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Courtesy of www.GrandViewOutdoors.com
On a July evening a few years ago, a massive bull moose wallowed belly-deep in a small stream in the canoe country north of Ely. Facing the other direction, he had no idea a canoe was silently slipping up behind him. He kept dipping for the stems of water lilies and chewing them in the rich evening light.

We approached so closely that the 17-year-old in the bow of the canoe began backpaddling. He looked over his shoulder and shot me a silent glance that told me we were too close to that moose.
He probably was right.

By Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong
Reported crimes in Carson City hit its lowest point during February since the Sheriff’s Office began collecting and analyzing the trends. There were 112 incidences of major crimes, such as homicide, rape, robbery, burglary and theft. There were 122 less severe crimes reported in the community for the same period. In total, the 234 reported crimes is 22 percent less than any monthly rate previously reported since collection began. The previous low for any month was 294 incidences.

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
While it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to catch a fish, it obviously helps to be one to catch a 39-year old state record for the largest rainbow trout ever caught in Nevada.

Elko angler Mike Mott, who really has worked as a rocket scientist, caught the 16-pound, 8-ounce behemoth on Feb.10 at Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). It measured 30 1/2 inches long and its girth, according to Mott, is about 20 inches.

When walking in a mall or driving behind an older person with only the top of their head showing above the seat in their eighties or early nineties, could that person be a hero?

The Microsoft Encarta College Dictionary, 2001, defines a hero, “A conspicuous possessor of other admirable qualities.” I have known Phyllis Lorraine Anker Bendure for 33 years. After every conversation with her, I discover more of her admirable qualities.

RENO – When the bottom fell out of the construction industry, some lucky ones kept working.
CC Myers, a California company, has benefited from a portion of a $393 million contract to extend Interstate 580 between Reno and Carson City. They are building the 120-foot-tall bridge spanning Galena Creek.
Work there has continued apace as vehicles zooming through the valley below have increasingly carried unemployed Nevadans.

CARSON CITY – Teachers could forfeit portions of their salaries awarded for obtaining masters of doctorate degrees under a new proposal.
In what could amount to a pay cut, Gov. Brian Sandoval has proposed eliminating that type of compensation in favor of $20 million in performance pay.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today elaborated on the details of a bill he is proposing to establish a school voucher system in Nevada.
The proposal would allow parents to receive a state-funded, per pupil subsidy to opt out of public schools in favor of private schools, including religious schools.
The stipend, or voucher, would help families pay expenses at the private schools.

Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey counties will join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women's Health, in taking action against HIV/AIDS.

Zeb Hogan swims with the fishes and lives to write about it. In the March 2011 issue of National Geographic, the University of Nevada, Reno researcher and assistant professor is pictured swimming with a man-eating catfish and describes swimming underwater with a 400-pound Mekong giant catfish in one of his many adventures in the rivers of a dozen countries around the world.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the top concern for Nevadans age 50 and older, according to a survey released Thursday.

AARP released its statewide survey that looks at the challenges, concerns and dreams of older adults in the state. The telephone survey was made up of 401 random Nevada residents aged 50 and over was conducted between Jan. 2 and Jan. 31. It has sampling error of plus or minus five percent.

The UC Davis’s Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) in partnership with the Tahoe Expedition Academy (TEA) will host the sixth annual Science Expo on March 16.

The fair features interactive experiments and demonstrations for children from the third to sixth grade, ages 8 to 12 and their families. The event is free and will run from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Incline Village. Ice cream will be provided by Susie Scoops of Incline Village and UC Davis TERC.

Courtesy of GrandViewOutdoors.com
On a sunny afternoon, 15 workers are waist deep in a half-acre pond, tromping through 46-degree water and dragging a 120-foot net to catch several hundred small fish.

The fingerling yellow perch are being pulled from the water to be part of studies of the small fish, which is being introduced as an alternate commercial species in Alabama.

The CARD Nevada Autism Conference is hosted by the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), one of the world’s largest and most experienced organizations effectively treating children with autism, Asperger’s syndrome and related disorders.

CARSON CITY – A Nevada group has beat out 71 national competitors to mentor small businesses under a federal program.
The federal Small Business Administration picked the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization earlier this week to be a pilot for an entrepreneurial mentoring program.
NIREC joins just three other companies nationwide in the program designed to pair mentors with participating companies to assess needs, opportunities and strategies.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Business leaders from several large technology companies said today that Nevada lacks the skilled workforce necessary for them to locate in Nevada over the long-term.

