The Nevada Wild Podcast

NDOW is working on duck banding projects across Nevada through the end of September. NDOW uses these projects to capture waterfowl and place bands on them to help track the species and collect data. In this week’s Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Migratory Game Bird Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme to explain the duck banding process, why data from these bands is cr...

Bighorn sheep exist in the desert where no other native ungulates (hooved mammals) inhabit because of the limited water resources and plant life, and the rugged, precipitous terrain. But even desert bighorn sheep must drink water during the hottest months of the summer, which is why NDOW works with other land management agencies and conservation organizations to build “guzzlers” or water developme...

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is so lucky to be able to host Americorps members. Americorps is a nationwide community service program that gives young people a chance to gain professional experience while giving back to their communities. NDOW has been fortunate enough to attract really amazing members that have done invaluable work for the agency. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and...

In this week's Nevada Wild, we're looking at the importance of preparing for your hunt as seasons begin to open across the state. Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Big Game Staff Specialists Cody Schroeder and Mike Cox to talk about the best strategies for scouting, other critical ways to prepare for your hunt and more!

This week is Latino Conservation Week: Disfrutando y Conservando Nuestra Tierra, an initiative of Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF), to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources. In this week’s Nevada Wild, NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez and Bobby Jones sit down with Jessica Godinez from HAF’s Conservation Team to talk about Latin...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by Wildlife Diversity Biologist Jason Jones to talk about the impact of drought conditions on reptiles, including snakes and Gila monsters. Jones clears up some common misconceptions, explains how important these critters are to Nevada's ecosystem, and walks you through what to do if you come across one.

The Summer Nevada Nature Blitz is underway, and anyone who wants to get outside this summer is invited to take part! This project is simple! The challenge is to record as much biodiversity as possible in northern Nevada during your outdoor adventures by downloading the iNaturalist app, join our project ‘Summer Nevada Nature Blitz’ and start snapping photos! In this week's Nevada Wild Ashley Sanche...

With summer in full swing, now is the perfect time to get out on the water and cast a line. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Angler Education Coordinators Jan Nemec, Joe Doucette, and Abbey Czarnecki. They cover fishing conditions on waters across Nevada, places to go to beat the heat, and provide new anglers with tips.

American Eagle Day (June 20th) is a special day to commemorate the anniversary of the bald eagle’s selection as our National Symbol and to celebrate its return to America’s skies. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by Wildlife Diversity Staff Specialist Joe Barnes to talk about Nevada's eagles, the bald eagle and golden eagle. He talks about the work being done...

After four decades with NDOW's Fisheries Division, Division Chief Jon Sjoberg is hanging up his waders! In this week's Nevada Wild, Jon joins Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez to reflect on his more than 40 years with the agency! He talks about the many positions he held around Nevada before landing in NDOW's Headquarters as the Fisheries Division Administrator, his favorite memories, success storie...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez are joined by NDOW's Wildlife Staff Specialist Mike Zahradka and Nevada Division of State Lands Administrator Charlie Donohue to talk about the recent announcement that more than 23,000 acres of wetlands and pasture in Churchill County has been transferred to the state. The area, referred to as Carson Lake and Pasture, will also soon be d...

The Nevada Outdoor Experience is back! The goal of the FREE event, co-sponsored by the Wild Sheep Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, is to excite and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts. 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, explain what activities to expect and why th...

National Safe Boating Week begins Saturday, May 22 and runs through Friday, May 28. The national campaign partners state and federal agencies to promote safe boating during the week leading up to Memorial Day weekend. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez are joined by Boating Education Coordinator Aaron Meier and Game Warden Captain Brian Bowles. The guests share tips that a...

In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with Trout Unlimited (TU) biologist Jason Barnes to talk about the conservation work TU does, his role as a biologist, his passion for Nevada's native Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and how he's dedicated his life to protecting the species. We also recommend checking out NDOW's Instagram page, nevadawildlife, to vi...

The Maison T Ortiz Youth Outdoor Skills Camp is back! Founded in 2011, the camp, near Pyramid Lake, is designed to immerse kids in outdoor skills training. The camp is named in honor and memory of Maison T Ortiz, a 15-year-old Galena High School student who tragically died in a snowboarding accident in January 2011. In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller sit down with Maison's...

In this Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by Chris Vasey and Martin Olson to talk all about the big game application period, why they wait so long to apply, and answer a bunch of FAQ’s they’ve been answering on the customer support phone line. They also discuss the big game application webinars and all of the new hunts for this year. You have until 11 p.m. PT on May 10 to app...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez speak with two NDOW heroes, Game Wardens Zachary Blackwood and Sean Flynn. Both were recently involved in rescues and saved lives on Lake Mead. Zachary happened to be in the right place at the right time and worked with National National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers to rescue a kayaker who had spent more than an hour in 40-degree...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller are joined by NDOW Elk Staff Specialist Cody McKee for a podcast that looks at Nevada's elk populations. They cover the history of elk in Nevada, the health of the state's elk herds, hunt stats, other helpful information for hunters and more! You can view the hunt statistics Cody talks about here: http://www.ndow.org/Hunt/Resources/Statis...

Nevada Magazine's Spring 2021 issue featuring an article on wild-game cooking was just released! The magazine teamed up with Nevada Foodies Wild Game Cuisine to bring an awesome perspective on harvesting; preparing; and cooking clean, organic game meat. They even included a recipe or two. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez are joined by Nevada Magazine's Executive Editor M...

In a historic moment in January 2020, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW)and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (PLPT) partnered to release bighorn sheep on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation. The goal was to return bighorn sheep to an area where they once thrived. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez sit down with NDOW Bighorn Sheep Staff Specialist Mike Cox and PLPT Biologist...

In this week's Nevada Wild, we continue our Women's History Month celebration and get ready for the opening of Nevada's big game application period on Monday, March 22 at ndowlicensing.com. Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller talk to NDOW's first female game biologist Kari Huebner about her career at the agency, her love for both, working for NDOW and getting outside in Nevada, and she encourages anyo...

In this week’s Nevada Wild, we continue our Women’s History Month celebration. NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller and Julie Watson sit down with guest Sam Bickert. Sam is an outdoorswoman, mother, and the co-founder of the Wild Babes Nevada Support Group, a community of Reno-Tahoe moms who are dedicated to staying adventurous while caring for their little ones! Join the community by joining the W...

In honor of Women's History Month, in this week's Nevada Wild NDOW's Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with Marcia Brownlee, Program Manager for Artemis, an initiative of the National Wildlife Federation that's dedicated to connecting women to hunting, fishing and the conservation that is a part of those activities. Marcia fills the group in on Artemis, it's mission, how it wor...

In this week’s Nevada Wild, NDOW’s Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with Colin Robertson, Administrator of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s new Division of Outdoor Recreation (NDOR). Colin's focus is advancing Nevada’s immense variety of outdoor recreational opportunities to improve public health and wellness, educate Nevada’s youth, engage underserved po...

NDOW funds improvements at shooting ranges across Nevada to make them safer and more accessible to the community. NDOW is now accepting applications from communities for grants that would go toward needed improvements at their local shooting range. In this week's Nevada Wild, NDOW's Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller discuss why it's important now more than ever before to have safe, accessible shooti...