A Tahoe-area animal rights activist whose aggressive driving rattled a state bear biologist was ordered to steer clear of the biologist in the future.

On Thursday Judge Pierre Hascheff in Reno Justice Court denied the extended protection order the biologist, Heather Reich, and her employer, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, sought against activist Carolyn Stark of Incline Village.

Instead, he oversaw negotiations for a settlement between the two. Lawyers for Stark and Reich said they agreed to its terms.

The settlement included instructions for Stark to stay away from Reich and to avoid a repeat of an incident on video that, according to Hascheff, depicted overly aggressive and unsafe driving by Stark.

“If (Stark) sees (Reich) she must turn around and leave,” Hascheff said while issuing the order.

The settlement came during the parties’ second appearance in front of Hascheff. The first came in October when Hascheff declined to issue an extended protective order against Stark and instead told the parties to stick to the terms of a temporary protective order while negotiating a settlement with each other.

Those negotiations failed and the two sides agreed to let Hascheff mediate further discussions in private, which he did by talking to each side separately in a closed courtroom, before issuing the order.

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What happened that day

The entire episode stemmed from a Sept. 14 incident when Stark followed Reich on Mount Rose Highway and Interstate 580 while Reich was towing a bear trap. Reich had released a tagged bear at the Tannenbaum Event Center and was returning to Reno.

Reich said she was afraid for her safety because Stark was driving aggressively and following her too closely.

Reich’s husband, Derek Reich, an NDOW volunteer who was driving another vehicle, shot video of the pursuit.

The video showed Stark’s car appearing to cut off another vehicle in an attempt to get directly behind Reich then following at a close distance.

Stark’s attorney, Stephanie Rice, disputed the characterization of Stark’s driving as aggressive.

“The video didn’t show any type of clear road rage,” Rice said. “She didn’t pull in front of the trap and slam on her brakes.”

Hascheff disagreed and said Stark was overly aggressive on the highway.

“The video was pretty telling,” Hascheff said. “It is pretty telling that it is pretty aggressive driving.”

Bryan Stockton, the deputy attorney general representing NDOW and Reich, said it was troubling that Rice and Stark seemed reluctant to acknowledge the danger of the highway encounter.

“We have had zero acknowledgement from Ms. Rice or Ms. Stark that this behavior was inappropriate,” Stockton said.

Growing tensions

The incident on the road happened against a backdrop of what Reich and NDOW officials described as escalating tensions between the department and Tahoe area animal rights activists who oppose the state’s tactics for managing black bears.

In some instances, critics used a Facebook page Stark manages to write vitriolic posts. One Facebook comment included a call for people to kill people instead of bears and others suggested damaging or tripping the traps, which is illegal.

In general, bears that are trapped are tagged and released at another location. In some instances, such as after repeated conflicts with humans, they are euthanized.

Hascheff said Stark isn’t responsible for what other people post on the page. But in the order, he told her if she finds out NDOW workers are putting out traps she should refrain from posting about it for at least 90 minutes.

He also told Stark that if she sees workers towing a trap and has questions about it, she should call NDOW’s dispatch center rather than following it closely.

The order is in effect for one year with a requirement for a status update in six months, Hascheff said.

Stark has previously clashed with NDOW.

Stark, a former board member for the Bear League, an activist group that protests NDOW’s bear management tactics, was among the defendants in a 2017 lawsuit by bear biologist Carl Lackey.

That lawsuit accused the Bear League and administrators of anti-NDOW Facebook pages, including Stark, of undertaking a “vicious and calculated effort to damage his reputation and jeopardize his employment.”

And in 2015, a former state senator and Incline Village resident sought a protection order against Stark related to Bear League protests of a trap outside his house.

In that case, the judge denied the order because the trap had already been removed by the time the parties were in court. But he did warn group members about their tactics, according to reports on the case.

Rice said she and Stark wouldn't comment on the case. Reich also declined to comment. NDOW issued a written statement in response to a request for comment.

"We are responsible for managing 895 species for three million people. We are also responsible for the safety of those people and our employees, who are passionate about the work they do for Nevada’s wildlife," it read. "We understand that a lot of emotions are involved when it comes to wildlife, but it is unfortunate to end up in court regarding the best management of the state’s species."