Nevada Department of Wildlife

The Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Awards for 2016 were presented on this fall at the annual Nevada Mining Association Convention at Lake Tahoe, Nev. These awards are presented to companies who have made exceptional accomplishments in the restoration and preservation of Nevada’s environment. The awardees were:

Time is running and you still can’t figure out what to get that special angler, hunter or outdoor enthusiast for the holidays? If you are still searching for the perfect gift for your sportsman, the Nevada Department of Wildlife has some ideas that might help.

Hello fellow anglers, Wishing you a warm and a happy holiday fishing season. Although many areas in our local area have closed for the season, we still have plenty of options to keep on fishing. The lakes in the higher altitudes have started to freeze and ice fishing will be upon us soon. I ask anglers to resist the urge to venture out on lakes and ponds until we have at least eight inches of solid ice.

Game wardens are actively searching for information after it was discovered that eight mule deer were killed and left to waste over the course of three weeks in September in hunt unit 262 near Mount Charleston in southern Nevada.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife and Operation Game Thief are offering a $3,000 reward to help catch the person or persons responsible.

As we head toward Halloween on Monday we think about all the scary creatures often associated with the celebration. It’s easy to come up with scary thoughts about things that go bump in the dark, and unfortunately, a lot of people think of bats as that bump in the dark. You might be surprised, however, to learn that nearly everything you thought about bats is incorrect and they are actually extremely important to the success of Nevada’s ecosystems.

Nevada wildlife biologists released a three-plus year old male black bear back into the forest near the top of Mt. Rose Summit on Monday morning after capturing him Sunday in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe.

During the 2014 Kokanee salmon run at the U.S. Forest Service's Taylor Creek Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe, many visitors attempted to get a "selfie" with the bears who frequent the area in search of the colorful fish to add to their daily calorie intake before winter hibernation.

July is BEAR Logic Month, a time to teach residents how to live in bear country, including information on how bears are managed. BEAR Logic means to think like a bear and try looking at your property from a bear’s perspective. This will help you understand why bears are frequenting your property and how you can avoid these encounters.

July is BEAR Logic Month in Nevada, a time to teach residents and visitors how to live and recreate in bear county. As many of you already know, securing trash is the best way to prevent human-bear conflicts.

Compared to the last few weekends, Carson City is downright sleepy. That just makes it much easier to get around town and explore. Head to Mills Park for the First Annual Polynesian Festival in the Marv Teixeira Pavillion. Glen Eagles welcomes back the Regional Chili Cook-off this weekend; get your fill of some amazing grub and help raise funds for Honor Flight Nevada. Catch one of last few performances of Wild Horse Children’s Theater’s Aladdin, Jr. Continue reading for other great ways to spend your time.

SATURDAY:

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has declared July "BEAR Logic Month.” "BEAR” stands for Bear Education, Aversion and Research, and BEAR Logic Month is an opportunity to help educate the public about living in bear country.

"Swim Smart, Swim Safe: know the dangers of cold water" is the message coming from agencies responsible for boating and water safety on Lake Tahoe, especially after the recent deaths in the lake of two healthy men.

Drowning incidents from boating, paddling and swimming often share the same cause, "cold water shock," an involuntary gasp reflex caused by sudden immersion in cold water. Swimmers and boaters suddenly exposed to the cold waters of Lake Tahoe may experience rapid breathing, gasping, fainting, muscle failure and immediate risk of drowning.

When Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval proclaimed July as Bear Logic Month he challenged Nevadans to think like a bear.

“That is what Bear Logic is all about, thinking like a bear,” said Nevada Department of Wildlife black bear biologist Carl Lackey.

Law enforcement officers across Nevada will be on heightened alert for those violating boating under the influence laws during the annual Operation Dry Water weekend, June 25-26.

Operation Dry Water is a nationally coordinated heightened awareness and enforcement campaign, focused on deterring boaters from boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

On Monday, June 20 the state of Nevada and the Nevada Department of Wildlife will join the American Eagle Foundation, U.S. Congress, and Governors coast to coast in celebrating “American Eagle Day” to commemorate the United States’ National Bird.

