Little rainfall during this year’s warm, dry summer left Seldovia and Nanwalek scrambling to conserve water.

As of Tuesday, the wells at Chignik Lagoon, population 150, are completely dry.

A Kenai Peninsula village is rapidly running out of water. Low snowpack and little rainfall has led Nanwalek to declare a water emergency.

Alaska Airlines said flights 64 and 65 had lightning strikes from storms that moved through the northern Panhandle and also knocked out power in Juneau.

The water well is dry due to a lack of rain, and the village’s distribution system is damaged. As of Thursday, residents had only 5,000 gallons of drinkable water left.

The 450-acre Offal Beach Fire is burning for the fifth consecutive day about 11 miles northeast of Port Heiden.

The Bristol Bay Times - Serving Dillingham, Naknek, King Salmon and Southwest villages

A wind storm last weekend toppled a tree on Beach Road and broke lines on boats in Letnikof Cove, sending one boat owner into the frigid and wavy

Persistent high pressure over the Gulf of Alaska and Bristol Bay has kept most storms well away from the lower Kenai Peninsula. At Homer, total rainfall June 1-August 16 was only 53% of normal, making this the driest since 2004. The City of Seldovia has issued a "City Water Conservation Notice" on August 20th. The notice doesn't ban any specific water use but requests residents make an effort to use less water by minimizing watering lawns and washing cars and to take shorter showers.

It is unusual to find a dead shark. And it occurred at a time when there were many other standings of marine mammals and birds.

This region in the Bering Sea began to change color in early July, during roughly the same period when dead shearwaters began being reported by LEO members in coastal communities. Ocean experts suspect it's a non-toxic coccolithophore bloom. Interestingly, these kinds of blooms have occurred before in conjunction with shearwater die-offs. But this may be circumstantial.

"Nanwalek was in an emergency drought, we had to have water flown in for 60 households."

"The fish was easy to mold on the drying rack because the hot summer sun was not coming through the smoke."

Fish in a local pond may have been washed to their new location during a recent severe rain event.

This is the 6th observation on this topic received in LEO Network from Southwest Alaska since July 22, 2019.

"Jakolof Creek is dry almost all the way up to the switchbacks and continues to recede. The early run of red salmon may have made it to the lake, but that is probably the only run that has."

Chignik Lagoon has been unable to produce enough water from their wells and has been pulling water from a creek since the beginning of June and subsequently have not been able to refill their water storage tank. The issue has been compounded by several substantial leaks in the water system. They have experienced up to 2 feet of water loss from their tank in one day.

More than 50 birds and a seal were found along the shoreline.

If the cysts contain milky, white fluid, they are likely Henneguya, a harmless and relatively common parasite. But if they contain a larvae, they are likely tape worms which can infect people.

Grasshoppers aren't common around Saint Mary's, but may become abundant during years with warm temperatures and ample vegetation for food.

Ribbons of discolored water observed over Kizhuyak Bay that are likely related to a Noctilica bloom.

High water posed safety hazards and resulted in the removal of boardwalk but also allowed boats to go further up river than usual.

Browning on birch leaves before time for the fall season transition.

"The spruce bark beetle epidemic currently ravaging Southcentral AK's spruce trees is well-known, but I haven't heard mention of other pests occurring in conjunction."

Nine short-tailed shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris) were seen floating in the Kuskokwim river, directly in front of Bethel. The birds were acting disoriented and farther up the Kuskokwim than normal.

Alaska has experienced a series of seal mortalities in June that were concentrated in the northern part of the state. This dead seal was found on the bluff near a public park in Anchorage.

An unseasonable rain event brought high rainfall and led to high water, especially around noon on August 3rd.

"I discovered possibly 43 seabirds and may have missed more on August 3, 2019, just on the southwest side and did not go further on southeast side of our beach. Not sure, maybe they died of hunger."

"We were lucky to have the berm in place. The next day, the water levels went down and the erosion was noticeable."

Warm water temperatures may be causing stress and increase the risk of infections and other illness in fish.

"Within a week we saw thousands of shearwaters along the beaches, and witnessed hundreds dead. They would sit on the tideline unable to walk, foraging on dead fish that had washed ashore and trying to feed on the fish in the nets of the set net sites as well."

A squat lobster (Munida quadrispina) was pulled up in a shrimp pot placed in Prince William Sound, which is not a common event. Squat lobsters are commonly found in Southeast Alaska during ADF&G shrimp survey pots and in scallop dredge surveys near Yakutat, Kayak Island, Kachemak Bay, and Kodiak.

"This is the first time I've seen this kind of caterpillar in this area."

"Over 40 dead dog salmon, one shee fish, one lush fish, and two delmaga all dead along the river going towards the creek opening."

Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is normally found in Prince William Sound and Kodiak Archipelago. However, it has recently appeared at the north end of Zachary Bay near Sand Point.

Salmon are dying along the Andreafsky River and Lower Yukon River before spawning out. Water surface temperatures have been unusually warm, at one point reaching 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thousands of dead sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) found dead along the beach during a period of warm weather. Additional salmon have been observed in the Togiak River, raising concerns about possible challenges to subsistence harvest.

Krill (Thysanoessa spinifera) were found washed up along the beach in Dutch Harbor. Samples sent to University of Alaska Fairbanks are in the process of being tested for toxins.

