Ndow Presents The Nevada Wild Podcast

In this week’s Nevada Wild, NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with Colin Robertson, Administrator of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s new Division of Outdoor Recreation (NDOR). Colin's focus is advancing Nevada’s immense variety of outdoor recreational opportunities to improve public health and wellness, educate Nevada’s youth, engage underserved populations, and attract new outdoor recreation-oriented businesses to the state. Colin talks to the Nevada Wild crew about his new role, the importance of outdoor recreation to the economy, how NDOW and NDOR will collaborate to enhance Nevada’s outdoor recreation, how you can give your input on what recreation projects you’d like to see funded with a new survey(see link below), and more! What kinds of outdoor recreation projects would you like to see funded in Nevada over the next 5 years? Would you like to see new bike paths, playgrounds, or other outdoor recreation infrastructure in your community? You have the opp

NDOW funds improvements at shooting ranges across Nevada to make them safer and more accessible to the community. NDOW is now 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 discuss why it's important now more than ever before to have safe, accessible shooting ranges in Nevada, NDOW's involvement in funding them, the application process, and a new tool that you can use to find a range that's had improvements near you. Find the map discussed in the podcast here: https://fws.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/159b2789c573462f8787d41b2401a592 Find the application in the "Grant Opportunities" section at this link: http://www.ndow.org/Our_Agency/Grants/

Starting today, Friday, February 12, 2021 through Sunday, February 15, 2021, people from around the world come together to watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count. This is a global event that anyone can take part in from anywhere! In this week's Nevada Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez talk to NDOW Wildlife Educators Julie Watson and Jess Brooks about the Great Backyard Bird Count, how easy it is to take part in it, great local spots for bird watching and a free birding webinar series NDOW is holding for those wanting to learn more about birding! Learn more about the Great Backyard Bird Count here: https://www.birdcount.org/ Register for NDOW's Birding Series webinars here: https://www.facebook.com/NvDOW/events/ Check out all webinars on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuC0SE9pUmam8ijRB48kVRA

For the first time, state and federal wildlife biologists have come together to begin mapping the migrations of mule deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and bison across America’s West. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez virtually podcast with NDOW's Mule Deer Staff Specialist Cody Schroeder, and first time Nevada Wild guest, Dr. Matthew Kauffman with U.S. Geological Survey's Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. They talk about how these maps came about, the collaboration between agencies, and how the maps will help to sustain big game populations not only in Nevada, but across the west. For more details about big-game migrations in the Western United States, read the report, Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States: Volume 1, which includes maps of over 40 big-game migrations in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming here: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/ You can also download the data via www.ScienceBase.gov. To explore the Western Migrations web viewer, visit the

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk with NDOW Angler Educators from across the state Abbey Czarnecki, Jan Nemec and Julie Gabrielson about Trout in the Classroom (TIC), a popular education program, NDOW has put in classrooms for the past 20 years. TIC delivers tanks and trout eggs to local classrooms, in which students learn about aquatic life as about six weeks, until the eggs hatch and students release the fry into local water ways. The group talks about the history of the program, how the program benefits students, how they’ve continued it this year in a virtual setting, and how you can get your kids involved. See the livestream of the trout tank referred to in the podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8uPJGg5q_M Join in on the webinars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf6NZwe0hFU&t=2747s Learn more about TIC: http://www.ndow.org/Education/Wildlife_Ed/Trout_In_The_Classroom/

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones and Ducks Unlimited (DU) Biologist Amelia Raquel to talk about wetland conservation. Amelia tells us about her role as a DU biologist, lets us know what wetland conservation projects are currently underway here in Nevada, and explains how DU partners with groups, agencies, and private landowners across the country.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk with Nevada Wild regular and avid birder Rob Lowry, who recently broke a birding record! Lowry fills us in on his birding adventures over the last year, tells us about his record, and explains why now is a great time to get into birding and how easy it is to get started.

This holiday season, NDOW launched FishNV, a convenient new tool to help you locate Nevada’s sportfish species, and a guide and map of all state waters. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez talk with NDOW GIS experts, Jinna Larkin and Mitch Gritts, and NDOW Fisheries Biologist Chris Crookshanks about what went into developing the FishNV app, the inspiration behind it, and how it can be used to benefit anglers and to plan the perfect fishing trip! Give the tool a try here: https://fish.wildlifenv.com/

Some of our favorite fishing spots are freezing over, making for great ice fishing. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to Conservation Educator Joe Doucette about which waters are safe for ice fishing right now, and what waters will be in the near future. They also go over ice fishing equipment, and safety information anglers should keep in mind when they head out on the ice. For fishing reports click here: http://www.ndow.org/Fish/Fishing_Report/

In the winter months it's common to see wildlife like waterfowl, deer and other animals in neighborhoods. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to NDOW's Urban Wildlife Coordinators Jessica Wolff and Lauren MacLeod about the common wildlife-related calls they receive this time of year, why it is important that people don't give in to the urge to feed wildlife in these colder months and the impact that can have. Learn more about Nevada's wildlife at our webinars here: https://www.facebook.com/NvDOW/events/

With the holidays approaching, NDOW wanted to give you some ideas to help you find the perfect present for the outdoor enthusiast in your life. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Conservation Education Division Administrator Chris Vasey, and Nevada Wild regular Julie Watson to share gift ideas for hunters, anglers, and anyone who enjoys spending time outdoors.

