Nevada
UNR researchers shed light on how bears choose where they hibernate
RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – A newly published study by researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, sheds light on how bears choose their homes.
As winter inches closer in the Sierra Nevada, black bears are on the move looking for the perfect place to hibernate. And, like their human neighbors, the region’s black bears are searching for winter homes that are safe, warm and good places to get youngsters started in life.
“When they put tracking collars on the bears you get the advantage of a lot more data,” begins Heather Reich, a wildlife biologist with the study.
Reich and Kelly Stewart were two of the researchers on this project. They analyzed data collected since 1997 to give us new insight into these winter rituals. They say the findings are crucial due to our changing climate and evolving urban areas.
“It’s nice to have this baseline data to see what they’re selecting now, and as we get further into the future, seeing how things change,” said Stewart. Not just with the climate, but with expanding human development and how that is impacting where bears sleep for the winter. Eventually, maybe it even gets too warm and they don’t really do that.”
Among the key findings in the study are that female bears den earlier, and stay longer, than the males.
“The females probably came out later because they were waiting for the cubs to be ready to move on,” Stewart explained.
For Stewart, there was one particular habit by males that surprised her in the study. Male black bears apparently begin to stir out of their dens when day and nighttime temperatures remain above freezing, but temperatures don’t appear to be a big factor in female decisions about departure. Den locations aren’t reused from one year to the next. Instead, bears select a new den each year. For both males and females, den types are often similar. Rugged terrain and secluded spaces are preferred with hollowed trees or rock piles serving as shelters. This includes natural bedding the bears would use like pine needles, sagebrush, and leaf litter. But it was the location that the researchers found would sometimes differ.
“Females really liked steeper slopes. Males stayed away from roads to be away from disturbance. It looked like females were avoiding males and tended to stay closer to the road,” Stewart said.
According to Reich, black bears had largely disappeared from our region by the early 1900s after forests were cleared to meet the demands of the mining industry, and bears were hunted aimlessly. Today, black bear populations are being reintroduced, now going as far east as the Hawthorne area. This is something she says will also help to figure out habitat needs.
“With Nevada having so much public land, we have multi-use land sites that bears are using for their dens. So, future management plans may be able to incorporate the data from this publication to help with some of those decisions,” Reich said.
The foundation for the new analysis of bear dens came from data painstakingly collected by the Nevada Department of Wildlife from 2011 to 2022. It identified 116 den sites in the region after putting GPS collars on bears and tracking when they stopped moving about during the winter and stirred again in the spring.
The University researchers visited 26 den sites in the Sierra Nevada, Pine Nut Mountains, and Virginia Range. They carefully detailed the topography, vegetation, and concealment at each location.
Stewart, who also conducts research as part of the university’s Experiment Station, said the ongoing close cooperation between the University’s Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science and the Nevada Department of Wildlife is among the elements that have built the department’s strong reputation.
“Our students have the opportunity for a lot of hands-on experience that supports what they learn in the classroom from our excellent faculty,” she said. “When our students present at conferences, we often hear that their work is some of best.”
Contributors to the bear-den research included Morgan Long, a graduate student, and Kevin Shoemaker, an associate professor, in the university’s Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science; Carl Lackey, a bear biologist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife; and Jon Beckman, an adjunct faculty member of the university and a wildlife supervisor with the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks.
Funding for the research was provided by a grant from the Nevada Wildlife Record Book Foundation.
Copyright 2024 KOLO. All rights reserved.
HopeLink of Southern Nevada is hosting its first-ever “Dink for HopeLink” Pickleball Tournament. This is the organization’s main fundraiser of the year Join them for some friendly competition while helping raise money to PREVENT homelessness in Southern Nevada.
HopeLink of Southern Nevada is a non-profit family resource center providing much needed assistance to PREVENT families, individuals and vulnerable seniors from facing homelessness.
‘Dink for HopeLink’ is happening at CHICKEN N’ PICKLE June 28th, 2026 from 1:30pm – 5pm.
