NDOW presents the Nevada Wild Podcast

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) is challenging you to spend 17 minutes outside every day! 17 minutes outside, is the new 10,000 steps! We know that a little bit of time outside, even 17 minutes, goes a long way to benefiting your personal health! In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones who explains why 17 is the number we chose, what spending 17 minutes outside every day can do for your health, and more!

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Kevin Netcher to talk about Aquatic Invasive Species(AIS) and the harm they can have on the ecosystem and economy. Kevin explains which AIS are threatening Nevada’s natural resources, NDOW’s prevention efforts, and how you can help us stop AIS from spreading to more of Nevada’s waters! Learn more about AIS in Nevada here: https://www.ndow.org/get-outside/boating/aquatic-invasive-species-prevention-program/

This week’s Nevada Wild highlights the success of Nevada's Youth License Fund. Over several weeks this summer, this fund allowed members of the public and non-profit organizations to donate money to cover the cost of youth combination licenses for kids to remove a barrier to kids having FUN outdoors in Nevada! Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW’s Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones to talk about how many donations the fund received, how many licenses went out to kids who never fished before, what's next for the fund, how you can donate and more! Learn more about the fund and how to make donations here: https://www.ndow.org/blog/nevada-youth-license-fund/

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Migratory Game Bird Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme. He explains how the birds people commonly refer to as pigeons are actually “Rock doves!” He introduces us to Nevada’s actual pigeon species, including the band-tailed pigeon, a new project he’s working on to learn more about these birds, and how you can play an important role in this work!

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW’s new Habitat Division Administrator Mark Freese. They talk about his background with the agency, the important role the Habitat Division plays at NDOW, and the agency's many ongoing habitat restoration projects. In the second half of the show they also talk about Mark's passion for wildfire restoration work, which could not be done without the support of conservation partners, including the Nevada Dream Tags program! The Nevada Dream Tags raffle, happening now through June 30, is a chance at winning one of six premier big game tags. Funds raised through the Dream Tags raffle go straight into wildlife habitat conservation and rehabilitation in Nevada. Learn more and buy tickets here: https://shop.nvdreamtag.org/

The Wild Sheep Foundation’s Nevada Outdoor Experience, a FREE outdoor expo, was created to excite and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you're interested in archery, wildlife conservation, leave no trace ethics, nature crafts, gold panning, rock climbing, or even metal detecting, there really is something for everyone! In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with the Wild Sheep Foundation's Ryan Brock to go over event details and explain what activities to expect, why this is such a great event for families, and how the event keeps growing and getting better!

Nevada's Free Fishing Day is tomorrow, Saturday, June 10. This is the one day of the year you can fish any public water in the state without a fishing license. If you have never been fishing, Free Fishing Day is the day to get out and try it! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Educators Nicole Hamblin and Abbey Czarnecki to talk about all of the fun Free Fishing Day events happening across the state, how you can volunteer, fishing conditions, and how kids 12-17 years old can receive a fishing license from the Nevada Youth License Fund: https://www.ndow.org/blog/nevada-youth-license-fund/ Find a Free Fishing Day event near you here: www.ndow.org/blog/nevada-free-fishing-day/ Find fishing reports, stocking updates, the FishNV tool, and more resources here: https://www.ndow.org/get-outside/fishing/plan-your-fishing-trip/

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with local fishing legend Jan Nemec, NDOW’s Western Nevada Angler Education Coordinator. Jan tells us all about his history with the agency, and explains his passion for fishing, and even greater passion for fly tying! Jan fills us in on his upcoming events, including two of NDOW’s most fun events, the Kids Carp Derby and Free Fishing Day. He also highlights where to go for great fishing right now! Find details and registration on upcoming events here: https://register-ed.com/programs/nevada/210-angler-education

