Nevada

UNR researchers shed light on how bears choose where they hibernate

Published

1 year ago

December 14, 2024

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.

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Nevada

Nevada Family Law Group’s Caston addresses separation risks after deadly Smith’s dispute

Published

2 hours ago

May 16, 2026

Press Room

Nevada Family Law Group’s Caston addresses separation risks after deadly Smith’s dispute

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A domestic dispute led to a deadly shooting at a Smith’s in the valley this past Tuesday, and the man accused of the killings is now facing multiple felony charges.

Alejandro Estrada, who is charged with the two deaths at the store, is being held without bail. He faces 11 felony charges, including two counts of murder.

Court records show one of the victims, Amanda Frias Rosas, was involved in an ongoing child support case with Estrada.

Marilyn Caston, a junior partner at Nevada Family Law Group, discussed challenges that can arise for separated couples.

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Nevada

Vegas casino pulls plug on prediction market conference amid Nevada crackdown

Published

14 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Vegas casino pulls plug on prediction market conference amid Nevada crackdown

A Las Vegas casino abruptly pulled the plug on a prediction market conference over fears the event could draw scrutiny from Nevada gambling regulators, according to a report.

Predict 2026 had been slated for the Aria on the Strip before the MGM-operated resort canceled the booking just days after signing the agreement.

‘The [Aria] is issuing this notice in light of Nevada’s current regulatory and enforcement position regarding prediction markets,’ a lawyer for the resort wrote in a termination letter cited by Barron’s.

The dispute highlights escalating tensions between state gambling regulators and prediction market firms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which let people bet on the outcomes of all kinds of events.

Nevada regulators have taken an especially aggressive stance toward the fast-growing sector, arguing that some sports-event contracts resemble unlicensed wagering that bypasses state gaming rules and taxes.

Last October, the Nevada Gaming Control Board warned casino license holders that maintaining ties to prediction market operators could factor into whether they remain eligible for gaming licenses.

“If a Nevada licensee chooses to offer Sports and Other Event Contracts in Nevada or decides to partner with other entities offering Sports and Other Event Contracts in the state, the Board will consider these developments as it evaluates the suitability of the entity to maintain a Nevada gaming license,” regulators said in the guidance cited by Barron’s.

While Predict 2026 was not sponsored by any prediction market company, Aria’s legal notice indicated that regulators had become increasingly sensitive even to indirect promotion of the industry.

The Aria, which opened in 2009 and is operated by MGM Resorts after being sold to Blackstone in 2021, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The showdown highlights the widening divide between traditional casino operators and the new entrants into the prediction market space.

Legacy gaming giants such as MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have largely stayed away from prediction markets even as companies including DraftKings have launched competing platforms to challenge businesses like Kalshi.

Prediction market operators insist that their event contracts are federally regulated financial instruments overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, allowing them to operate nationwide for users over 18.

Some state gaming regulators, however, have argued that sports-related contracts closely resemble sports betting and should fall under state gambling laws.

Nevada officials have already taken direct legal action against Kalshi.

The Nevada Gaming Commission sued the company over its sports event contracts, and the platform was briefly barred from operating in the state earlier this year, according to Barron’s.

The Post has sought comment from Polymarket, Aria and the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

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