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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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After September storm, Newtok residents are desperate to relocate
Melting permafrost and severe erosion have plagued the community for decades. The most recent storm brought waves so fierce, the water claimed roughly half of the 80 or so remaining feet of land that stands between the back end of the school and the edge of the Ningliq river.
Newtok, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Dozens of Newtok students attend classes in a school that’s coming apart
Rapid erosion and permafrost degradation mean school district officials are in a race to shore up the building for the remainder of the school year.
Newtok, Alaska, United States
KYUK

First bird flu casualty detected in Southwestern Alaska pending confirmation
As of June 1, laboratory testing was still underway and had not yet fully confirmed which variant of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza the migratory bird had, and there are other possible detections this year, according to Alaska State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gerlach.
Southwestern Alaska, United States
KYUK

Hooper Bay working to contain sewage spill that is threatening important subsistence location
The spill followed a sudden rise in warm temperatures in recent days. Hooper Bay Mayor Sandra Hill said that the thaw and rain had melted the previously frozen land surrounding the sewage lagoon, causing a wall of the lagoon to cave.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Nunapitchuk Flood Worst In Years
While many communities along the Kuskokwim River escaped major flooding, one small village is still seeing high water.
Nunapitchuk, Alaska, United States

Alaska Logistics is leaving two barges to freeze in the Kuskokwim River
“It got very cold the day we got there, it got down to like single digits and ice came out of the mountains and rivers and sloughs everywhere,” said Allyn Long, general manager of Alaska Logistics.
Eek, Alaska, United States

Research Shows Predators May Be Large Factor In Decreased King Salmon Size
The size of king salmon returning to Western Alaska rivers to spawn has been decreasing over the past few decades. Researchers at the University of Alaska
Bethel, Alaska, United States

Kuskokwim River Too Rough For Travelers In Upper Kuskokwim Area
The river is so rough in the Upper Kuskokwim area that it is impassable to vehicle and snow machine traffic. Big boulders of snow-covered ice are scattered across the river caused by high water and a late freeze up.
Napaimute, Alaska, United States

YKHC Urges Pets Get Rabies Vaccines After Rabid Foxes Found
Three foxes from three Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities have tested positive for rabies in recent weeks.
Nightmute, Alaska, United States

Record Warm Water Likely Gave Kuskokwim Salmon Heart Attacks
As record high temperatures swept Alaska, many people said that the heat was killing them. For Kuskokwim salmon, it was actually true.
Akiak, Alaska, United States

Warm, dry weather expected to spread wildfires burning in upper Kuskokwim River region
The state has established a fire response hub in Aniak to issue supplies to the surrounding fires.
Sleetmute, Alaska, United States

Flooding In Bethel's Hangar Lake and Alligator Acres Neighborhoods, And In Kwethluk
Most Kuskokwim River communities have escaped heavy flooding so far, but not Kwethluk. Social media photos show water rising high and completely covering
Kwethluk, Alaska, United States

Mulchatna Caribou Hunt Closing On Federal Lands Amid Steep Population Decline
Midnight on Dec. 31 brings the close of 2019 and also the close of the hunting season for Mulchatna Caribou on federal lands. The federal season,
Bethel, Alaska, United States

"Napaimute Wave" Of High Water Heading Down Kuskokwim River
Break up continues on the Kuskokwim River. Napaskiak resident and river observer Earl Samuelson has been tracking the ice and water levels on the Kuskokwim
Bethel, Alaska, United States

NWS Warns Kusko Communities To Prepare For Flooding
An ice jam is holding downstream of Napaimute, flooding the seasonal village. At Aniak, the ice is shifting, according to Aniak resident Dave Cannon.
Akiak, Alaska, United States

Hunt opens for musk ox stranded on ice floes
The musk ox were stranded on the ice floes after wandering onto the sea ice during breakup.
Mekoryuk, Alaska, United States

Warmer Water Means More Parasites In Kuskokwim Salmon
Subsistence families along the Kuskokwim River are cutting open fish to find white balls or white streaks deforming the meat.

Drying Fish And Having Trouble With Flies? A Local Biologist Wants To Help.
As fishing restrictions push salmon harvests on the Kuskokwim River later into the wet part of summer, families are seeking new ways to dry their fish and keep bugs away.