Memorial Day weekend kicks off the official start of boating season! The wet winter the state experienced this year is going to make for a prime year to get out on Nevada's waters, so now is the time to prepare your boat! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's Statewide Boating Education Coordinator Aaron Meier to discuss National Safe Boating Week and the steps to take to ensure you and your family have a safe, enjoyable time out on the water! Find out how to register your boat, enroll in a Boating Education course and more here:https://www.ndow.org/get-outside/#

Nevada's big game tag application period deadline is quickly approaching! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Hunter Education Coordinator Martin Olson to talk about frequently asked questions they've received about the application period, tools like NDOW's Big Game Application Workshop, and tips to follow when preparing to apply. Apply for tags until 11 p.m. May 10 at ndowlicensing.com. View our 2023 Big Game Tag Application Workshop here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUZv-JFMl0w

This week’s Nevada Wild celebrates National Volunteer Month! NDOW is lucky to have incredibly skilled and passionate volunteers working hard across the state. From field work to educational programming, volunteers are vital to this agency. Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Volunteer Program Coordinators Nicole Hamblin, Michelle Lopez, and Julie Bless. They explain why volunteers are so important to NDOW’s conservation programs and projects, upcoming volunteer opportunities across the state and how you can get involved! Find everything you need to know to get started as a volunteer here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/get-involved/

Great Basin Bird Observatory’s (GBBO) 2023 Nevada Bird-a-thon is a great way to set out on a fun adventure with your family while also supporting important bird research! During this statewide birding community event and fundraiser, teams and individuals are invited to participate by choosing one 24-hour period between May 5 and May 15 and then record as many bird species within Nevada as possible! In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by GBBO’s Ned Bohman, who fills us in on the history of the Bird-a-thon, how to participate, the new categories and how you can win prizes and more! Learn more about the Bird-a-thon here: https://www.gbbo.org/birdathon-details

This week’s Nevada Wild highlights the brand-new Nevada Youth License Fund. This fund will allow members of the public and non-profit organizations to donate money to cover the cost of youth combination licenses for kids to remove a barrier to kids having FUN outdoors in Nevada! Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW’s Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones to talk about the fund, why it’s important to getting more kids outside, and explains how those applying for Nevada big game tags can donate to it! Learn more about the fund here: https://www.ndow.org/blog/nevada-youth-license-fund/

We wrap up NDOW’s Women’s Month celebration by introducing you to our new Chief Game Warden Kristy Knight! Knight has almost 20 years of experience as a game warden for the agency. She has worked in various capacities throughout the state, including captain, supervising lieutenant, and statewide supervising game warden! In this week’s Nevada Wild, Knight sits down with Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller to reflect on her time with the agency, share how it feels to represent women in a male dominated field, and explain her goals for NDOW’s Law Enforcement Division moving forward.

Guzzlers are man-made watering holes, built in areas where there is not enough water to support wildlife. While guzzlers are built to primarily benefit big game and upland bird species, they also provide a valuable source of water formany of Nevada's diverse wildlife species. Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) relies heavily on partners and volunteers to build guzzlers and has a number of opportunities coming up. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Habitat Biologist Sam Hughes and Statewide Volunteer Coordinator Julie Bless to talk about NDOW’s guzzler program, upcoming guzzler builds across the state, and how you can get involved! Find volunteer opportunities here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/get-involved/

This year Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) celebrates 20 years! Through its outdoor programs NOS inspires the exploration of the natural world, responsible stewardship of our habitat and dedication to community. This women founded and led non-profit is the perfect organization to feature for NDOW’s Women’s Month celebration. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Nevada Outdoor School Executive Director Melanie Erquiaga to talk about the history of NOS, its open AmeriCorps opportunities, and all the great events and programs they have coming up! Get involved with NOS here: https://www.nevadaoutdoorschool.org/home.aspx

