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Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
Mountain lions in Nevada hunted by sportsmen, maimed by traps and killed by the state
Millions spent killing predators of big game Every day is open season on mountain lions in Nevada. The majestic cats are under attack on a variety of fronts – as prey for hunters, as unintended victims of traps set for bobcats, and as the primary target of a $900,000...
Group seeks to change Nevada’s trapping laws
A group of local and regional wildlife advocates have submitted a petition to the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners requesting the state’s trapping regulations be changed to better protect mountain lions inadvertently caught in traps. “The Nevada Wildlife...
Petition urges Nevada to reform trapping rules to protect mountain lions
RENO, Nev. — A coalition of wildlife advocates has submitted a petition to the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners, urging changes to the state's trapping regulations to better protect mountain lions. According to the group, despite being classified as a...
‘Cruelest in the American West’: Advocates want Nevada trap rules changed to protect mountain lions
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Wildlife advocates want Nevada to change regulations on trapping to give better protection for mountain lions — the state’s apex predator. A petition submitted Tuesday to the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners seeks a major change to...
Wildlife advocates submit petition to protect mountain lions from trapping in Nevada
Petition calls for science-based trapping regulations, shorter trap check window For Immediate Release October 8, 2024 Contacts: Don Molde, Nevada Wildlife Alliance, (775) 742-1418, Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, (505) 395-6177,...
Nevada Residents: Take Action to Ban Wildlife Killing Contests!
This Thursday, the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners will hold a “Contest Committee” hearing to discuss banning wildlife killing contests statewide. We need your help in urging the Commissioners to end these egregious and ecologically destructive contests. Every...
A starfish and a mountain lion walk into a bar: A look at the dark side
The mountain lion is an apex species in Nevada. Given its status as such, a reasonable question to ask is whether the mountain lion is being managed in Nevada with recognition of its importance and in accordance with best available science? Unfortunately, answering in...
Regulatory capture has Nevada’s great outdoors in a bind, say enthusiasts
Nevada’s wildlife commission and its mining commission don’t reflect the state’s diversity and are dominated by industry insiders who profit from the decisions they render, say critics who want them revamped and funded in a more democratic manner. Patrick Donnelly,...
Wildlife Conservation: Does It Have a Heart?
Wasn’t it but a decade or so ago when words had generally accepted meanings when facts were facts? Now we have ‘alternative facts, and words with fuzzy definitions. Perhaps it is no coincidence that controversy and bemusement exist about the meaning of conservation as...
Let’s Talk Hunting: Part 2
Have you ever wondered if you are a Traditionalist or Mutualist, maybe a Pluralist? The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies with assistance from its regional branches and others recently looked at how the public values wildlife. For centuries, wildlife has been...
Nevada needs tools to stop the extinction crisis
Nevada’s is among the most unique biodiversity of any state in the union – and it’s under assault by industry, mining, sprawl, and the ravages of climate change. Substantial reforms are needed to the state’s management of rare and imperiled species to avoid the...
Family releases fox from cruel trap, later fined over $700
“I had no idea such a cruel and inhumane practice was happening in my very own backyard.” Jessica Manners, her husband Dylan Vaske and two kids had a weekend like many others. They took their Golden Retriever and Husky, Frankie and Floki out for a walk in a popular...
Nearly two dozen wildlife killing contests occur in Nevada after commission failed to ban events
Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners ignored, science, the public, and Department of Wildlife staff in allowing slaughter for cash and prizes to continue RENO, NEVADA — At least 23 grisly wildlife killing contests are set to take place in Nevada during the first...
Who Doesn’t Like Mountain Lions? There is an answer.
Let’s start with a loose definition of an oxymoron, a contradiction of terms in the same word, sentence, or utterance. Take the word, ‘sportsman’ for example. A recent Sierra Nevada Ally piece by Kelsey Penrose centers on efforts by two hunters and a game warden to...
Lawsuit launched to rein in federal wildlife-killing program on Nevada public lands
Conservationists sue Wildlife Services and federal land management agencies for failing to consider environmental impact of killing native wildlife RENO, NEVADA—Conservation groups WildEarth Guardians and Western Watersheds Project have filed a lawsuit against the...
New legal battle over predator killing in Nevada wilderness
Conservationists are suing three federal agencies over the adequacy of an environmental review the government has said satisfies requirements to resume killing coyotes, mountain lions and other wildlife in federally protected wilderness areas in Nevada. The move comes...
Nevada Wildlife Commission votes for wildlife killing contests to remain legal in state
The 5-4 vote was against the recommendation of the Nevada Department of Wildlife and ignored the non-hunting public's opposition to the events RENO, NEVADA — On November 5, 2021, the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners voted 5-4 to reject a proposed rule to ban...
Coyote killing contest ban may go to Legislature if Wildlife Commission fails to act
The Nevada Wildlife Commission, dominated by hunting and ranching interests, has debated coyote killing contests to death during the last year with no resolution to a ban originally proposed by the Clark County Commission. Now, with the threat of state lawmakers...
Nevada’s wildlife commission is broken. Is it beyond repair?
Nevada’s Board of Wildlife Commissioners is intentionally designed to protect the entrenched interests of people who shoot wildlife. By promoting policies exclusively designed to improve opportunity for hunters, they have perpetuated an unjust system which benefits a...
George Orwell Still Lives in Unexpected Places: Up is Down, Black is White
In 1992, Nevada was suffering a multi-year drought. Governor Miller declared a drought disaster for several northern Nevada counties. Shortly after, the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners (NBWC) was set to establish parameters for the upcoming waterfowl hunting...
Nevada should jettison irrelevant wildlife management boards
When evaluating the worth of government bodies such as the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners (NVBWC) and the 17 county advisory boards set up to manage wildlife, the rational mind can only conclude they deserve to die a quick, bureaucratic death. During their...
Call for end to killing contests spreads north to Reno City Council
Disgust with Nevada’s wildlife killing contests, which attract hunters from nearby states where the practice is illegal, is not drawn along the geographic lines that divide the state’s north and south, as the Reno City Council proved Wednesday when it voted six to one...
When Can a Bird Get a Break Around Here?
An interesting thing happened in Wyoming (of all places) the other day. A member of the state’s Sage Grouse Implementation Team asked whether sage-grouse hunting in that state makes sense anymore. He noted that sage-grouse hunters killed nearly 900 sage-grouse hens...
What is the worth of a bear’s life?
In 2018, the nation’s fish and wildlife agencies in conjunction with their own polling agency and a couple of universities conducted a national survey of public attitudes regarding a variety of wildlife management issues and values. Nearly 44,000 citizens were queried...
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