The Nevada Wild Podcast

Following a severe fire season, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Conservation Ecologist Lee Turner and Public Information Officer(PIO) Beth Kenna, a former PIO for the North Tahoe Fire Prevention District, to talk about the restoration efforts.

The Habitat Division plays an important role within the Nevada Department of Wildlife. The division's main objective is to ensure that Nevada wildlife habitats are productive and in good condition. In this week's Nevada Wild, Turner also outlines the other major habitat projects the Department is working on and the impact those projects have.

As fruit trees ripen, bears are going through a phase called hyperphagia, taking in more than 25,000 calories every day to see them into their dens. Every fall there are issues with bears getting into fruit trees. Aside from the damage bears can do to a fruit tree, it also brings them into close proximity to homes and other possible attractants resulting in conflict.

That's why NDOW is encouraging you to pick the fruit from you fruit trees as soon it ripens. There's even a few groups that will pick fruit for you, and donate that fruit to pantries.

In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW bear biologist Heather Reich and arborist Tom Henderson with Healthy Trees out of Carson City to talk about the help gleaning groups need from you this time of year.

For more information about Healthy Trees tree service and gleaning, visit them on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Healthy-Trees-216423199852/) or at their website http://healthytreesonline.com/.

Saturday, September 22 is National Public lands Day, the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands, held annually on the fourth Saturday in September. NPLD brings together hundreds of thousands of individual and organizational volunteers to help restore America’s public lands.

NDOW is partnering up with agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management Nevada, to hold events around the state for you and your family to take part in. The fun doesn't stop after Saturday, the entire month of September is Public Lands Month, which celebrates great places to hunt and fish.

In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with BLM Nevada's Rita Henderson to talk about all of the events going on this month and why you should celebrate.

For a map of events click here: https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/volunteers/national-public-lands-day

Be sure to use #NPLD in your pictures, so we can share them.

The Wayne E. Kirch Nevada Wildlife Conservation Award is given annually to recipients who have demonstrated significant results towards conservation, management or enhancement of wildlife. This year's recipient is the Tortoise Group, which has shown astounding commitment to Nevada’s wildlife by working to protect and educate the public on desert tortoises for almost 30 years.

In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller and Julie Watson discuss the Tortoise Groups work with Tortoise Group Eand why it is critical for desert tortoises in Nevada and surrounding states.

If you are interested in adopting a desert tortoise or volunteering for the group head to this link: http://tortoisegroup.org/

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is starting a brand new program in October, that encourages not only students to learn about wildlife, but the entire public! The new program, Nevada Knockout, takes place on our Facebook page. ANYONE can participate. We will be releasing brackets on September 17 with 64 Nevada animals for you to choose one winner! Then every Monday starting October 8 we will post the outcomes of the matchups until we get to the Championship on December 10.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with NDOW Wildlife Educators Julie Watson and Jess Brooks to explain the program, and the importance of getting everyone involved.

The University of Nevada, Reno's Field Day is coming up on September 8. This event features hands-on activities and information focusing on the latest advancements in agriculture, horticulture, nutrition, natural resources and the environment.

In this week's Nevada Wild NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Claudene Wharton and Robert Moore with UNR's College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources to talk about the event, NDOW's role in the event, and the importance of agriculture to Nevada and Nevada's wildlife.

Find more information about Field Day here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2057703351175918/

Every year upland game hunters look forward to September 1! This is the day when hunting opens for many birds, including dove and blue grouse.

In this week's Nevada Wild Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Migratory Game Bird Biologist Russell Woolstenhulme and Upland Game Staff Shawn Espinosa to talk about what makes upland game hunting seasons so family friendly, and to go over some bird hunting tips.

A crucial division of the Nevada Department of Wildlife that doesn't get a lot of attention is its Fiscal Services Section. Fiscal Services has an important role, managing all of NDOW's funding, including your license dollars!

In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Fiscal Services Section Chief Gabe Pincolini to talk about where NDOW's money comes from, and how it is used to fund conservation efforts.

This week Nevada Wild is focusing the podcast on Nevada's state mammal, the bighorn sheep. Over the years, the Nevada Department of Wildlife has worked with its partnering agencies to increase bighorn sheep populations across the state.

NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Bighorn Sheep Biologist Mike Cox to talk about Nevada bighorns and the efforts to expand their populations.

Just in time for hunting season, we want to remind you about NDOW's Operation Game Thief (OGT) program. OGT provides a confidential, easy and effective way for you to report wildlife violations to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. And, just like Secret Witness, it's confidential - you can remain completely anonymous.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with OGT Volunteer Andrea Emnas, Game Warden Captain Brian Eller and Game Warden Reserve Sergeant James Kocijanski to talk about the program, and what you can do to volunteer and help our wardens protect Nevada's wildlife resources.