Nevada County is pleased to announce that Dr. Brian Evans has been selected to serve as Nevada County’s next Public Health Officer.
“Dr. Evans brings a long history of leadership in healthcare in Nevada County to the Health Officer position,” said Public Health Director Toby Guevin. “His expertise and knowledge of local health needs and providers across the county will be invaluable as we work to strengthen the health of our community. I also want to thank Dr. Cooke for her dedicated service as Health Officer for the past four years, guiding us through numerous challenges coming out of COVID 19.”
Dr. Evans was selected through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, which drew from a pool of highly qualified candidates nationwide. His start date is planned for July 1, 2026, pending approval by the Board of Supervisors at their June 16 meeting.
“I’m honored to step into the role of Public Health Officer for Nevada County,” said Dr. Evans. “This is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships across the community, focusing on prevention, preparedness, and improving health outcomes. I look forward to supporting a science based public health team that is responsive, transparent, and grounded in the needs of our residents.”
Dr. Evans is a physician with more than two decades of clinical and leadership experience. Since 2022, he has served as Chief Medical Officer for Tahoe Forest Health, overseeing clinical quality, patient safety, emergency preparedness, communicable disease response, and regulatory compliance across two critical access hospitals and a broad network of services. He has served as both CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, and served as CEO at Mercy Folsom and Chief Medical Officer at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento.
A board-certified emergency physician, Dr. Evans practiced for 15 years in Grass Valley after completing residency at UC Davis. He holds an MD from UCLA, an MBA from CSU Sacramento, and a BS in Biology from UC Davis. Dr. Evans lives in Nevada County with his wife, Jennifer, and has two adult daughters.
California law requires each county to appoint a licensed physician as Health Officer. The Health Officer is responsible for carrying out provisions of the State Health and Safety Code and serves as the physician of record for all Public Health clinical services. The Health Officer reports to the Public Health Director.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Nevada DMV Compliance Enforcement Division is cracking down on stolen luxury cars being openly sold on social media, with criminals listing them using code words and asking as little as a tenth of the normal price.
In one case, a 2021 Hellcat TRX was advertised for $12,000. The vehicle normally sells for at least $100,000.
In an ad for the high-end truck on Facebook, the first word of the description said “lien.”
“It’s pretty blatant. I mean, it’s like advertising drugs for sale online on a public website,” said JD Decker, chief of Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division.
Decker said the word is code for stolen.
“You won’t be able to register it or title it in your name… therefore the discounted price,” Decker said.
Investigation leads to recovery
Decker’s team tracked down the truck in the city of Las Vegas.
“We found the vehicle had been stolen locally and then wrapped to hide the color and mask the vehicle,” Decker said.
There were other signs the vehicle was stolen. The person pulled out the module from under the dash and started it by hot wire, touching the wires together. The VIN was not centered and was not a stamped manufactured VIN. The VIN also had 16 digits instead of the standard 17. A fake temporary tag was also used.
The team got a warrant to arrest the seller, though they say he fled the state.
“That subject had his first court appearance and had an attorney appear on his behalf. We know he operated between a couple different states. He had previous charges in a couple different states,” Decker said.
Decker said these openly stolen cars advertised for sale are known as striker vehicles.
“When you’re selling a striker vehicle to someone who knows it’s stolen, you really don’t have to make much effort to hide the fact that it’s stolen because that’s kind of assumed in the transaction,” Decker said.
There are also websites that will advertise and sell striker vehicles. According to Decker, the negotiation takes place on offshore encrypted websites that aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
If you ever have doubts about a vehicle you want to buy, have the seller meet you at the DMV’s VIN inspection station.
“We’d be happy to do that. It’s free. There’s generally no waiting. And if the vehicle comes from out of state, it’s going to require a VIN inspection at DMV anyway,” Decker said.
Decker said his team is constantly on social media looking for stolen vehicles for sale, especially high-end vehicles. He said the ongoing problem with fake tags contributes to this problem. FOX5 has previously reported on that problem
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
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