The timing coincides with other sea bird deaths reported in St. Paul Island, Pilot Point, and Ugashik.

An unidentified substance was found washed up on the Summers Bay beach. Samples were sent to University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and are being tested.

"I am worried that unless we do something, the algae will kill the lake, or at least our enjoyment of it."

Fireweed observed with flat, curled stem and many buds, indicating fasciation.

Hoverfly larva (possibly Dasysyrphus) found out in the open. Usually, they are found in stagnant water, on a decomposing animal carcass, or in rot holes of trees.

Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) caught with a spinal curvature, which may be related to many different factors including genetics, infectious disease, trauma, neoplasm, diet, or changes in the environment.

"He could have picked it up in the backyard or on an earlier walk to the park."

Thunderstorms are unusual in Unalakleet; however, a thunderstorm cell persisted in the area for longer than usual. Hot, dry conditions across Alaska have increased the risk of wildland fire, including that started from lightening strike.

Discolored marine waters near Haines may be reflective of the extremely high level of algae in southeast waters this month.

We observed more than 50 otherwise healthy (not spawned out) dead fish including pink and chum salmon and white fish

Dead chum salmon have been spotted floating down the Yukon river. Water temperatures are measuring at 70 degrees, the warmest in recollection.

Warm water near Golovin is hurting pink salmon. Many salmon caught had red speckled dots on flesh, raising concerns about food safety. Female pink salmon were seen dead in the bay.

In early July, dead fish were observed floating along Kouwegoki Slough and along Powers Creek, among other locations.

Large groups of loons are rarely observed in the summer on Homer's Beluga Lake. Over a dozen were observed calling back and forth on Beluga Lake.

In July, Norton Sound water surface temperatures reached 68.2 DEG F on 7/10 and 69.3 DEG F on 7/11, which is about 17 degrees above average. The water was warm enough to comfortably swim in.

Dead salmon and whitefish found along the banks of the Yukon River.

Unidentified urban garden spider. Without a photo or a specimen, confirmation of the species is impossible.

A burying beetle was seen for the first time by an observer in Tuntutuliak.

Unusually high abundance of rusty tussock moth caterpillars in the Nome area.

It was also during the week where a number of dead fish started to occur along the riverine segment.

Hundreds of dead sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) found along the shores of White Sands Beach.

"Our temperatures reached 83 degrees, and seem to be getting hotter! We think that maybe the warm water has something to do with the humpy die-off?"

Unusually high abundance of caterpillars in the Nome River Valley.

Unusual cone clouds in the air likely produced precipitation that evaporated before reaching the ground, due to unusually warm conditions.

"My family and I have been RV camping across Alaska for the last several years. This year, the mass amounts of dead spruce trees have been more apparent than any year prior."

An unidentified algal bloom, resembling large clumps of grease or sawdust, stretched from Kingsmill Point all the way up to Pybus Bay. Didn't see any impact to fish or wildlife in the area.

Murres along Cape Thompson are migrating earlier, allowing coastal community residents to collect eggs a few weeks earlier than normal.

Strong southerly winds brought moisture from the central Pacific in to the King Cove area. The FAA weather station at the King Cove airport recorded 4.93" of rain from the early morning of June 25 through the early morning of June 28, and half of that total (2.49") fell in 12 hours from late evening on the 26th to late morning on the 27th, and resulted in flooding.

Sea star wasting disease (SSWD) observed near King Cove

A range of wildlife-related events have been occurring this month in Shishmaref and other parts of Norton Sound.

Late arrival of humpback whales may be related to a change in abundance of prey species.

"When we looked over the side of the boat, we saw clumps of mussels floating up the whole Tuksuk channel. No one has ever heard of something like this before."

"Its face was down in the mud and it was laboring to breathe. Its body condition was wasted and we could see its ribs."

This walrus was found by a local fisherman and reported by LEO Network to the US Fish and Wildlife Walrus Hotline. The carcass is thought to be too old for necropsy or sample collection.

Smoke from the North River fire is impacting outdoor air quality. The ADEC Division of Air Quality has issued an air quality advisory in effect from Tuesday, June 18, 2019 8:00 AM to Friday June 21, 2019 4:00 PM.

Tumor found in King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

An unusual minnow with eyes on the top of its head may be a slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus)

Two flying insects and two spiders observed in Grayling are not unexpected in the area, but had not been recognized before.

18 dead seals were found along the coast, and are like part of a larger mortality event that includes 60 seals total. The average number of dead ice seals normally found in a year is 18.

Smoke from the South River Hills Fire could be seen from Unalakleet. The fire began approximately 6 miles from the community, and grew from 30 to 160 acres.It was contained by BLM Alaska Fire Service Smokejumers by 11pm on June 9, 2019.

Single dead moose found in water, with injury on one side of its abdomen

Because of the increased travel distance, only families with larger boats were able to participate in the hunt and bring back enough to make the trip cost effective. With a heavier load in the boat, one family ran out of gas trying to get home and had to be rescued.

We did not see a single sea star in the Kachemak-side tide pools, and boulders we visit each year all looked a little vacant, with a lot of empty, critter-free space.

Two bald eagles observed flying together during breeding season, when eagles may remain closer to the nest.

Grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) found beached near the Placer River along Turnagain Arm is one of five grey whales reported dead along the Alaska coast during 2019.

A large group of black plant bug nymphs were observed in early June.