Ndow Presents The Nevada Wild Podcast

Great Basin Bird Observatory’s (GBBO) 2023 Nevada Bird-a-thon is a great way to set out on a fun adventure with your family while also supporting important bird research! During this statewide birding community event and fundraiser, teams and individuals are invited to participate by choosing one 24-hour period between May 5 and May 15 and then record as many bird species within Nevada as possible!   In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by GBBO’s Ned Bohman, who fills us in on the history of the Bird-a-thon, how to participate, the new categories and how you can win prizes and more! Learn more about the Bird-a-thon here: https://www.gbbo.org/birdathon-details

This week’s Nevada Wild highlights the brand-new Nevada Youth License Fund. This fund will allow members of the public and non-profit organizations to donate money to cover the cost of youth combination licenses for kids to remove a barrier to kids having FUN outdoors in Nevada! Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW’s Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones to talk about the fund, why it’s important to getting more kids outside, and explains how those applying for Nevada big game tags can donate to it! Learn more about the fund here: https://www.ndow.org/blog/nevada-youth-license-fund/

We wrap up NDOW’s Women’s Month celebration by introducing you to our new Chief Game Warden Kristy Knight! Knight has almost 20 years of experience as a game warden for the agency. She has worked in various capacities throughout the state, including captain, supervising lieutenant, and statewide supervising game warden! In this week’s Nevada Wild, Knight sits down with Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller to reflect on her time with the agency, share how it feels to represent women in a male dominated field, and explain her goals for NDOW’s Law Enforcement Division moving forward.

Guzzlers are man-made watering holes, built in areas where there is not enough water to support wildlife. While guzzlers are built to primarily benefit big game and upland bird species, they also provide a valuable source of water formany of Nevada's diverse wildlife species. Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) relies heavily on partners and volunteers to build guzzlers and has a number of opportunities coming up. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Habitat Biologist Sam Hughes and Statewide Volunteer Coordinator Julie Bless to talk about NDOW’s guzzler program, upcoming guzzler builds across the state, and how you can get involved! Find volunteer opportunities here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/get-involved/

This year Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) celebrates 20 years! Through its outdoor programs NOS inspires the exploration of the natural world, responsible stewardship of our habitat and dedication to community. This women founded and led non-profit is the perfect organization to feature for NDOW’s Women’s Month celebration. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Nevada Outdoor School Executive Director Melanie Erquiaga to talk about the history of NOS, its open AmeriCorps opportunities, and all the great events and programs they have coming up! Get involved with NOS here: https://www.nevadaoutdoorschool.org/home.aspx

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 for grant-funded improvements at a shooting range near you, current projects, and the need for safe, accessible shooting ranges throughout the state. Find the 2023 Shooting Range Grant Application form here: https://www.ndow.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Shooting-Range-Grant-Application-2023.pdf

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by Eastern Nevada Conservation Education Supervisor Julie Gabrielson to talk about the long-awaited 6th annual Elko Sportsman’s Expo! The expo is back on Saturday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5 with two days of outdoor related activities and booths presented by NDOW and the Ruby Mountain Rios Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Julie explains what to expect at this FREE event, why it’s the perfect event to experience with your friends and family, and how it's a great way to connect with the Elko community. Learn more here: https://fb.me/e/5epNeh6W5

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez are joined by Bighorn Sheep Staff Specialist Mike Cox at the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Sheep Show, where Mike was inducted into the Biologist Wall of Fame for the work he has put into bighorn sheep conservation across the west! Mike talks about the honor, his commitment to wildlife conservation, and dives into the status of Nevada’s bighorn sheep populations. View the 2022 Bighorn Sheep Checkout Summaries he refers to in the podcast here: https://www.ndow.org/blog/hunt-statistics/

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller record from the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Sheep Show, with new NDOW Wildlife Education Coordinator Margaret Lord and Hunter Education Coordinator Logan Klonicke. Logan and Margaret took a break from running stations at the Sheep Show’s youth component, the Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE). They fill us in on this year’s YWCE, how they’re adjusting to their new positions after working as Americorps for NDOW last year, and their goals for future programming to continue connecting kids to wildlife, nature, and outdoor recreation. The public portion of YWCE takes place tomorrow (Saturday, January 14) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hall 4 and the F-Meeting rooms of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. The event is FREE and parents who bring their kids can receive a voucher to get into the Sheep Show exhibit hall for free. Note: Do NOT go the Sheep Show registration and pay to get in, simply head to Hall 4. Find more information on YWCE here: https:/

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with Nevada Department of Wildlife Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones to dive into one of NDOW’s big undertakings of 2022, the Pathways to Relevancy Project. The goal of this project is to help the agency better understand the general public’s views on nature, wildlife, outdoor recreation, and NDOW as a whole to help us better serve the state. As part of this project, Bobby analyzed survey results from the Outdoor Foundation’s 2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report that surveyed participants on their views of outdoor recreation. Bobby quizzes us, fills us in on the results, and explains how this information will benefit the agency and Nevadans. You can view the full 2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report here: https://outdoorindustry.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2022-Outdoor-Participation-Trends-Report-1.pdf

The Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE)is back! YWCE, the youth portion of the Wild Sheep Foundation's Sheep Show, will take place at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on January 12-14. School groups will attend a private experience on the first two days, and on January 14, YWCE opens up to the public for FREE! In this week’s Nevada Wild, NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Ryan Brock and NDOW Conservation Educator Zac Campbell to talk about all the activities to expect at this year's YWCE, and how there’s something for everyone from the outdoor enthusiast to the artist. Special guests Rilee Brock (Ryan’s daughter!) and Luke Bryant (Ryan's student) fill us in on their favorite activities at the event, and what they're looking forward to most attending YWCE as students for the first time.  Find more details on the event here: https://www.wildsheepfoundation.org/mission-and-programs/youth-programs/ywce

Whether you’re interested in fishing for warmwater species, like bass, in southern Nevada, ice fishing in eastern Nevada, or casting a line in a river in western Nevada, the Silver State has it all when it comes to fishing opportunities! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Angler Education Coordinators Jan Nemec, Nicole Hamblin, and Abbey Czarnecki. They cover fishing conditions across Nevada, share ice fishing safety tips, and get into the 25 Days of Fishmas spirit by sharing gift ideas for the angler in your life! Buy your fishing license at ndowlicensing.com. View our fishing reports here: https://www.ndow.org/get-outside/fishing/fishing-stocking-reports/database/

Game Warden Reserve Lieutenant James Kocijanski, our most recent NDOW Volunteer of the Month, will be retiring at the end of the year. Kocijanski, better known to most as “Kozz,” has been an essential member of the NDOW Law Enforcement Division for the last decade. As one of two Reserve Game Wardens in the state, Kozz has been instrumental in assisting with patrols, promoting the Operation Game Thief program, training fellow law enforcement officers in TECC (Tactical Emergency Casualty Care), and training civilians in the lifesaving Stop the Bleed course. In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with Kozz as he looks back at his 10 years of service for NDOW. To get involved in NDOW’s Game Warden Reserve program, scroll down to the “Volunteer Game Warden section here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/get-involved/ Learn more about Stop the Bleed trainings here: https://www.stopthebleed.org/

The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Nevada State Parks, and their partners recently announced the launch of Nevada Trail Finder, a FREE web-based map featuring thousands of miles of outdoor recreation trails and waterways statewide, tools to keep track of your outdoor adventures, and much more! In this week’s Nevada Wild, NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller, and Bobby Jones sit down with one of the main forces behind the creation of Nevada Trail Finder, Janice Keillor with Nevada State Parks. Janice explains how the project started and walks us through the Nevada Trail Finder website. She also shows us why, no matter how you enjoy spending your time outdoors whether it’s biking, hiking, paddling, snowmobiling or more, you’ll want to put this tool to use! Check out Nevada Trail Finder here: https://www.nvtrailfinder.com/

In honor of Bat Week and Halloween, this week's Nevada Wild looks at some of the projects NDOW is working on to learn more about bats, extremely misunderstood, but important animals to the ecosystem! Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Wildlife Diversity Biologists Mackenzie Jeffress and Michael West to talk about the different bat surveys they're working on. This includes a new effort for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), an international interagency program designed to monitor bat distributions on public and private lands. NDOW’s effort with NABat includes acoustic work involving specialized detectors that record bat calls to help us determine which bat species live in which parts of the state. On top of explaining their work, Mackenzie and Michael also share some of their favorite bat facts!

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 redirecting bears away from town as they wait for sea ice to form each year. We also talked to Chris Servheen, retired USFW national grizzly bear recovery coordinator, about how work to reduce conflicts between humans and bears is going and finally to Mexico with Dr. Diana Doan-Crider, Executive Director at Animo Partnership in Natural Resources, who talked about incorporating indigenous knowledge into black bear management in northern Mexico.

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 do some fall fishing while you're on your hunt!

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.

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 Keller, and NDOW Big Game Biologist Cody McKee on Zoom from a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation event in Park City, Utah. He explains his deep connection to Nevada, why it is so important for him to connect people to conservation and our landscapes through hunting, and shares some elk hunting experiences he's had in the Nevada! Learn more about Randy Newberg, his shows, and podcast here: https://randynewberg.com/

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 traversed the California Trail. Alicia fills us in on the history of the site, the cleanup event, other NPLD events, and how critical these events are in protecting Historic Preservation sites, like the Fernley Swales. Find information on the Fernley Swales Cleanup here: https://www.neefusa.org/npld/fernley-swales/fernley-swales-cleanup Find a map of all NPLD events here: https://www.neefusa.org/npld-event-search