Ndow Presents The Nevada Wild Podcast

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 Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to Gabby Lukins with the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM)Winnemucca District and Walker River State Recreation Area Park Supervisor Randy Denter about events and volunteer opportunities happening around the state. These include the Walker River State Recreation Area's One-Year Anniversary Celebration and multiple community clean-ups organized by BLM.

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 partnerships and fundraising has made him a powerhouse in getting conservation projects done. Jefferson's notable work and commitment to wildlife will be recognized during the September Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners meeting in Las Vegas, where he will receive the Commission’s 2018 Wayne E. Kirch Conservation Award. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Jefferson and NDOW's Wildlife Education Coordinator Julie Watson to talk about the award and the work Jefferson has done to

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 species and some tips that may help lead to a successful bird hunting trip for you, your family and friends.

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 Mike Cox to talk about the award, how the crossings are benefiting drivers and wildlife, and how they hope to see more projects like this in the future.

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!

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!

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 sit down with NDOW Game Division Administrator Brian Wakeling and NDOW Veterinarian Peregrine Wolff to talk about the disease, prevention efforts including Senate Bill 85, how hunters can do their part to prevent the spread of CWD, and why their help is so important.

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.

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 importance to recreational fishing in Nevada, and how you can get involved.

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 eastern Nevada waters.

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 Water, and how NDOW is enforcing it. Bowles also talks about his vision for NDOW's boating program moving forward.

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 Water, and how NDOW is enforcing it. Bowles also talks about his vision for NDOW's boating program moving forward.

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, explain common calls they get from the public, and give a variety of tips on living in a state that's abundant with wildlife.

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.

International Wildlife Crimestoppers (IWC) is a non-profit dedicated to stopping ALL poaching. The group is made up of wildlife resource officers from agencies across North America, including the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). This July members will come together in South Lake Tahoe for the annual IWC Conference. In conjunction with the conference, IWC will hold a Sporting Clay Shoot on July 13 at the Capitol City Gun Club in Carson City to raise money for the non-profit. In this week's Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's Chief Game Warden Tyler Turnipseed, and Game Warden Captain and IWC President Brian Eller. They talk about the history of IWC and how the non-profit has helped fund NDOW's anti-poaching efforts. They also explain the importance of the conference and the Sporting Clay Shoot, and explain how you can get registered.

Nevada's Free Fishing Day on June 8 is the one day of the year you can fish any public water in the state without a fishing license. If you have never tried 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's Zac Campbell, Joe Doucette and Abbey Czarnecki to talk about all of the fun Free Fishing Day events happening around the state! Find an event near you here: http://www.ndow.org/fish/free_fishing_day/

In this week's Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller and NDOW's Zac Campbell and Jan Nemec talk about carp fishing in Nevada and one of the funnest events of the year! The Kids Carp Derby is Saturday, June 1. It's always fun seeing kids' reactions as they haul in huge carp with our very own magic bait! Registered kids receive a raffle entry and all the free stink bait they can handle. Kids 12 years and older need a valid fishing license. Buy their fishing license today at ndowlicensing.com, and register for the event here: https://register-ed.com/events/view/143906

This time of year wildlife, including bears, come out of their dens and get more active. It's important people living in and visiting bear country take the proper steps to keep Nevada bears wild not only in the spring, but all year long. Living in Bear Country is a year-round responsibility! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's very own bear experts, Carl Lackey and Heather Reich, to talk about bear activity and behavior, and the steps you can take to help us keep them wild.

May is One Truckee River Month, a celebration of the Truckee River and its importance to the community. The month is full of exciting events, including the Reno River Festival. This two-day event is not only a lot of fun, but also educates and informs the public about the benefits of recreating safely on the Truckee River. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with One Truckee River's Sophie Butler and NDOW's Aaron Meier to talk about all of the events this month, what you can expect at the Reno River Festival, and the importance of this celebration, and the work of One Truckee River and its partner stakeholders.

You either are one, or you know one. Everyone has that person in their group who waits until the last minute to put in for their big game tags. We have just a few days left until the big game application deadline 11 p.m. on April 29, and many sportsmen and women have yet to submit their big game applications on ndowlicensing.com. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with avid sportsmen, NDOW's Zac Campbell and CJ Ellingwood to talk about their application strategies, why people wait to apply, common questions they're getting from customers who are submitting applications, and information procrastinators will want to have before they apply for tags.