OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Carson City Advisory Board of Managed Wildlife Meeting – June 22, 2026

Board of SupervisorsMonday, June 22, 2026
BodyCarson City, Nevada
SessionBoard of Supervisors
DateMonday, June 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:44
Transcript — Verbatim
11:34

The meeting may watch the live stream on Carson City Advisory Board of Managed Wildlife Meeting at WW Carson City.gov.

11:43

Backslash G R A N I C U S, and by clicking on in progress next to the meeting date, or by tuning in to cable channel one ninety one.

11:54

Live stream of the meeting is provided solely as a courtesy and convenience to the public.

11:58

Carson City does not give any assurance or guarantee that the live stream or cable channel access will be reliable, although all reasonable efforts will be made to provide live stream unanticipated technical difficulties beyond a control of city staff may delay interrupt or render unavailable continuous licensing capability.gov for inclusion or reference in the minutes of the meeting, your public comment must include your full name and be submitted via email by not later than three PM the day before the meeting.

12:48

Public comment during the meeting is limited to three minutes for each speaker.

13:07

Roll call, please.

13:30

Of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible for liberty and justice for all.

13:45

At this time, it's open up to public comment.

13:48

The public is invited at this time to provide uh comment on any topic that relates to a matter over which this public body has supervised control jurisdiction or advisory power, including any such matter that is not specifically included on the agenda as an action item.

14:05

No action may be taken on a matter raised during the period for public comment.

14:10

Do you have any public comment online?

14:14

Nothing.

14:15

Okay.

14:16

We'll move over.

14:18

For a possible action, approval of the minutes.

14:21

That the members present have an opportunity to review the minutes.

14:27

I get a motion.

14:29

I'll make a motion to approve May 4th meeting minutes.

14:34

I second the approval.

14:38

Is it what to call vote?

14:41

Yeah.

14:42

I get a vote.

14:43

All in favor say aye.

14:45

Aye.

14:45

All those in favor say nay.

14:47

Ayes have it.

14:49

Move on to number six would be for discussion only and update from attendees to the May 8th and 9th 2026 Nevada Wildlife Commission meeting.

15:00

And that was me.

15:03

And so just uh just a couple of things that it took down was that the technology committee is moving forward with looking at implementing uh implementation of e-tags for the future.

15:18

Um the department is uh trying to establish a crayfish population up in the cave lake, and when it's uh established, they're going to uh introduce smallmouth bass, which I thought was pretty cool, and then also department is looking into studying the uh construction of wildlife crossings in the south of Wales in the area of Spruce Mountain and in and around Pioche.

15:45

Correct me if I'm wrong here, it is and then uh also the department is going into an agreement with private landowners up in area seven to create the Windermeyer Hills Wildlife Management Area or conservation wildlife management area, which is up in uh 07.

16:07

Uh there was a discussion in regards that precipitation was near normal for this year, but it came in the form of water and or rain, water, of course, and uh and not snow pack, and currently uh at the time of the meeting um earlier last month uh that the snowpack was pretty much zero across the strait, across the state.

16:30

Uh, the concern for wildlife uh wild wildland fire was more centered around the amount of fuel rather than um drought conditions because we I guess from the rain, the grasses were growing more, and thus once that dries out, it just goes into it.

16:47

I thought it was pretty interesting.

16:49

They had was a discussion by biologists in regards to the uh to approximately 20% loss of shrubland or sage land within the state uh due to wildland fire, uh wildland fires.

17:03

Um was a pretty good presentation showing the amount of habitat that was lost to fire to a direct um decrease in the mule deer meal deer here, meal deer herd in the state, um, and then how mule deer are having a negative response and in regards to evasive annual grasses and the implication of a strategic management within the state for those, and there's uh active uh control plans for these annual evasive species.

17:36

Um, well, I don't know, it's a positive because of the increase in grasslands, uh, elk and antelope have benefited from it, as the deer have been negatively impacted.

17:49

Uh one of the things, uh, several of the cabs came during public speaking to urge the commission to take a stance or a stance on the control and management of the Feral Horse herds, and a c and a couple of the cabs out east have actually submitted letters to their county commissions to where that those counties declared a county emergency.

18:14

And then the commission also improved the regulation to prohibit the automatic range finding scopes and self-adjusting sites, and then they also accepted a petition from a Mr.

18:27

Evans in regards to removing the compound bowls uh let off limit, and now this is going to go to workshop.

18:35

Any questions?

18:52

Rob nobody has the input for that, but does anybody like anything to share in regards to urban wildlife?

18:59

All right, we move on to number eight for discussion only, uh, reports and informational.

19:11

Any item requiring action will be scheduled for a future agenda.

19:27

Would any of the board members like to pull an item for discussion?

