bears

Snow and cold, oh boy! The leaves still remaining on the ground are heavy and soggy, so no raking for a bit. That’s good news. The ground is moist again, so more good news. I got the tools, hoses, sprinklers and patio furniture put away before the storms. We turned off and drained the main sprinklers in time. So far so good.

Fall has arrived in the Sierra Nevada bringing the steady change of turning leaves and a noticeable chill in the air. The fall season also means bears are actively searching for food, even down into the lower valleys.

Due to continued public health safety concerns related to COVID-19, trail improvement work, the risk of bear-human encounters and in order to discourage large groups from gathering, the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has issued a Forest Order that temporarily closes Taylor Creek and the surrounding area from Oct. 3 through Nov. 2, 2020.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – As a reminder, backcountry visitors should practice proper food and garbage storage and behave appropriately when hiking and backpacking in Bear Country.

This summer, wilderness rangers report bears are successfully taking down food-hangs in Desolation Wilderness. Once bears become habituated to human food and garbage they will return and seek it out. Agencies highly recommend using bear resistant canisters when visiting the backcountry.

A bill that restricts police use of chokeholds, allows recording of law enforcement and calls for drug testing of officers involved in shootings passed the Assembly with bipartisan support, in spite of criticism that lawmakers could have gone further to address police brutality.

I can’t believe what I’ve been doing this past week. All gardeners realize there are a lot of repetitive, often tedious, tasks involved in gardening successfully. But seriously! I have been snipping off hundreds, no thousands, of crabapples. Most people let the crabapples stay on the tree for fall color. Believe me, I would like to do that, but ...

The Reno Rodeo Foundation awarded $30,000 to six families as a part of the organization’s Reno Rodeo Wish program, which supports the foundation’s mission to assist young people in Northern Nevada with extraordinary needs.

My neighbor Mark, now known as “Chip” after Chip Gaines from “Fixer Upper” on HGTV, acquired his new moniker after building an amazing fence to enclose his wife’s garden (with her help of course!). Since we have major animal challenges in our neighborhood — ground squirrels, rabbits, deer and bears — a strong defense system is essential for successful vegetable production. The impressive garden fence that "Chip" built should keep all the critters out.

In a collective effort reflecting America’s drive for a return from COVID-19, the American Century Championship will bring golf, celebrity and community service together for the 31st time July 8-12 on the shores of Lake Tahoe.

Late Spring is in full swing in the Tahoe Basin and Tahoe black bears are searching for food. Intentional or unintentional feeding of bears results in unwanted bear behaviors, increased human-bear conflicts, and public safety issues as well as fines and possible jail time for violators.

Since I started walking instead of running I'm enchanted by the simplest things. I guess trading "runner's high" for "walker's enchantment," is not such a bad trade.

On Friday, May 1, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was advised that the Carson City Sheriff’s Office was pursuing a stolen vehicle south bound on Highway 395 entering Douglas County.

A certain popular Netflix documentary, Tiger King, has taken the quarantined world by storm, in which several bizarre big-cat owners face off, alleging many criminal enterprises at each other with the back drop of exotic animals who sometimes maim their keepers.

It makes one wonder, what are local laws for keeping exotic animals? For the cost of $2,000, could you in Carson City procure yourself a baby tiger?

As most of us in Nevada are starting out our second week of being socially distant and staying at home for Nevada, some of us may be starting to feel the mental effects of being isolated. We may feel lonely, tired of our isolation mates (no matter how much we love our families), and/or craving the social connection that comes from going to our jobs and offices as we work from home and remotely or not working due to being classified as non essential.

During the cold winter months in a pocket of the capital city, a bit of magic is sprinkled about on the historic rail that once transported gold from Virginia City to the mint in Carson City, but now transports elves, hot cocoa, and silver bells for a few special weeks each year.

The Polar Express rolled into town on Nov. 15 with the help of the historic V&T Railway Commission, and with it, a certain jolly old man and his magical helpers.

A Carson City resident reported a sneaky bear was attempting to break into their bear-resistant trash can, checking for late night scraps, in King's Canyon around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night.

