By Will Babb, Staff Writer, Ohio Division of Wildlife

Most conservation agencies use the top social media platforms to reach their constituents, but the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) took a progressive approach by connecting with residents using the Nextdoor app. Staff from NDOW shared their unique approach at ACI’s 2023 conference in Stateline, Nevada, and what they shared will surely spark interest in Nextdoor with conservation agencies across the country.

Nextdoor is a neighborhood connection app, much like social media but targeted to bring users information relevant to their locality. The app is widely popular, with most people joining the app to find information on neighborhood yard sales, lost pets, or similar suburban tales. NDOW saw the app as an opportunity to shift household perspectives on wildlife, especially when human-wildlife conflict arises.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife noticed an increase in the number of wildlife-related posts from Nevadans on Nextdoor, and many posts had a negative tone or shared incorrect information. NDOW classified most posts as being misidentifications of backyard wildlife, expressions of fear about wildlife visiting suburbia, and instances of people helping wildlife with good intentions but causing harm instead. The agency saw a chance to correct misidentifications, counter fearmongering, and help residents live in harmony with wildlife.

The app is unique among social media apps in that users don’t have to like, follow, or subscribe to an account to see its content. Rather, information appears in a user’s feed based on their location. Users see posts relevant to their own neighborhood. NDOW saw Nextdoor’s location feature as free targeted marketing and began posting wildlife conflict information to regions that needed it. This meant that neighborhoods with bear problems saw information on dealing with nuisance bears, and so on. The benefit was that NDOW reached a nontraditional audience, non-hunters and non-anglers who wouldn’t otherwise follow NDOW on social media or visit their website.

NDOW primarily uses Nextdoor to target human-wildlife conflicts, but they also share informational posts about wildlife found in backyards to reduce misidentifications and encourage people to see wildlife in a more positive light. The results have been extraordinary. Not only is the agency reaching a new audience, but it’s also making an impact. They’ve heard positive feedback from constituents and observed mainly positive interactions online. Nextdoor allows the agency to talk with the public on a small, direct, and personal platform. In doing so, they’ve reduced misinformation and seen a drop in call volumes about nuisance bears, with callers being more informed.

Nevada has done something right by leveraging Nextdoor’s popularity and reach for the benefit of wildlife and people. NDOW’s success will be envied by every other conservation agency. It appears a few states have tried using Nextdoor but have encountered a few hurdles with setting up a statewide account. If those can be resolved, the app could be transformational for many agencies. There is little doubt that state agencies like my own will be considering how they too, can use Nextdoor to reach the neighborhood.