In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with first time Nevada Wild guest, Wildlife Diversity Biologist Mark Enders. Mark explains his work around Lake Tahoe, the unique species that live there, the work NDOW does to learn more about raptors that spend their winters in Nevada, and the importance of this work.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller introduce NDOW's Wildlife Veterinarian Nate LaHue. LaHue explains his role at NDOW, and the various projects he works on to monitor the health of Nevada's wildlife. Currently, LaHue and NDOW biologists are busy working to prevent Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal disease to animals in the deer family, from entering the state. While it hasn't been found in Nevada, CWD has been detected in our neighboring state, Utah. LaHue explains what hunters need to know before heading into the field to help us stop CWD from entering Nevada. Find more information on CWD here: http://www.ndow.org/Nevada_Wildlife/Health_and_Disease/Chronic_Wasting_Disease/

In the spirit of Bat Week and Halloween, this week's Nevada Wild focuses on bats, along with one of our favorite creepy crawlers, snakes! Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk with NDOW Wildlife Diversity Biologists Jason Jones and Jason Williams about the common misconceptions revolving around bats and snakes. They also highlight what makes these creatures so important to our ecosystems. For information on bat houses mentioned in the podcast click here: https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-houses/

The fall season has some of the best fishing of the year in Nevada! If you haven't already, buy your fishing license at ndowlicensing.com so you can get out there and enjoy it! In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW's Angler Educators Jan Nemec, Joe Doucette, and Abbey Czarnecki to talk about what makes fall a prime time of year for fishing, the best places to go, and fish stocking updates around the state. They also highlight a great learning opportunity for both, avid anglers and people interested in learning to fish, NDOW's first Virtual Fish Camp, happening next week, Monday, October 26 through Thursday, October 29. Learn more about Fish Camp, and get registered here: https://www.facebook.com/NvDOW/events/ For fishing reports head here: http://www.ndow.org/Fish/Fishing_Report/

Do you have ground elk, venison, or antelope in your freezer? Get it thawing out so that you can cook enchiladas tonight! On this week’s Nevada Wild, we hear from Ashley Sanchez, who had been interested in cooking with wild game meat, and tests it out for the first time in her life with venison enchiladas (elk version of the recipe below)! NDOW's Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones joins Sanchez and Aaron Keller to talk about how you can get more creative with cooking wild game. Whether you have never cooked with wild game before or you're a professional chef, the elk enchiladas recipe discussed in this podcast is a great one to try. Don't have elk? Don't worry. You can cook this recipe with any type of meet! Find the complete Elk Enchiladas with a Spicy Red Sauce recipe on Kristy Crabtree’s Nevada Foodie website here: https://nevadafoodies.com/elk-enchiladas-with-a-spicy-red-sauce Watch a video tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOhhtT2oOII&feature=youtu.be For more wild game recipes,

Beginning this weekend, all of northern Nevada will be open to waterfowl hunting for the season! The season opener for northwest Nevada is tomorrow(Oct. 10), and the season is well underway in the eastern side of the state. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk with NDOW's Waterfowl Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme and Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge Manager Pete Schmidt about what hunters can expect for waterfowl hunting this year, they share some recommended places to go, and explain what to do before heading out. If you're going out hunting, remember to bring the fishing gear so you can get in some fishing while you explore the outdoors. Buy a hunting, fishing or combination license at ndowlicensing.com.

You have one more weekend left to take your kids hunting for the youth chukar hunt, which ends this Sunday(Oct. 4). On top of that, the chukar opening is on October 10. There's a lot to prepare for! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to NDOW's Upland Game Staff Specialist Shawn Espinosa and Chukar Chasers Foundation President Damon Booth about this year's chukar forecast, the best spots to take your kids upland game hunting and more! Be sure to buy your hunting 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! If you're a passionate about chukar hunter, learn more about the Chukar Chasers Foundation here to get involved: http://www.chukarchasers.com/foundation View the chukar forecast here: http://www.ndow.org/Hunt/Seasons_and_Regulations/Upland_Game/

There is no better excuse to explore Nevada than by celebrating Nevada Public Lands Day, tomorrow, Saturday, September 26. Nevada Public Lands Day, which also falls on National Public Lands Day, 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 and Dale Conner with Nevada State Parks to highlight parks you can explore near you, fun ideas for celebrating your National Public Lands Day and how to respect the outdoors while exploring. 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: http://parks.nv.gov/ Red Rock Canyon national conservation area will waive entry fees, but some fees such as camping and group day-use fees will remain in place. Lake Mead National Recreation Area also waives entry fees for the day. Saturday is also National

Farmer Stan Hardy invests in his community by working with the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada (NRCS) to implement conservation measures like land leveling at the Overton Wildlife Management Area in Southern Nevada where he leases land for his hay operation. . In this week's Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Stan, NDOW's Overton Wildlife Management Area Supervisor Bennie Vann and NRCS District Conservationist Teri Knight to talk about how this partnership is important for all involved, and ultimately benefits the recreationists who visit the area and the wildlife alike! For video mentioned in this podcast click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJh8OtYnlzs Find a story map on the partnership here: https://nrcs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=2dea7d67b31f49ef8a55fbf17abbd160 If you're a farmer and need assistance from NRCS, email Teri Knight at teri.knight@usda.gov, or visit: Farmers.gov