Ndow Presents The Nevada Wild Podcast

In the spirit of Thanksgiving next week, this Nevada Wild covers all things turkey. Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Upland Game Staff Specialist Shawn Espinosa to talk about the history of Nevada's wild turkeys. Shawn explains how they got here, and where you can find turkeys in the state. They also cover turkey hunting and some fun turkey facts, like explaining what a snoods and wattles are!

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with western Nevada’s former Supervising Fisheries Biologist, now Grant Coordinator for NDOW’s statewide Sportfish program, Kim Tisdale. Kim fills us in on her 27 years with the agency, how she started her career at NDOW, and the most memorable projects she’s been a part of. She also explains her new role and tells us about the state’s Trophy Fish and Native Fish programs, which are open to anyone to take part in. Learn more here: http://www.ndow.org/Fish/Angler_Recognition_Program/

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by writer, angler, cook, forager, among many other titles, Hank Shaw! For more than a year NDOW has shared Hanks's recipes on social media for Wild Food Friday. Hank, who has five published cookbooks, manages the popular Hunter Angler Gardner Cook website, and hosts the Hunt Gather Talk Podcast, explains how he first started with wild game cooking, tells us about his cookbooks, gives great insight to help you become a great wild game cook, and more! Learn more about Hank and find his recipes and cookbooks here: https://honest-food.net/

This week's Nevada Wild celebrates Bat Week, the annual, international celebration of the role of bats in nature! Hosts Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by Wildlife Educator Jess Brooks, who explains the educational programs NDOW runs to inform the public on bats and other wildlife. Programs include the popular bat walks that Jess and other wildlife educators organize around the state. Jess also shares some interesting bat facts and explains the important role they play in our ecosystem. Find events and learn more about NDOW's wildlife education programs here: http://www.ndow.org/Education/Wildlife_Ed/

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Biologist Heather Reich to talk about Nevada's black bears. She explains everything from their population size, where in Nevada they can be found and where the population comes from to their diets and behavior. She also covers how to live responsibly in bear country.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's 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. Nate explains the state's efforts to prevent the disease from entering Nevada, and explains what hunters can do to help. For more information and a list of the check stations mentioned in this podcast, visit here: http://www.ndow.org/Nevada_Wildlife/Health_and_Disease/Chronic_Wasting_Disease/

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by Sara Gedo with Clark County Water Quality and NDOW Angler Education Coordinator Abbey Czarnecki to discuss Stormwater Pollution Awareness Month in October. Sara explains the importance of the campaign's slogan to put #OnlyRainInTheStormDrain to preserve the water quality of Nevada’s precious waterways. Abbey explains what you can do to prevent the impacts of stormwater pollution on Nevada's fisheries and highlights NDOW's Fish Camp, which will feature Sara as a guest speaker.

Upland game hunters have a lot to look forward to! The youth chukar hunt continues this weekend, ending on Sunday (Oct. 3), and the general season opens October 9! 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 2021 Chukar Forecast and gives great chukar hunting tips to hopeful hunters! He also talks sage grouse and quail. View the Chukar Forecast here: http://www.ndow.org/uploadedFiles/ndoworg/Content/Hunt/Seasons_and_Regulations/Upland_Game/2021_NV_Chukar_Forecast.pdf 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 celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by spotlighting Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO), an organization created to provide a platform for Hispanics/Latinos to contribute knowledge and perspectives about public land conservation. Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with HECHO Program Manager Bianca McGrath-Martinez and NDOW Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones to talk about the importance of HECHO’s mission and connecting more communities with the outdoors. They also provide information on how you can get involved. To learn more, connect with HECHO on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @hechoonline. You can also sign up for the HECHO newsletter at https://support.nwf.org/page/28220/subscribe/1?mode=DEMO and for our HECHO Advocacy Network at https://support.nwf.org/page/25620/subscribe/1?mode=DEMO. Feel free to reach out to Bianca at bianca@hechoonline.org.

There is no better excuse to explore Nevada than by celebrating Nevada Public Lands Day next Saturday, September 25. Nevada Public Lands Day, which also falls on National Public Lands Day (NPLD), encourages Nevadans to discover the many exciting and affordable recreation opportunities right in their own backyards. In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to Jenny Ramella, Kim Zuch, and Carson Fehner with Nevada State Parks to highlight parks you can explore near you, fun ways to celebrate your National Public Lands Day, and how to respect the outdoors while exploring. As Park Interpreters Kim highlights Washoe Lake and Carson highlights Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort and all the NPLD activities happening at and in the surrounding areas of both parks. To celebrate Nevada Public Lands Day, Nevada State Parks is waiving park fees, including entrance costs, camping, and for the day. Find a state park near you here: parks.nv.gov/ You can also look for virtual and in-person volunteer

In this weeks’ Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez are joined by NDOW Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones and Outings Leader for Latino Outdoors Dagmar Galvan to discuss Hispanic Heritage Month. Dagmar tells us about her background and how she came to Las Vegas to pursue her career. The group has a great discussion on the importance of outdoor experiences for young and old. As a Latino Outdoors Outings Leader, Dagmar explains how she plans to engage with Latinx communities and share her passion for teaching the rich cultural history and archaeology that the Southwest and its environment has to offer.

