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.
Home prices in Southern Nevada dropped from record highs to end 2025 and less homes sold last year compared with 2024.
Approximately 28,498 existing homes sold in the region last year, which is down almost 9 percent from the 31,305 homes that sold in 2024, according to trade association Las Vegas Realtors, which pulls its data from the Multiple Listing Service. This is the lowest number of homes sold in a year in Southern Nevada since 2007 right before the Great Recession.
The median sale price for a house sold in Southern Nevada in December was approximately $470,000, a 3.9 percent drop from November, according to LVR. By the end of December, LVR reported 6,396 single-family homes listed for sale without any sort of offer. That’s up 28.8 percent from one year earlier.
Despite a down year in sales, the local market did end on a high note.
George Kypreos, president of Las Vegas Realtors, said he is optimistic the housing market could turn around this year. The LVR report noted that home sales in Southern Nevada have seen “peaks and valleys” in recent years, generally declining since 2021 when a record 50,010 properties sold.
“Although it was a relatively slow year for home sales, we’re seeing some encouraging signs heading into the new year,” said Kypreos in a statement. “Buyer activity locally and nationally is starting to improve. Home prices have been fairly stable, and mortgage interest rates ended the year lower than they were the previous year. Most trends are pointing to a more balanced housing market in 2026.”
Freddie Mac currently has the average price for a 30-year fixed-term mortgage rate at 6.1 percent. That mortgage rate has not gone below 6 percent since 2022.
The all-time high median home sale price in Southern Nevada was broken multiple times last year, and currently sits at $488,995 which was last set in November while the condo and townhome market has dropped substantially from an all-time high that was set in October of 2024 ($315,000) to $275,000 to end 2025.
Major residential real estate brokerages are mixed as to where the market will head this year as Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com have all put out their 2026 projections, and they expect a similar market to 2025. Mortgage rates aren’t expected to drop enough next year to unlock the country’s housing market, new builds will continue to lag, and prices will remain relatively elevated.
Realtor.com said in its report that it predicts a “steadier” housing market next year and a slight shift to a more balanced market. Redfin’s report says 2026 will be the year of the “great housing reset,” which means the start of a yearslong period of “gradual increases in home sales and normalization of prices as affordability gradually improves.”
Finally, Zillow said the housing market should “warm up” in 2026 with “buyers seeing a bit more breathing room and sellers benefiting from price stability and more consistent demand.”
Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.
TRUCKEE, Calif. — An avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada on Monday buried a snowmobiler in snow and killed him, authorities said.
Rescuers responded after a 911 call around 2:20 p.m. reported a possible avalanche near Johnson Peak and Castle Peak in Truckee.
The snowmobiler was initially reported missing but then was found under the snow several minutes later, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Fellow recreationists found him but he didn’t survive despite lifesaving efforts, according to the statement.
Emergency personnel were working to safely extract the victim late Monday and to confirm no others were buried.
The sheriff’s office said more avalanches could occur and recommended that people avoid the area.
Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center. The center’s current map shows high risk spots in Utah and Washington and areas of considerable risk in California, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming.
Nevada Preps Winter Sports Rankings
Records through Sunday
Boys basketball
Class 5A
1. Liberty (10-5)
2. Democracy Prep (9-6)
3. Coronado (5-6)
4. Bishop Gorman (9-7)
5. Desert Pines (11-4)
Class 4A
1. Clark (8-5)
2. Las Vegas High (10-4)
3. Losee (7-5)
4. Faith Lutheran (11-5)
5. Shadow Ridge (11-4)
Class 3A
1. Virgin Valley (9-2)
2. The Meadows (9-5)
3. Boulder City (9-5)
4. GV Christian (8-6)
5. Pahrump Valley (5-7)
Games to watch
All games at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Tuesday
Losee at Las Vegas
Faith Lutheran at Liberty
Wednesday
Bishop Gorman at Desert Pines
Virgin Valley at The Meadows
Thursday
Coronado at Mojave
Clark at Durango
Friday
Desert Pines at Las Vegas
Virgin Valley at Boulder City
Saturday
Big City Showdown at Coronado
Liberty vs. Desert Pines, 4:30 p.m.
Bishop Gorman vs. Coronado, 8 p.m.
Girls basketball
Class 5A
1. Bishop Gorman (11-1)
2. Democracy Prep (7-4)
3. Centennial (6-3)
4. Liberty (10-7)
5. Shadow Ridge (3-4)
Class 4A
1. Mojave (9-4)
2. Mater East (10-4)
3. Losee (14-5)
4. Del Sol (13-3)
5. Cimarron-Memorial (9-2)
Class 3A
1. Virgin Valley (6-5)
2. Boulder City (8-6)
3. Moapa Valley (8-4)
4. Coral Academy (7-4)
5. Pahrump Valley (4-7)
Games to watch
All games at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Wednesday
Faith Lutheran at Shadow Ridge
Centennial at Liberty
Mojave at Desert Oasis
Thursday
Sierra Vista at Cimarron-Memorial, 5 p.m.
Friday
Mater East at Desert Oasis
Virgin Valley at Boulder City
Saturday
Big City Showdown at Coronado
Bishop Gorman vs. Centennial, 6:15 p.m.
Flag football
Class 5A
1. Desert Oasis (8-0)
2. Shadow Ridge (10-1)
3. Arbor View (10-1)
4. Palo Verde (10-3)
5. Liberty (6-2)
Class 4A
1. Virgin Valley (5-3)
2. Sierra Vista (5-2)
3. Mater East (6-3)
4. Clark (7-4)
5. Spring Valley (5-2)
Games to watch
All games at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Palo Verde at Desert Oasis
Coronado at Bishop Gorman
SECTA at Arbor View
Friday
Shadow Ridge at Palo Verde
Canyon Springs at Arbor View
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