Carson Column: Bear joins UNR study group

Silver City's furry late-night raider is now a marked bear.

The young black bear shot by a dart in the Comstock early Thursday morning has been marked and collared for a University of Nevada, Reno study of bears and their interaction with people in Western Nevada.

State wildlife biologist Carl Lackey tranquilized the bear after receiving a report from residents.

The young bear didn't know it, but by raiding Silver City that day he volunteered to participate in the four-year study.

Jon Beckmann is a graduate student at UNR working on his doctoral thesis, which examines how large carnivores survive with the Sierra Front's increased population.

There are about 18 collared bears roaming around Western Nevada, he said.

"It's tough to keep track," he said. "Every time we collar some, we get some hit by cars or killed."

While there have been studies focusing on the bears' biology, this is the first time someone has looked at how the West's burgeoning population is affecting its large carnivores.

"Nobody has looked at the urban wildland interface areas," he said. "As we get more people moving into area, we are pushing large carnivores into smaller and smaller areas."

Beckmann received his undergraduate and master's degrees from Kansas State University, home of the Wildcats, so it is appropriate that mountain lions are also subjects of the study.

"We've only got a few of those collared," he said. "We get lions during the winter time when you can track them. Don't expect as large a number because their density is lower."

Beckmann said the increase in population over the past few decades has made contact between bears and humans more likely.

"The more contact we have with large carnivores, the more we need to know about what is going on with them," he said.

Beckman will be finishing the first year of the study next month and is not ready to make any predictions yet.

"Call me in six months and I might have something for you," he said.

Speaking of bears, I had a man in the Johnson Lane area tell me he saw one Friday with a collar go down Vicky headed for Saratoga Springs.

- Goldfield's high school sold in a tax auction on June 10, but the historic Goldfield Hotel remains unclaimed.

Linda Toner, secretary to District Attorney Harold Kuehn, said both the Imperial Palace and the Venetian expressed interest in the property, which was built in 1907-08 when Goldfield was Nevada's big town.

However, just before the big auction, the people who owed taxes on the property surrounding the hotel redeemed the taxes. That meant those properties were no longer available.

"When they (casino companies) found out there wouldn't be any parking available, they lost interest," Toner said.

Two real estate investors bought the high school and hope to convert the building into commercial uses.

The idea for selling the hotel, the high school and nearly 200 parcels was Kuehn's and Esmeralda County Clerk/Treasurer De Ann Siri's.

The property had been sitting around accumulating delinquent taxes. The minimum bid for the hotel is $427,000, but that will go up with the next tax assessment.

Toner said anyone interested in the hotel should call the District Attorney's Office at 775-485-6352. Goldfield is located south of Tonopah along Highway 95 on the way to Las Vegas.

- Most Nevadans have heard of Jarbidge's shovels, but few have heard of old ladies with brooms, I wager.

The organization Great Old Broads for Wilderness is threatening to meet the Jarbidge rebels in their own turf and clean up after them with brooms.

"With brooms in hand, the broads' broom brigade will attempt to clean up after the mess of the shovel wielding road advocates," their press release said.

Almost makes me want to spend the Fourth in Jarbidge.

(Kurt Hildebrand is the assistant managing editor at the Nevada Appeal. Call him at 881-1215 or e-mail him at Kurt@tahoe.com)