Lake Tahoe and Reno are recognized as breeding grounds for elite athletes and year-round adventurers, and Reno is the stage for the fourth annual Tahoe Adventure Film Festival on Feb. 26 at Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.

Designed to capture the intensity and passion of adventure, the film festival is a perfect summary of outdoor culture. The Dramatic action photography from Aurora Photos flashes on the big screen while go-go dancers and a deejay pump up the crowd, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Carson City leaders will learn next week whether the proposed Carson City Center, also known as the Nugget Project, is financially viable and may vote on whether to move forward with development agreements.

Thursday's meeting of the Board of Supervisors is a culmination of many months of studies, public meetings, workshops and a citizen's advisory committee. Supervisors will hear the results and recommendations of the project at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17 in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center, 851 East William Street.

From Washington, D.C. to Incline Village, Maureen McCarthy has worked to learn from and protect the environment. Now, her environmental interests have brought her to the Tahoe Science Consortium as the organization’s new executive director.

By the California Department of Fish and Game
From nuisance black bears and increasing salmon numbers to automated license sales and poaching arrests, 2010 was a busy year for the California Department of Fish and Game.

A popular new reality show airing on the National Geographic Channel, “Wild Justice,” is capturing some of the department’s doings, but far more happens behind the scenes.

Here is the greater Northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe, Cascade and Northern California fishing report through Feb. 16, 2011.

BLUE LAKES AREA, CALIF:
Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (866) 694-2930 www.woodfordsstation.com reported: The road is closed for the winter.

CAPLES LAKE, CALIF:
John Voss of the Caples Lake Resort (209) 258-8888

Dayton Intermediate School’s newly developing school garden will boast two large sculptures by internationally known sculptor Mischell Riley.

Riley, who is well known for work such as the 3-story high bronze lion at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, has donated two of her pieces to enhance the school’s garden landscape.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Third-graders who cannot read at a third-grade level would not advance to fourth grade under a proposal from Gov. Brian Sandoval.
The assertion rests on common-sense logic, and Sandoval has been promoting his idea since he was on the campaign trail.

Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey is joining over 350 members of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network to share the message that women of childbearing age should talk with a health care provider about which medications are safe to take while pregnant.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, and this year’s campaign focuses on medication use before, during, and after pregnancy.

Carl Kuhl, a state Parole and Probation employee of six years, has created a plan that he claims will eliminate Nevada's budget deficit within two years.

In a news release issued on Tuesday, Kuhl said his plan not only will reduce the budget deficit but also help repair Nevada's economy at the same time. It is a pretty big claim, he admits, coming from an Accounting Assistant I, an entry level position.

Dee Freewert talks about the First Lego League competition for area children to learn about engineering by building robots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdkfeg1QQic

CARSON CITY, NV – January 7, 2011 – Over twelve million children go hungry in America every day, thousands right here in the State of Nevada. In an effort to contribute to feeding the hungry children in our community, Anytime Fitness of Carson City will donate $10 for each new membership this month to Food for Thought, a local non-profit organization that provides weekend meals to over 800 children in our community. Many of our children only receive the food they need during the school week.

Nevada Highway Patrol troopers have been busy today responding to four dozen motor vehicle crashes on area roads and highways.

Some 47 accidents were reported between 6 a.m. and noon today throughout the Northern Nevada region, said Trooper Chuck Allen.

The accidents happened as a result of falling snow, slippery roadways and motorists traveling too fast for the roadway conditions, Allen said in a press statement. There were also dozens of spin-outs and slide-offs on many highways as well. Click here for the last road controls in Nevada and in the Sierra and carsonweather.com for the latest weather alerts.

In case anyone has any doubts about the wisdom of keeping troops in Afghanistan to defend the government of President Hamid Karzai, then you should read about one of his latest conversations with top American officials in that country. Meeting with Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry, Karzai was less than gracious for the hundreds of billions of American dollars and thousands of American lives that have been lost in this war:

Applications are being accepted beginning today for the Carson City Citizens Academy, Sheriff's Ken Furlong announced.
The academy begins Feb. 2 and is designed for people interested in law enforcement who want to experience the wide range of duties the Sheriff’s Office performs.

PINE NUTS by McAvoy Layne

About a month or so ago I received a call from Gary Cain of the Carson City Historical Society, asking if I might be interested in presenting "Christmas with Mark Twain" at the Bliss Mansion.