NDOW funds improvements at shooting ranges across Nevada to make them safer and more accessible to the community. We're now accepting applications for these funds from anyone who would like to see upgrades at their local shooting range. In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller explain how this grant program works, how you can apply for grant-funded improvements at a shooting range near you, current projects, and the need for safe, accessible shooting ranges throughout the state. Find the 2023 Shooting Range Grant Application form here: https://www.ndow.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Shooting-Range-Grant-Application-2023.pdf

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by Eastern Nevada Conservation Education Supervisor Julie Gabrielson to talk about the long-awaited 6th annual Elko Sportsman’s Expo! The expo is back on Saturday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5 with two days of outdoor related activities and booths presented by NDOW and the Ruby Mountain Rios Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Julie explains what to expect at this FREE event, why it’s the perfect event to experience with your friends and family, and how it's a great way to connect with the Elko community. Learn more here: https://fb.me/e/5epNeh6W5

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez are joined by Bighorn Sheep Staff Specialist Mike Cox at the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Sheep Show, where Mike was inducted into the Biologist Wall of Fame for the work he has put into bighorn sheep conservation across the west! Mike talks about the honor, his commitment to wildlife conservation, and dives into the status of Nevada’s bighorn sheep populations. View the 2022 Bighorn Sheep Checkout Summaries he refers to in the podcast here: https://www.ndow.org/blog/hunt-statistics/

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller record from the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Sheep Show, with new NDOW Wildlife Education Coordinator Margaret Lord and Hunter Education Coordinator Logan Klonicke. Logan and Margaret took a break from running stations at the Sheep Show’s youth component, the Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE). They fill us in on this year’s YWCE, how they’re adjusting to their new positions after working as Americorps for NDOW last year, and their goals for future programming to continue connecting kids to wildlife, nature, and outdoor recreation. The public portion of YWCE takes place tomorrow (Saturday, January 14) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hall 4 and the F-Meeting rooms of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. The event is FREE and parents who bring their kids can receive a voucher to get into the Sheep Show exhibit hall for free. Note: Do NOT go the Sheep Show registration and pay to get in, simply head to Hall 4. Find more information on YWCE here: https://fb.me/e/26yl3StAV

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with Nevada Department of Wildlife Outdoor Connection Coordinator Bobby Jones to dive into one of NDOW’s big undertakings of 2022, the Pathways to Relevancy Project. The goal of this project is to help the agency better understand the general public’s views on nature, wildlife, outdoor recreation, and NDOW as a whole to help us better serve the state. As part of this project, Bobby analyzed survey results from the Outdoor Foundation’s 2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report that surveyed participants on their views of outdoor recreation. Bobby quizzes us, fills us in on the results, and explains how this information will benefit the agency and Nevadans. You can view the full 2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report here: https://outdoorindustry.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2022-Outdoor-Participation-Trends-Report-1.pdf

The Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE)is back! YWCE, the youth portion of the Wild Sheep Foundation's Sheep Show, will take place at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on January 12-14. School groups will attend a private experience on the first two days, and on January 14, YWCE opens up to the public for FREE! In this week’s Nevada Wild, NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Ryan Brock and NDOW Conservation Educator Zac Campbell to talk about all the activities to expect at this year's YWCE, and how there’s something for everyone from the outdoor enthusiast to the artist. Special guests Rilee Brock (Ryan’s daughter!) and Luke Bryant (Ryan's student) fill us in on their favorite activities at the event, and what they're looking forward to most attending YWCE as students for the first time. Find more details on the event here: https://www.wildsheepfoundation.org/mission-and-programs/youth-programs/ywce

Whether you’re interested in fishing for warmwater species, like bass, in southern Nevada, ice fishing in eastern Nevada, or casting a line in a river in western Nevada, the Silver State has it all when it comes to fishing opportunities! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Angler Education Coordinators Jan Nemec, Nicole Hamblin, and Abbey Czarnecki. They cover fishing conditions across Nevada, share ice fishing safety tips, and get into the 25 Days of Fishmas spirit by sharing gift ideas for the angler in your life! Buy your fishing license at ndowlicensing.com. View our fishing reports here: https://www.ndow.org/get-outside/fishing/fishing-stocking-reports/database/