With help from a wet winter, law enforcement agencies in Northern Nevada are preparing for a busy boating season at Lakes Tahoe, Topaz, Lahontan and others water ways following several years of drought and tough boating conditions.

With Memorial Day weekend approaching and summer around the corner, public agencies in Nevada, California and around Lake Tahoe are urging residents and visitors to practice proper food storage and trash disposal when living in or visiting bear country.

Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department would like to advise all visitors of a reported sighting of a sow bear with cubs. Carson City staff spotted the bears in the Clear Creek area across from Vista Grande Boulevard west of Fuji Park. We would like to warn park visitors that bears might be attracted to the park because of food and trash.

Hello fellow anglers, well the big kids have had there opening fishing day. Now it is time to the little kids to shine. On June 3-4, the 27th annual Lampe Park Free Kids Fishing derby will kick off the season for 2016. This event is open to all kids ages 3 through 12.

The sixth annual “Tom Brooks Memorial Kids' Fishing Day” will be held on Saturday May 7th, 2016 at Baily Fishing Pond, located at Fuji Park. The fun starts at 8am and will run until 1pm.

During the week of April 17-23, the Nevada Department of Wildlife is joining a nationwide effort created by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators to promote boating education. Developed by NASBLA, and produced under a grant administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Spring Aboard campaign brings together state, federal and nonprofit partners to encourage boaters to enroll in a boating education course before boating season kicks off.

If you are one of those people that like to wait until the last minute to get things done, then the Nevada Department of Wildlife has good news for you: the deadline for the big game tag application is Monday, April 18, 2016.

Hello fellow anglers, we're less than a month from opening trout season in Alpine County and throughout California. Many of you are beginning to plan ahead for the weekend of April 30. I just wanted to give you some info on the campground situation.

Try describing the Silver State Tag without sounding like an infomercial. It simply cannot be done. With all the extra gear and services a person can win you are constantly saying the phrase, “but wait, there’s more!”

The Silver State Tag already allows hunters the opportunity to hunt one of four big game species (mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, Nelson (desert) bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope) anywhere in the state, but the winner also walks away with thousands of dollars’ worth of hunting gear and services.

Hello fellow anglers, the weather has been beautiful, but a little scary. We need some more precipitation in the form of snow up on them thar hills. Right now our snow pack is at average for this time of year. Hopefully the month of March will add to our snow pack.

The annual Eagles and Agriculture event kicks off this week in the Carson Valley, a wildlife viewing exhibition that attracts hundreds of visitors to the area to see birds of prey feeding and nesting below the eastern slopes of the Carson Range.

But Carson City residents don't have to leave the Eagle Valley to catch glimpses of raptors. We've got them in our own backyards.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife has taken necessary actions in the Montana Mountains in Northern Nevada in an effort to save healthy bighorns in the adjacent Nevada and Oregon mountain ranges.

The decision was made to depopulate a herd of California bighorn sheep due to an ongoing and aggressive outbreak of polymicrobial pneumonia that has caused an all age die-off in a once healthy herd in the Montana Mountains of Humboldt County.

Hello fellow anglers, a lot of fishing going on around our area. But a word to this wise. Although we have had nice weather this last week, the higher mountain roads can be very dangerous if you are not paying attention. Just last week I drove up to Caples Lake to do some ice fishing and got caught ahead of a multi-vehicle crash near Kirkwood.

The Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience is a free family event designed to excite and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists.
An event for all ages of young people, there is something for everyone. This is the youth component of Wild Sheep Foundation's national convention, the Sheep Show.

Hello Fellow anglers, a new year will soon be upon us. With the new year brings the Topaz Lake Fishing Derby beginning Jan. 1, and ice fishing in the Sierra. For those California anglers it is time to purchase a 2016 fishing license.