Carl Lackey

Carl Lackey, wildlife biologist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, will present information on the bears that inhabit Northern Nevada and what is done to protect them and the residents of the state at the Leisure Hour Club’s next dinner meeting on Wednesday, April 18.

A Nevada bear biologist who’s been subject to heated online attacks is striking back in court. Carl Lackey, a biologist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, filed a lawsuit against critics he says use Facebook in a “vicious and calculated effort to damage his reputation and jeopardize his employment.”

Nevada wildlife biologists released a three-plus year old male black bear back into the forest near the top of Mt. Rose Summit on Monday morning after capturing him Sunday in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has declared July "BEAR Logic Month.” "BEAR” stands for Bear Education, Aversion and Research, and BEAR Logic Month is an opportunity to help educate the public about living in bear country.

When Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval proclaimed July as Bear Logic Month he challenged Nevadans to think like a bear.

“That is what Bear Logic is all about, thinking like a bear,” said Nevada Department of Wildlife black bear biologist Carl Lackey.

Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department would like to advise all visitors of a reported sighting of a sow bear with cubs. Carson City staff spotted the bears in the Clear Creek area across from Vista Grande Boulevard west of Fuji Park. We would like to warn park visitors that bears might be attracted to the park because of food and trash.

Two black bears, trapped on Tuesday at Crystal Bay, along Lake Tahoe’s north shore were released Wednesday morning in the mountains above Crystal Bay.

Two black bears, trapped Tuesday at Crystal Bay, along Lake Tahoe’s north shore have been tranquilized and will be released Wednesday morning in the mountains above Crystal Bay after sleeping off the effects of tranquilizer drugs, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

A black bear captured Wednesday morning in Jack’s Valley south of Carson City has been safely released back in to the wild near the area where it was trapped. The bear was seen as a potential trouble bear because of its interest in the livestock in the area.

In a whirlwind 24-hour period, the 350-pound male bear was trapped, tranquilized, fitted with ear tags, a satellite collar, a micro-chip and a tattoo. After sleeping off the tranquilizer induced hangover, it was safely released back in to the wild Thursday morning.

The Ormsby Sportsmen's Association of Carson City has announced that it has disbanded and closed its doors after an existence of almost 70 years, beginning way back in August, 1945.

Sierra Nevada Forums brings 'Lions, Tracking, and Bears, OH MY: Amazing Creatures in Carson’s Backyard' to the Plaza Event Center, 211 E. Ninth St., Carson City, on Thursday, Jan. 21. Come join in the presentations by Dr. Alyson Andreasen and Carl Lackey as they discuss the behaviors of mountain lions and bears in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The forum begins promptly at 6 p.m. This is a free event, however, donations are always appreciated.

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A black bear sow and her three male cubs were captured this week on the west side of Carson City by the Nevada Department of Wildlife. The four bears were safely released back in to the wild Friday morning in the Ash Canyon area west of Nevada’s capital city.

The bears were on the verge of becoming “conflict” bears before the capture. “They had been raiding garbage cans and searching for fallen fruit from trees,” said NDOW biologist Carl Lackey. “NDOW’s new family trap, which has multiple trap chambers, was used in the capture.”

The month of July ended with the Nevada Department of Wildlife dealing with 20 black bears in the 31 days.

“That is a faster than normal pace,” says NDOW biologist Carl Lackey, “but it is really the calm before the storm with potential nuisance bear activity in western Nevada. This is the time of year that the bears expand their search for food and during that search bears and the activities of people often come in to conflict. August, September and October should be very busy with our bears.”

Fruit trees throughout western Nevada blossom in the spring and will produce ripened fruit in mid-summer. As the fruit develops, the black bears in western Nevada are sure to take notice.

Armed with a sense of smell that is 2,100 times better than a human’s, black bears can tell when it is time to venture down the hill into places like west Reno, Washoe and Pleasant Valleys, Carson City and the western edges of the Carson Valley including Minden, Gardnerville and Genoa.

Two black bears trapped Tuesday were released back into the wild by Nevada Department of Wildlife wardens. So far, 11 bears have been safely released back into the Sierra since July 1.

Both bears were tagged, tattooed and micro chipped in order to identify them in the future should they come back in to contact with humans. Neither bear had previously been handled by NDOW.

Three five-month old black bear cubs were captured and released Wednesday along Kingsbury Grade near Stateline at Lake Tahoe. Nevada Department of Wildlife personnel captured the three cubs in a trap but the mother of the bears eluded capture.

