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NDOW Eastern Region updates: translocations, surveys, staffing and volunteer opportunities
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Summary
Division staff updated the Elko County CAB on planned pronghorn and bighorn translocations (capture window Nov. 6–10), ongoing surveys, new collars funded by DreamTag/Heritage, a volunteer habitat project Oct. 18 and staffing gains at Gallagher Fish Hatchery; salvage permitting and shed‑closure enforcement were also discussed.
Nevada Department of Wildlife Eastern Region staff briefed the Elko County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife on non‑action project updates Oct. 1, outlining capture windows and monitoring plans for several translocations, near‑term volunteer opportunities and staffing changes at local facilities.
Scott Roberts summarized translocation planning tied to a request from the Colville Confederated Tribes, noting the department may capture up to 100 pronghorn and that exact donor unit selection depends on conditions. "It'll depend on conditions, you know, leading into it," Roberts said, and staff identified candidate donor unit groups in the 61–73, 67–68 and 141–145 ranges. Roberts said the department aims to start capture efforts Nov. 6 and continue through at least Nov. 10 pending crew availability and capture logistics.
Roberts and other staff described additional proposed releases under the FY26–27 plan: two desert bighorn releases of 20–25 animals each and two potential pronghorn releases of 50–75 animals each, with health‑sampling and pre‑release monitoring planned. The department noted past post‑release challenges when some sheep died after transfer; staff said follow‑up monitoring (collar data) has improved understanding of outcomes.
Ross Straus and Scott Roberts reported Eastern Region operations including ground pronghorn surveys underway, Hungarian partridge trapping success ("I caught 27 birds"), and plans to deploy collars in three unit groups using DreamTag/Heritage funding to inform landscape‑scale planning for renewable‑energy projects and other developments.
Jason Jackson updated on law enforcement staffing: two game wardens recently hired and completing final academy steps, which will restore the full complement of eight wardens in the Eastern Region. Jackson also described salvage (roadkill) permitting changes under recent legislation and said the department expects electronic permits to begin rolling out in October; he cautioned that specific program language is still pending.
Area 10 updates from Josh Kirk included a Humboldt County moose translocation doing well in Harrison Pass, strong kid recruitment among mountain goats, a planned aerial herbicide treatment (~6,000 acres) to control invasives in the Quarter fire area, and a wildlife‑friendly fence jump project targeting 23 sites (roughly 4,000 linear feet) to improve deer migration routes.
Cody Byrne (on Zoom) said Gallagher Fish Hatchery is fully staffed and warned of a harmful algal (cyanobacteria) bloom at Wildhorse Reservoir, advising people and pet owners to avoid swimming in affected water. Byrne also outlined a large volunteer habitat installation event scheduled Oct. 18 at South Fork Reservoir.
Staff repeatedly emphasized that many operational details — donor site selection, exact capture dates, sampling protocols and some regulatory language — remain under development and will be finalized through Commission and TAC processes. Volunteers and interested members of the public were directed to contact the regional office and Julie Gabrielson for specific roles.