NDOW's Conservation Education Division has a wide variety of education programming free for classrooms, homeschoolers, and after-school programs! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Wildlife Educator Jess Brooks and Urban Wildlife Coordinator Lauren MacLeod to talk about two programs classrooms will take part in this fall: Know Your Nevada, which teaches fourth-grade students all about Nevada's living state symbols and Nevada Knockout, NDOW’s award-winning animal battle program that gets students doing a deep dive on some of Nevada’s wildlife and what makes them so special. They also discuss other programs that are in the works, explain the importance wildlife and urban wildlife education and more! If you interested in putting these programs in your student's classrooms, fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIZxUki28V-JSC1h4NvzTdPDlZFzkUbekntvq2DEp7xD-asQ/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1g3XvCco4IAHSWQvIex4SbC6KgeyUZUCKMvJ0GYkQMRZF9Q8dt-Ue1ODc

Upland Game hunters... it's that time of year! September 1 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, the best places for hunters to have success, and more!

NDOW is working on duck banding projects across Nevada through the end of September. NDOW uses these projects to capture waterfowl and place bands on them to help track the species and collect data. In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Migratory Game Bird Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme to explain the duck banding process, why data from these bands is critical in making management decisions, how you can help us track our waterfowl populations, and more!

Bighorn sheep exist in the desert where no other native ungulates (hooved mammals) inhabit because of the limited water resources and plant life, and the rugged, precipitous terrain. But even desert bighorn sheep must drink water during the hottest months of the summer, which is why NDOW works with other land management agencies and conservation organizations to build “guzzlers” or water developments to provide water to bighorn sheep and other wildlife. In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Southern Nevada Game Supervisor Joe Bennett and Water Development Biologist Sam Hughes to talk about the importance of guzzlers, especially in the extreme drought conditions the state is experiencing, recent emergency water hauls to fill these water developments, the biology of bighorn sheep and more!

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is so lucky to be able to host Americorps members. Americorps is a nationwide community service program that gives young people a chance to gain professional experience while giving back to their communities. NDOW has been fortunate enough to attract really amazing members that have done invaluable work for the agency. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez speak with NDOW Wildlife Education Coordinator Julie Bless, and Americorps Claire Clarke and Amanda Mulholland to talk about the importance of Americoprs within the agency, the work they're doing, and their future plans! If you're interested in becoming an Americorps, check out the links below. Southern Nevada: https://naaee.org/eepro/jobs/wildlife-educator-americorps-member-5 Western Nevada: https://naaee.org/eepro/jobs/wildlife-educator-americorps-member-6 Eastern Nevada: https://naaee.org/eepro/jobs/wildlife-educator-americorps-member-4

In this week's Nevada Wild, we're looking at the importance of preparing for your hunt as seasons begin to open across the state. Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Big Game Staff Specialists Cody Schroeder and Mike Cox to talk about the best strategies for scouting, other critical ways to prepare for your hunt and more!

This week is Latino Conservation Week: Disfrutando y Conservando Nuestra Tierra, an initiative of Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF), to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources. In this week’s Nevada Wild, NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez and Bobby Jones sit down with Jessica Godinez from HAF’s Conservation Team to talk about Latino Conservation Week, the importance of this initiative and how to get involved. We also explain how HAF works toward providing Latino families and youth with outdoor recreation opportunities and removes barriers for them to get involved in conservation. Learn more here: http://latinoconservationweek.com/

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by Wildlife Diversity Biologist Jason Jones to talk about the impact of drought conditions on reptiles, including snakes and Gila monsters. Jones clears up some common misconceptions, explains how important these critters are to Nevada's ecosystem, and walks you through what to do if you come across one.

The Summer Nevada Nature Blitz is underway, and anyone who wants to get outside this summer is invited to take part! This project is simple! The challenge is to record as much biodiversity as possible in northern Nevada during your outdoor adventures by downloading the iNaturalist app, join our project ‘Summer Nevada Nature Blitz’ and start snapping photos! In this week's Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW's Julie Bless and Cynthia Scholl with the Museum Of Natural History UNR to talk about how easy it is to participate in the blitz, how observations can be used by real-life scientists to learn more about Nevada’s flora and fauna, prizes you have a chance at winning and more!