Ice Road Open, At Least For Now
After heavy snowfall on Jan. 19, the ice road from Bethel to Tuluksak has been plowed and is open for use. Napaimute Traditional Council’s Mark Leary, who
Tuluksak, Alaska, United States

The mayor of Pilot Station dies after falling through Yukon River ice on a snowmachine
The ride downriver had been good. But by evening on the way back, it started to get bumpy.“There was lots of dark spots, lots of water,” said Nikiefer. Then suddenly, the ice turned needley. The snowmachine stopped, and then started to sink. They jumped off and started to swim.
Pilot Station, Alaska, United States

Scientists Need Help Studying Dead Salmon In Yukon Area
Dead chum salmon are lining the banks of one of the Yukon River’s largest tributaries. Koyukuk River residents and scientists alike suspect the deaths are
Huslia, Alaska, United States

Heat Wave Hits Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
People living in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta felt something unusual this past holiday weekend: a heat wave. Temperatures crept close to 90 degrees in many parts of the region.
Chevak, Alaska, United States

There Are So Many Open Holes, Search And Rescue Ran Out Of Blue Tape To Mark Them
The warm winter has made traveling on the river ice more hazardous than Bethel Search and Rescue ever remembers.
Oscarville, Alaska, United States

Drivers Need To Stick To Marked Trails On Lower Kuskokwim River
Drivers need to stick to marked trails on the Lower Kuskokwim River, according to the latest update from Bethel Search and Rescue’s Earl Samuelson. There is a spot in front of Oscarville that has only 9 inches of ice, which Samuelson says is too thin to drive a truck on.
Oscarville, Alaska, United States

It Takes A Lot Of Help To Plow The Longest Ice Road Ever
The ice road on the frozen Kuskokwim River has been plowed to its longest length ever: 355 miles. That’s longer than most traditional highways in the state.
Sleetmute, Alaska, United States

No Kuskokwim Ice Road Yet
The weather may be cold, but it’s too soon to get out on the river ice. The ice is forming up better than it did two years ago, when the winter was the warmest on record, but it is not freezing as fast or as well as last winter, when conditions were near-perfect.

September storm leaves behind treasured beach finds
The remnants of Typhoon Merbok not only battered Alaska’s west coast in September, the storm also left behind a few treasures in its wake.
Chevak, Alaska, United States

Yukon River chum and coho runs remain too low to open subsistence harvest
Biologists do not expect either to reach their goals for fish reaching their spawning grounds.

7 hunters return home after being stranded on the frozen Yukon River for 7 days. Here's their story.
“The ice was so thick flowing down the river. It was forming so fast. It was freezing so fast. Just amazing. I’d never seen anything like that," one of the hunters, Rex Nick, said.
Emmonak, Alaska, United States

Kuskokwim River Chum Run Extremely Low So Far
The Kuskokwim River king salmon run does not look particularly strong this year, but chum numbers look even worse. Historically, around 60% of the salmon in the river at this point in the season would be chum or sockeye, but right now Bethel Test Fishery numbers show that just over 20% of the salmon are.

K300 Season Opener Delayed Again
Poor trail conditions have pushed the Kuskokwim 300 Season Opener race back another week.

Stay Off Straight Slough; Four Open Holes Near Bethel
Travelers need to stay off Straight Slough, which flows into the main Kuskokwim River near Bethel.

Winter Storm Batters Western Alaska Coast, Taking Out Power And Sea Ice
A big winter storm came in from the Bering Sea and battered the Western Alaska coast from the evening of Nov. 25 through Nov. 26. Some communities, like Hooper Bay, have reported flooding.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Open Holes On Ice Road Says Bethel Search And Rescue
The ice highway that residents are used to driving this time of year has yet to fully freeze. Bethel Search and Rescue calls the number of open holes on

Heavy Snowfall Means Constant Plowing, Shorter Kuskokwim Ice Road
Heavy snowfall has made maintaining the lower Kuskokwim Ice Road a challenge this year. The road is shorter than usual, even as its crew is working harder.
KYUK Bethel

Yukon River Silvers On Track For Lowest Runs Ever
This season is shaping up to be the worst fall for salmon fishing on the Yukon River in recorded history. It follows the worst recorded summer salmon season ever.
Nunam Iqua, Alaska, United States

Kuskokwim Chums Still At Record Low, Reds Coming In Strong, Weather Makes Drying Fish Difficult
Kuskokwim River chum salmon numbers remain off-the-charts low. However, sockeyes are still coming in strong. Meanwhile, the summer rain has not been

Salmon Fishing On Lower Yukon Shut Down
On the Yukon River, subsistence salmon fishing is being closed to protect king salmon as they migrate upriver.

Bethel Rainfall In July Near Record Highs
Some people in Bethel have called this the dreariest, wettest summer of their lives, and they're right. Last month was the wettest July in Bethel in over

Tribes plow longest Kuskokwim ice road ever
The Kuskokwim River now has its longest ice road ever, despite having the warmest winter on record.
Crooked Creek, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media / KYUK Bethel

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