Game Warden Reserve Lieutenant James Kocijanski, our most recent NDOW Volunteer of the Month, will be retiring at the end of the year. Kocijanski, better known to most as “Kozz,” has been an essential member of the NDOW Law Enforcement Division for the last decade. As one of two Reserve Game Wardens in the state, Kozz has been instrumental in assisting with patrols, promoting the Operation Game Thief program, training fellow law enforcement officers in TECC (Tactical Emergency Casualty Care), and training civilians in the lifesaving Stop the Bleed course. In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with Kozz as he looks back at his 10 years of service for NDOW. To get involved in NDOW’s Game Warden Reserve program, scroll down to the “Volunteer Game Warden section here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/get-involved/ Learn more about Stop the Bleed trainings here: https://www.stopthebleed.org/

The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Nevada State Parks, and their partners recently announced the launch of Nevada Trail Finder, a FREE web-based map featuring thousands of miles of outdoor recreation trails and waterways statewide, tools to keep track of your outdoor adventures, and much more! In this week’s Nevada Wild, NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller, and Bobby Jones sit down with one of the main forces behind the creation of Nevada Trail Finder, Janice Keillor with Nevada State Parks. Janice explains how the project started and walks us through the Nevada Trail Finder website. She also shows us why, no matter how you enjoy spending your time outdoors whether it’s biking, hiking, paddling, snowmobiling or more, you’ll want to put this tool to use! Check out Nevada Trail Finder here: https://www.nvtrailfinder.com/

In honor of Bat Week and Halloween, this week's Nevada Wild looks at some of the projects NDOW is working on to learn more about bats, extremely misunderstood, but important animals to the ecosystem! Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Wildlife Diversity Biologists Mackenzie Jeffress and Michael West to talk about the different bat surveys they're working on. This includes a new effort for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), an international interagency program designed to monitor bat distributions on public and private lands. NDOW’s effort with NABat includes acoustic work involving specialized detectors that record bat calls to help us determine which bat species live in which parts of the state. On top of explaining their work, Mackenzie and Michael also share some of their favorite bat facts!

Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller, hosts of The Nevada Wild Podcast teamed up with Tim Akimoff and Beth Quillian, hosts of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Beaver State Podcast at the 6th International Human-Bear Conflicts Workshop in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. We take you on a journey around North America to look at solutions to human-caused problems for bears in places like Arviat in Nunavut where the mayor, Joe Savikataaq Jr., talks about efforts to reduce polar bear conflicts by redirecting bears away from town as they wait for sea ice to form each year. We also talked to Chris Servheen, retired USFW national grizzly bear recovery coordinator, about how work to reduce conflicts between humans and bears is going and finally to Mexico with Dr. Diana Doan-Crider, Executive Director at Animo Partnership in Natural Resources, who talked about incorporating indigenous knowledge into black bear management in northern Mexico.

Upland game hunters have a lot to look forward to! Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 15, statewide chukar and quail seasons open! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's Upland Game Staff Specialist Shawn Espinosa, who breaks down the 2022 Chukar Forecast, explains the best locations for hopeful hunters, and gives us an update on other upland game species. Buy your 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!

In this week's Nevada Wild, we introduce you to NDOW's new Western Nevada Fisheries Biologist Sam Sedillo. Sam fills Nevada Wild hosts, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller, in on his background and passion for fish! He tells us about the projects he's been working on since beginning his position at NDOW in March. He also highlights a major project near Wall Canyon Reservoir to protect a unique Nevada species called the Wall Canyon Sucker, which is only found in the Wall Canyon watershed.