19:56

Okay.

20:03

Yeah, I appreciate that, thank you.

23:03

You know, anything about the uh easement access, access easement that's going on.

24:57

I don't have anything to pull either.

28:46

Do we have to manage radio populations?

28:51

Sage grass.

28:59

Yeah, so let once we poll them for for discussion, we'll prove the ones that we're not addressing, and then we'll go into discussion for each one.

29:07

And we'll just open up for public.

29:58

Okay, if I could get a motion then to reapprove as written.

30:18

I approve.

30:25

Say aye.

30:26

Aye.

30:28

We'll move to the two items uh we wish to be polled.

31:00

Fiscal year twenty-seven found uh bond collaring project that's seventy thousand dollars.

31:06

Fiscal year twenty-seven Nevada in state prong horn trap and transplant seventy-five thousand dollars.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████████████40%
Animal Welfare█████████████████████████████29%
Environmental Protection████████████████████████24%
Wildlife Management████4%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Carson City Advisory Board of Managed Wildlife Meeting – June 22, 2026

The Carson City Advisory Board of Managed Wildlife met on June 22, 2026, at 1:30 PM. The board approved previous meeting minutes, received an update from the May 8–9, 2026 Nevada Wildlife Commission meeting, discussed and approved four funding proposals for wildlife management projects, adjusted the 2026 upland game bird season, and addressed future meeting attendance and a public inquiry about cyanide bombs.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes – The board unanimously approved the minutes from the May 4, 2026 meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Johnny Vonek (NDOW Washoe County Game Biologist) – Provided detailed explanations of the raven management study, pronghorn translocation, and upland game season adjustments. He noted that raven removal is lethal but the $60,000 request is only for studying impacts, not removal. He also explained that pronghorn from areas 6, 043, and 046 will be moved to areas 041, 042, 291, and part of 13 to relieve pressure on private ranches, contingent on a planned horse gather in the Seven Wings and Blue Wing HMAs.
  • Becca Carniello (NDOW) – Clarified that autonomous recording units used in the strategic mapping proposal are small devices placed on poles to record bird and bat calls.
  • Board member question on cyanide bombs – A board member asked whether cyanide bombs (M-44s) are used in Nevada. Johnny Vonek responded that the current contract with Wildlife Services does not include that method, and he was unsure of its legality in the state.

Discussion Items

1. Update from Nevada Wildlife Commission Meeting (May 8–9, 2026) A board member (speaker not named) reported:

  • Technology committee is advancing e-tags.
  • NDOW is establishing a crayfish population in Cave Lake, with plans to introduce smallmouth bass once established.
  • Department is studying wildlife crossings near Spruce Mountain and Pioche.
  • NDOW is creating the Windermere Hills Wildlife Management Area (Area 7) through an agreement with private landowners.
  • Precipitation was near normal but came as rain, not snow; snowpack was nearly zero across the state as of early May.
  • Wildfire concern is focused on fuel load from increased grasses rather than drought.
  • Biologists reported approximately 20% loss of shrubland/sagebrush due to wildfire, directly linked to mule deer decline. Mule deer are negatively affected by invasive annual grasses, while elk and pronghorn have benefited from increased grasslands.
  • Several County Advisory Boards (CABs) urged the Commission to take action on feral horse management; some counties declared a state of emergency.
  • The Commission approved a regulation prohibiting auto-ranging scopes and self-adjusting sights.
  • A petition from Mr. Evans to remove the compound bow let-off limit was accepted and will go to workshop.

2. Polled Items – Four Funding Proposals (Fiscal Year 2027) The board pulled the following items for discussion and later approved them as a block:

  • Bond collaring project – $70,000
  • Nevada in-state pronghorn trap and transplant – $75,000
  • Strategic mapping and prioritization of mule deer habitat (year 2 continuation) – $120,000
  • Raven management in Nevada (year 2 continuation) – $60,000 (study only) Discussion centered on the raven management study (Johnny Vonek explained the threshold density of breeding ravens affecting sage-grouse chick survival and the use of corvicides), and the pronghorn translocation rationale.

3. Upland Game Bird Season (Items 10D and 10L) The board was informed of a typo in the agenda (listing “64” twice instead of “61, 62, 64”). Johnny Vonek explained the decision to delay the 2026 chucker and quail season by one week (starting later in October) rather than extending it further into February, citing concerns about early-season pressure on water sources and late-season impacts on paired birds. The board approved both items unanimously.