After our furry friend was unable to find any trash-snacks, he left the scene of the almost crime. But, as they say, one man's trash is another bear's dinner.

In 2003, I wrote an article on making a home firesafe. I started with this “The raging fires in California are a terrible reminder of the wildfire risk of living in the urban-wildland interface.” Now, 16 years later, that initial sentence bears repeating. With climate change, global warming we are seeing hotter, more intense, faster spreading wildfires than ever before. Fuels such as brush, grasses and trees are tinder dry everywhere, including Northern Nevada.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church in downtown Carson City at the corner of Telegraph and Division streets will host its annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Items available include hand-crafted notecards, hand-made apparel, accessories, and items for the home. Raggedy Ann dolls and Christmas bears will provide unique gifts.

Kimberly Okezie has loved stuffed animals since she was a child, beginning with a plush koala bear that she says stayed with her into adulthood until time literally unraveled the stitching on the toy.

Child welfare can feel like a cold place for families in crisis.

Though efforts have been made through the years to improve this perception, child welfare is still a system of laws that, by their very nature, are unfeeling.

In what many had hoped would be a return to the wild for a large black bear tranquilized Tuesday morning on the west side of Carson City, ended in tragedy as the 19-year-old animal died in transit, where it was later discovered he had a brain tumor.

UPDATE: The 19-year-old bear captured Tuesday in Carson City by wildlife officials has died as a result of a brain tumor after he was tranquilized, with the intention of being released later into the wild, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Go here for the updated version of this story.
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With recent bear sightings around Carson City, including Tuesday morning off of Minnesota Street, it is a sure sign that fall has set in as the capital city area is seeing increased bear foraging activity, according to wildlife officials.

A mother bear and her 3 cubs have been seen in the area of S. Crain Street and Sharrow Way in southwest Carson City for the last 2 nights. Click on the photo to watch the video.

Happy Saturday, Carson City! We're going to have a warm day in the low 70s, so be sure to throw on your t-shirts which may be the last time this fall (barring the typical end of November inexplicable heat wave).

On the docket today we have the 30th annual Outhouse Races in Virginia City, a guitars and ukulele performance at the BAC, fundraisers, and more. Check out below to see what we've got going on for the rest of the weekend:

Saturday, October 5

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities around the Carson City region over the next three days. Events include the 30th annual Outhouse Races in Virginia City, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event in Carson City, Fright Night at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, Oktoberfest at the Casino Fandango, the 26th annual 'Making a Difference' Golf Tournament and much more!

Nevada Raider Nation - Carson City Chapter will host a game watch of the Oakland Raiders vs Chicago Bears at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 6 at Jimmy G's, 301 N. Carson St., in Carson City.

The game, televised live from London, will be shown on three TV screens. New members are welcome to watch with the veterans, and are welcome to join. Membership is $20 per person.

The Nevada Division of Insurance was alerted by the California Department of Insurance of a national insurance scam targeting consumers shopping for privately funded loans, usually for real estate transactions.

Carson City is a very special place and, as the city continues to grow and prosper, many are looking to relocate here for a myriad of reasons.

Through the years, Carson City has changed. There have been good times and there have been times that, as Thomas Paine wrote, “have tried men’s souls.” We’ve lost some historic and iconic structures but have bounced back in the good times. The biggest recent changes occurred in 2016 with the reimagining of the downtown core that continues today.

Heading into the weekend, there’s plenty of activities around the Carson City region to help the next three days breeze by. Events include an artists fair at Carson Mall, the 60th annual camel and ostrich races in Virginia City, a memorial run in Carson City, the 28th annual Oktoberfest in Gardnerville, a Veterans Resource Fair at Carson Nugget, history walks at Mormon Station Park, live comedy and more.

The Tahoe Basin is bear country and natural resource and law enforcement agencies are working diligently to remind residents and visitors to practice proper food storage and trash disposal when living in or visiting bear country. To help spread our message, we’ve launched a new website, TahoeBears.org, where residents and visitors can go to learn everything they need to know about living, visiting and playing responsibly in bear country.