In celebration of Elk Week, we're featuring special guest, Randy Newberg! At his core Randy is a hunter, an advocate for public land, and uses a variety of platforms to advocate for hunters and public land access! Some of his platforms include Fresh Tracks (TV/YouTube), Hunt Talk Radio (Podcast), RandyNewberg.com (Website), and Hunt Talk (Web Forum). In short, Randy is a leading voice for public land hunters across the nation! In this week's Nevada Wild, he joins hosts Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller, and NDOW Big Game Biologist Cody McKee on Zoom from a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation event in Park City, Utah. He explains his deep connection to Nevada, why it is so important for him to connect people to conservation and our landscapes through hunting, and shares some elk hunting experiences he's had in the Nevada! Learn more about Randy Newberg, his shows, and podcast here: https://randynewberg.com/

Tomorrow, Saturday 24, is National Public Lands Day (NPLD), a celebration that brings out thousands of volunteers to help restore and improve public lands around the country. In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Bureau of Land Management Archaeologist Alicia Jensen, who fills us in on an NPLD cleanup volunteer opportunity at the Fernley Swales. This site a mile north of Fernley, is the only place where emigrant wagons and oxen left deep sand swales as they traversed the California Trail. Alicia fills us in on the history of the site, the cleanup event, other NPLD events, and how critical these events are in protecting Historic Preservation sites, like the Fernley Swales. Find information on the Fernley Swales Cleanup here: https://www.neefusa.org/npld/fernley-swales/fernley-swales-cleanup Find a map of all NPLD events here: https://www.neefusa.org/npld-event-search

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Nevada Department of Wildlife Veterinarian Nate LaHue to talk about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a transmissible neurological disease that is always fatal to animals in the deer family. Currently, CWD is found in 34 states and provinces but not in Nevada. Nate explains the state's efforts to prevent the disease from entering Nevada, and explains what hunters can do to help. Find more information and a list of the check stations mentioned in this podcast here: https://www.ndow.org/blog/chronic-wasting-disease/

With dove season opening yesterday, we thought it was the perfect time to sit down with NDOW Migratory Game Bird Staff Biologist Russell Woolstenhulme to get an update on populations and tips to be more successful. In this week’s Nevada Wild, we cover everything you need to know if you’re interested in hunting dove. We switch gears and talk about banding projects, including the state's first ever band-tailed pigeon banding project and annual duck banding efforts, which help agencies across the nation track migratory birds. We also discuss what hunters should know about the avian influenza outbreak that has been detected across the nation since December 2021 in multiple wild bird species.

In this week’s Nevada Wild, we sit down with Miranda Crowell. As part of her PhD work for University of Nevada Reno, Miranda has been working on a collaborative project for over five years to learn more about pygmy rabbit populations in Nevada and how they are changing over time. She explains how she got involved in working with pygmy rabbits, the work she's doing for her study, and why it’s so important to learn about this species! See the posts/photos we refer to in the podcast here: https://www.facebook.com/NvDOW/posts/pfbid037XrP3gWQNhfdTcX7VD46k3vopFG8UjxY9WdSmeE6CMGRmzTo3Mq6N4KfqMCmokn2l

NDOW's Conservation Education Division has a wide variety of educational programming free for classrooms, homeschoolers, after-school programs, and really anyone interested in learning more about Nevada's wildlife. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Statewide Wildlife Education Coordinator Julie Bless to talk about a variety of education programs available to teachers, students, and the public. She covers award winning classroom programs, like Nevada Kockout and Know Your Nevada, brand new programs available to teachers, and take home educational kits available to anyone for free! If you interested in NDOW's Wildlife Education programs, learn more here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/outdoor-education/ If you want to receive our educator newsletter email Julie Bless at [email protected].