4. Future Meeting Attendance (Item 12) Board members stated unavailability: one cannot attend the June 26–27 meeting in Winnemucca; another cannot attend in June but can attend the August 14–15 meeting in Tonopah; a third member is unsure about August. Staff will contact absent members.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes approved (unanimous).
  • Four Fiscal Year 2027 projects approved – total $325,000: $70,000 (bond collaring), $75,000 (pronghorn trap/transplant), $120,000 (mule deer habitat mapping), $60,000 (raven management study). All passed via voice vote.
  • Upland game bird season adjustments approved – season delayed one week (same number of days) to reduce early-season pressure; no extension into February. Approved unanimously.
  • Future meeting commitments – June 26–27 (Winnemucca) and August 14–15 (Tonopah) will have incomplete attendance; staff to follow up.
  • Cyanide bombs – Board learned that NDOW’s current contract with Wildlife Services does not permit their use.
  • Adjourned – Motion carried unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

The meeting may watch the live stream on Carson City Advisory Board of Managed Wildlife Meeting at WW Carson City.gov. Backslash G R A N I C U S, and by clicking on in progress next to the meeting date, or by tuning in to cable channel one ninety one. Live stream of the meeting is provided solely as a courtesy and convenience to the public. Carson City does not give any assurance or guarantee that the live stream or cable channel access will be reliable, although all reasonable efforts will be made to provide live stream unanticipated technical difficulties beyond a control of city staff may delay interrupt or render unavailable continuous licensing capability.gov for inclusion or reference in the minutes of the meeting, your public comment must include your full name and be submitted via email by not later than three PM the day before the meeting. Public comment during the meeting is limited to three minutes for each speaker. Roll call, please. Of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible for liberty and justice for all. At this time, it's open up to public comment. The public is invited at this time to provide uh comment on any topic that relates to a matter over which this public body has supervised control jurisdiction or advisory power, including any such matter that is not specifically included on the agenda as an action item. No action may be taken on a matter raised during the period for public comment. Do you have any public comment online? Nothing. Okay. We'll move over. For a possible action, approval of the minutes. That the members present have an opportunity to review the minutes. I get a motion. I'll make a motion to approve May 4th meeting minutes. I second the approval. Is it what to call vote? Yeah. I get a vote. All in favor say aye. Aye. All those in favor say nay. Ayes have it. Move on to number six would be for discussion only and update from attendees to the May 8th and 9th 2026 Nevada Wildlife Commission meeting. And that was me. And so just uh just a couple of things that it took down was that the technology committee is moving forward with looking at implementing uh implementation of e-tags for the future. Um the department is uh trying to establish a crayfish population up in the cave lake, and when it's uh established, they're going to uh introduce smallmouth bass, which I thought was pretty cool, and then also department is looking into studying the uh construction of wildlife crossings in the south of Wales in the area of Spruce Mountain and in and around Pioche. Correct me if I'm wrong here, it is and then uh also the department is going into an agreement with private landowners up in area seven to create the Windermeyer Hills Wildlife Management Area or conservation wildlife management area, which is up in uh 07. Uh there was a discussion in regards that precipitation was near normal for this year, but it came in the form of water and or rain, water, of course, and uh and not snow pack, and currently uh at the time of the meeting um earlier last month uh that the snowpack was pretty much zero across the strait, across the state. Uh, the concern for wildlife uh wild wildland fire was more centered around the amount of fuel rather than um drought conditions because we I guess from the rain, the grasses were growing more, and thus once that dries out, it just goes into it. I thought it was pretty interesting. They had was a discussion by biologists in regards to the uh to approximately 20% loss of shrubland or sage land within the state uh due to wildland fire, uh wildland fires. Um was a pretty good presentation showing the amount of habitat that was lost to fire to a direct um decrease in the mule deer meal deer here, meal deer herd in the state, um, and then how mule deer are having a negative response and in regards to evasive annual grasses and the implication of a strategic management within the state for those, and there's uh active uh control plans for these annual evasive species. Um, well, I don't know, it's a positive because of the increase in grasslands, uh, elk and antelope have benefited from it, as the deer have been negatively impacted. Uh one of the things, uh, several of the cabs came during public speaking to urge the commission to take a stance or a stance on the control and management of the Feral Horse herds, and a c and a couple of the cabs out east have actually submitted letters to their county commissions to where that those counties declared a county emergency. And then the commission also improved the regulation to prohibit the automatic range finding scopes and self-adjusting sites, and then they also accepted a petition from a Mr. Evans in regards to removing the compound bowls uh let off limit, and now this is going to go to workshop. Any questions? Rob nobody has the input for that, but does anybody like anything to share in regards to urban wildlife? All right, we move on to number eight for discussion only, uh, reports and informational. Any item requiring action will be scheduled for a future agenda. Would any of the board members like to pull an item for discussion? Okay. Yeah, I appreciate that, thank you. You know, anything about the uh easement access, access easement that's going on. I don't have anything to pull either. Do we have to manage radio populations?

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