Two female black bears, captured in Incline Village Tuesday, were safely released into the Lake Tahoe backcountry Wednesday by the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

UPDATE: Carson City Supervisors agreed Thursday to opt in on Nevada's medical marijuana law regarding establishments of dispensaries and facilities. The board voted 4 to 1 in favor of zoning changes that allow for medical marijuana establishments in zoned areas. Go here for the full story.

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The second reading of a proposed zoning ordinance allowing for marijuana dispensaries and facilities for cultivation, production and testing will go before the Carson City Board of Supervisors on Thursday during an evening session.

Today, July 1 marked the beginning of Bear Logic Month in Nevada and the bears quickly illustrated the reason why the special month to promote bear awareness in Nevada is needed.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has declared July BEAR Logic Month. BEAR stands for Bear Education, Aversion and Research, and BEAR Logic Month is an opportunity to help educate the public about living in bear country.

Mid-March is the time for black bears to emerge from their dens and begin their annual search for food. The first bears to emerge are usually males and females who do not have cubs. Females with cubs usually emerge from the den later in the spring, from mid-April to early May.

“The bears are ready to eat as they emerge from their long winter’s nap,” says biologist Carl Lackey. “They will eat emergent grasses and forbs and will also key in on the carrion of dead and decaying animals that died over the winter period.”

It has been a busy week at Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe for Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens dealing with nuisance bears. On Thursday, NDOW euthanized a 263-pound male black bear and on Sunday a bear was released in the wild south of Gardnerville.

The euthanized bear was positively identified as one that had been breaking into and entering cars, at least one home and some garages in an Incline neighborhood, according to a Nevada Department of Wildlife news release.

A bear captured Friday in Carson City was released back into the wild south of Gardnerville on Saturday and an 8-year-old female bear captured Saturday in Zephyr Cove was released Sunday, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

NDOW and biologist Carl Lackey were assisted this weekend by personnel from the Montana-based Wind River Bear Institute of Florence, which also brought a bear dog, Soledad, with them. Soledad assisted Lackey's own dog, Rooster, with the releases.

Nevada Department of Wildlife officials handled two bears on Thursday, trapping one near Reno while the other was found injured at Lake Tahoe and had to be euthanized.

The injured bear was found in Incline Village at around 8 a.m. Game wardens had been informed the bear was hurt, possibly by a vehicle, and was observed not being able to use its back legs. The bear was tranquilized and examined by a veterinarian before being put down due to the severity of its injuries.

More black bears looking to fuel up before bedding down for the coming winter were caught in Carson City by Nevada Department of Wildlife officials Friday and then sent back into the hills on Saturday.

A female black bear without cubs was trapped in west Carson City, an area that has seen it share of bears this fall. The female bear was a recapture from earlier in October when she was first caught in west Carson City.

An orphaned male bear cub in Verdi that has eluded the Nevada Department of Wildlife since Friday was captured early Sunday morning in Verdi. The 30-pound black bear was caught in a culvert trap placed near the area where its mother and another cub were hit and killed by a car on the old Highway 40 near the intersection with Bridge Street in Verdi. The carcass of its dead mother was used as bait to lure the cub to the trap.

Nevada celebrates its birthday every year with the Nevada Day Parade down the main drag of the state capital, Carson City. This year, a Sierra Nevada 400 pound male black bear nearly “crashed” the parade, the Nevada Department of Wildlife reports.

Early Saturday morning, reports began coming in to the Carson City Sheriff’s office that there was a bear in east Carson, near Lone Mountain Cemetery, about a half mile from the parade route, said NDOW spokesman Chris Healy.

UPDATE: Nevada Department of Wildlife personnel captured a large male black bear Wednesday morning behind the Reinhold Sadler House on Mountain Street, a couple of blocks from the Governor's Mansion.

The bear was hit with one tranquilizer dart and then climbed a tree, where it stayed for 30-40 minutes, until it was driven down with pepper spray and hit with a second dart, in front of several onlookers.

Bear activity around Carson City continues to keep Nevada wildlife managers busy. A 350-pound male black bear was caught early Tuesday morning in west Carson City.

The bear had never been handled before and was expected to be released sometime Wednesday morning, said Nevada Department of Wildlife black bear biologist Carl Lackey.

As the Columbus Day weekend began in western Nevada, high-profile black bear activity in west Reno grabbed most of the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s attention. While west Reno is still experiencing bear sightings, the west side of Carson City, Yerington and the outskirts of Gardnerville have all joined the “fun” with bear activity of their own.