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with NDOW Biologist Heather Reich to talk about bears! Heather corrects some common misconceptions surrounding Nevada’s black bear populations and explains some steps to take as bears get more active due to hyperphagia, the phase they go through to build up calories before spending the winter in their dens. She also tells us why these tips apply to anyone in Nevada, not just those who live or spend time in northern Nevada. Find more resources on living with bears and other wildlife here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/wildlife-discovery/living-with-wildlife/

Take your best guess! How much money do you think big game and upland game hunters spend on hunting in Nevada per year? In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller, and Bobby Jones dive into the dollars and cents details of hunting in Nevada with UNR Research Scientist Alec Bowman. Alec lets us know just how much Nevada hunters support our state’s economy using an in-depth report he worked on detailing Nevada hunting expenditures. View the report: https://www.ndow.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Nevada-Hunter-Expenditures-Summary-Report.pdf

Have you ever been interested in learning how to shoot a bow or rifle? NDOW offers learn-to shoot classes throughout the state to teach safe and responsible shooting practices to youth and adults. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW’s new Statewide Recreational Shooting Coordinator, Adam Kavanagh to talk about the shooting programs NDOW offers. Adam also explains his hopes of getting the National Archery in the Schools Program into more local schools to expand the opportunity to more kids. Find a shooting range near you or sign up for an NDOW class at ndow.org.

As animals get more active in the late spring and early summer, NDOW sees an increase in phone calls from community members asking questions about wildlife they come across in their neighborhoods, whether they've found an injured animal or they have an unexpected visitor in their yard. Those are the calls that keep our Urban Wildlife Coordinators busy. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW’s new Urban Wildlife Coordinator Raquel Martinez and former Urban Wildlife Coordinator, now Wildlife Educator, Jess Wolff. They explain the urban wildlife and wildlife education positions, list the common calls NDOW receives this time of year, and explain the best steps to take if you come across wildlife in your neighborhood. You can also find species-specific information on living with wildlife here: https://www.ndow.org/species-information/

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Wildlife Diversity Biologist Mackenzie Jeffress to talk about North America’s cutest mammal, the pika, and the new Nevada Pika Atlas. The atlas is a compilation of information from researchers across the west shows where pika can be found across the state! Mackenzie explains why this is important in helping us learn more about pika and protect the species. She also explains how she found her love of researching pika and how she hopes the Pika Atlas is used moving forward. Learn more about these tiny, mountain dwelling animals and where you can spot one and view the Nevada Pika Atlas here: https://www.ndow.org/species/pika/

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Wildlife Education Coordinator Julie Bless and Conservation Education Division Administrator Chris Vasey to talk about the Nevada Department of Wildlife's "Conserve Wildlife" license plate, which is available at any Nevada Department of Motor Vehicle office. They explain how proceeds from the sale of this license plate featuring a mule deer, sage-grouse, and cutthroat trout against a classic Nevada landscape, benefits different NDOW education and volunteer programs. To Learn more about ordering a "Conserve Wildlife" license plate, check out the Charitable & Collegiate Plates section of the Nevada DMV website: https://dmv.nv.gov/platescharitable.htm

Nevada's Free Fishing Day is tomorrow, Saturday, June 11. This is the one day of the year you can fish any public water in the state without a fishing license. If you have never been fishing, Free Fishing Day is the day to get out and try it! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Angler Educators Jan Nemec, Julie Gabrielson, and Abbey Czarnecki to talk about all of the fun Free Fishing Day events happening across the state, the annual Free Fishing Day Poster Contest, fishing conditions, and what to do next if you get hooked on fishing! Find a Free Fishing Day event near you here: https://www.ndow.org/blog/nevada-free-fishing-day/ Find fishing reports, stocking updates, the FishNV tool, and more resources here: https://www.ndow.org/get-outside/fishing/fishing-stocking-reports/

Boating season is here! We encourage you to prepare before you head out on the water, so you can be sure to have a safe and fun boating experience with your friends and family. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW's Statewide Boating Education Coordinator Aaron Meier to talk about the steps to take to prepare your boat and stay safe while boating or paddling, and they highlight some of the great waters to explore! Find boating education courses on ndow.org here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/outdoor-education/ Now is also a good time to make sure your boat registration is up-to-date. Register your vessels today at ndowlicensing.com.

