, the latest bighorn sheep hunt summaries, and work being done to keep the state's bighorn sheep populations healthy and ...
Jan 14, 2022•28 min