This week's Nevada Wild is shell-e-brating Wild Turtle Week! Hosts Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to NDOW Wildlife Diversity Biologist Matt Flores and clear up some confusion around the difference between turtles and tortoises. He gives us an overview of Nevada species, and explains the threats they face. We're also joined by Christian Daniels, the creator of the Desert Balloon Project, a Facebook page that encourages everyone to do their part to clean up balloons and litter in the desert to protect desert tortoises and other wildlife. He talks about how he started this project and what you can do to help.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Educators Zac Campbell, Jan Nemec, and Abbey Czarnecki to talk about carp fishing in Nevada! Abbey recaps the recent annual Carp Rodeo at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, and Jan fills us in on the Kids Carp Derby on Saturday June 4, at Lahontan Reservoir, along with other western Nevada Carp Derbies this summer. Find information on the June 4 Kids Carp Derby here:https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/182658?fbclid=IwAR2F6eYWU6Rcl9y9XmISxq-CFWnNOyxHc58E3qrPngaYs9MUzGLm6aeLqbQ Keep an eye out for other upcoming events on ndow.org here: https://www.ndow.org/calendar/

Nevada's big game tag application period deadline is quickly approaching! In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Conservation Educators Martin Olson and Julie Gabrielson to talk about frequently asked questions they've received about the application period, tools like NDOW's Big Game Application Seminar, and tips to follow when preparing to apply. Watch the Big Game Application Seminar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOVfvcn7CI4 Apply for tags until 11 p.m. May 10 at ndowlicensing.com.

This week's Nevada Wild goes on the road at Walker River State Recreation Area! Ashley Sanchez and Bobby Jones are joined by Nevada Division of Natural Heritage Botanist Janel Johnson as she leads a tour at the state recreation area to show NatureServe CEO and President Sean O'Brien around. This is one stop on Sean's journey across the country to visit with natural heritage agencies in different states to learn how we can all work together to achieve great outcomes for conservation. As discussed in this podcast, NatureServe works with a network of more than 60 organizations and over 1,000 conservation scientists to collect and analyze standardized information on imperiled species and ecosystems. The NatureServe Network includes the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage as the entity tracking rare species and ecosystems in Nevada. Janel and Sean explain the importance of their work, the role it plays in conservation, and much more! Sean also shares his trip highlights and what he found most unique about Nevada. Follow Sean on his van tour here: https://www.natureserve.org/natureserve-network-van-tour Learn more about the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage here: https://heritage.nv.gov/

NDOW has released a new hunt planning tool for hunters to use during Nevada's big game application period, which is now open at ndowlicensing.com. The tool, HuntNV, includes an interactive hunt unit map, harvest data, draw data, and bonus point data. The map can be filtered by many different hunt options. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with HuntNV creator, NDOW's Mitch Gritts and NDOW Big Game Biologist Cody McKee. They walk us through HuntNV, explain its value to hunters, and how to use the data provided not only to apply for tags but to plan out your hunt. Explore the tool to start planning your adventure here: https://www.hunt.wildlifenv.com

For the opening week of Nevada's big game application period, and the conclusion of our Women's Month podcasts, we thought it was the perfect time to introduce two of our eastern Nevada game biologists. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Game Biologists Sarah Hale and Samantha Fino. The two explain how they recently became biologists at NDOW, their backgrounds and goals, and give encouraging advice to women entering this field.

In this week's Nevada Wild, we continue our Women's Month celebration with guest Cynthia Scholl. Cynthia is the Education Coordinator at University of Nevada, Reno's Museum of Natural History, and the Associate Director of Nevada Bugs and Butterflies. Cynthia fills NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller in on both of her positions, her passion for bugs (especially butterflies!) and natural history, and explains how the two fields intertwine. She also talks about how she loves inspiring future generations of women to enter these career fields.