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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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Observations

Moose (Alces alces) with Hair Loss
A moose was seen with some of its fur missing.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Wet Snowgo Race
Warm weather has made for unsafe traveling conditions, including a snowmachine race.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Anchorage Sets New Temperature Record
The city of Anchorage can claim a new record. The city did not see a temperature drop below zero for the entire year of 2014. The last time Anchorage residents saw a below zero reading was December 26, 2013.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

No Sea Ice Yet
By this time of the year, we usually have 2-3 miles of shore-fast ice that sticks to our beach. We as a village have not done our winter harvest of seals and walrus, and we are worried that we will not be able to bowhead whale hunt.
Wales, Alaska, United States

Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) with Hair Loss
11-18-15 Bearded seal with hair loss - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Unseasonably Warm
11-13-14 Unseasonable warm - Unalakleet, Alaska, USA
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Dead Spotted (Phoca largha) and Ringed (Pusa hispida) Seals
We are spotting dead baby 'spotted' and 'ringed' seals washing up on the beach with no signs of lesions or signs of gun shots.
Wales, Alaska, United States
Gay Sheffield, Olivia Lee, Robert Tokeinna, Hajo Eicken

Heavy snow kills at least 15,000 reindeer in northern Siberia
Animals cannot forage for lichen under the snow crust on the Yamal peninsula.
Salekhard, Yamalo-Nenetskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Finally Snow in Golovin
There has been a lack of snow in the Golovin area ever since the January 2014 warm spell.
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Bad Ice Disrupts Subsistence
1-26-14 Ice disrupts subsistence - Unalakleet, Alaska, USA
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Finally snow - then rain
1-20-14 Snow then rain - Shaktoolik, Alaska, USA
Shaktoolik, Alaska, USA

Where is the Snow?
1-3-14 Where is the snow - Solomon, Alaska, USA
Solomon, Alaska, United States

Starvation killed 80,000 reindeer after unusual Arctic rains cut off the animals’ food supply
Sixty-one thousand reindeer starved to death in the northwestern reaches of the Russian tundra in November 2013 in the largest recorded mortality event of its kind.
Ямало-Ненецкий АО, Russia
Washington Post

Ice Fishing Hazardous
11-4-13 Ice fishing hazardous - Golovin, Alaska, USA
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Warm weather delays subsistence
10-24-13 Warm weather delays subsistence - Shaktoolik, Alaska, USA
Shaktoolik, Alaska, USA

No Ice Fishing Yet
10-17-13 No ice fishing yet - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Too Wet for Food Preserving
10-15 13 Too wet for food preservation - Elim, Alaska, USA
Elim, Alaska, United States

Great Year for Mushrooms
This has been a great year for the mushrooms
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Alaska heat wave: Anchorage sets record for most consecutive 70-degree days
On Monday, Anchorage reached the 70-degree threshold for a record 14th straight day, breaking 2004's record of 13.
Washington Post

Poor Sea Ice - Our Sea Garden
The sea is our garden for food and other things.
Wales, Alaska, United States

Poor Sea Ice Changes Hunt
Lack of sea ice affects seal hunting.

Trapped on Sea Ice
A snowmachiner was trapped on the quickly moving floe and he was rescued later by a helicopter.
Nome, Alaska, United States

No Snow on the Seward Peninsula
Despite the time of year, there is still no snow on the Seward Peninsula.
Elim, Alaska, United States

Dead Baby Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas)
Several sightings of dead baby belugas were reported on the shores of the community and in the area over the past few days.
Elim, Alaska, United States

N.W.T. bison anthrax outbreak largest ever in territory
So far approximately 340 bison have died from an anthrax outbreak in the Fort Providence area of the N.W.T.
Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Great Gardening
7-19-12 Great gardening - Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Ice Departure Delayed
Sea ice conditions making it difficult for community to harvest seasonal fish.

Seal with Hair Loss
Seal with hair loss observed in Bering Strait region

Late Freeze-up
Late freeze-up of sea ice along the shoreline

Orange gunk found near remote Alaska village identified
Scientists have identified an orange-colored gunk that appeared along the shore of a remote Alaska village as millions of microscopic eggs filled with fatty droplets.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States
msnbc.com

Caterpillars gang up on berry bushes, native trees
The outlook for blueberries in Southcentral Alaska this year is bleak, scientists say. The reason: Two species of moth have damaged berry patches, as well as native deciduous trees, from the southern Kenai Peninsula to Mat-Su.
Anchorage Daily News

Shell shock - thousands of Ninilchik clams wash up on beach in unusual die-off
A winter storm lashed the sandy beaches at the mouth of the Ninilchik River with ferocious waves, powerful enough to uproot thousands of razor clams.
Ninilchik, Alaska, United States
Redoubt Reporter

Crayfish - Invaders from the Bayou
Of all of the aquatic animals that could be collected in a gillnet on the Kenai River, crawfish are some of the least likely. Why? Because they do not naturally occur in the Kenai River or any other river in Alaska. Unfortunately, crawfish have been collected from the lower Kenai River twice in the last four years, and both times they were leftovers from someone’s dinner.
Kenai, Alaska, United States
Alaska Fish and Wildlife News

Oh, rats! Rodent sighting means Anchorage has infestations, too
Anchorage can no longer claim to be the largest port city in the Northern Hemisphere without known rat infestations. State biologist Rick Sinnott caught and kille dtwo Norway rats found living at a pond near a South Anchorage school. Professional exterminatiors hired by the city placed more traps at the scene Monday afternoon.
Associated Press

Fisherfolk raise concern over Manila Bay’s ‘discoloration’
Social media went abuzz the past few days after some parts of Manila Bay turned turquoise.
Manila, Philippines

Climate change: Lapland reindeer gone astray in search for food
Herders are struggling to find thousands of reindeer that have run away in search of food. "We are driving for hours and hours to locate our reindeers and to herd them back, but it has been very difficult in these wintry conditions. So, we are also using helicopters and this is very unusual - and very expensive too."
Muonio, Lapland, Finland
BBC News

Pneumonia outbreak hits bighorn sheep
At least a handful of sheep have died over the past month or so from pneumonia caused by a strain of bacteria that had not previously been found in bighorns anywhere in Oregon
Baker City, Oregon, United States
Baker City Herald

East Cook Inlet clamming to remain closed again this summer as population still lags
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game found an unexpectedly low number of clams during final surveying, but the agency still plans to monitor them in support of perhaps opening the fishery in years to come.
Clam Gulch, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

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
Bethel, Alaska, United States
KYUK

1st Asian giant hornet found in Snohomish County
Entomologists believe the invasive insect is an “old hornet from a previous season that wasn’t discovered until now” because it was “very dried out."
Marysville, Washington, United States

'We have nowhere': B.C. First Nations, rural residents say storm permanently changed the land
"For our grandchildren and their children, now the devastation has left them nothing": Shackan First Nation Chief Arnold Lampreau.
Merritt, British Columbia, Canada
vancouversun

Trichinella alert for Sanikiluaq
The Department of Health is advising residents of Sanikiluaq that a walrus harvested on September 19, 2022, has tested positive for trichinella.
Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, Canada

Shrinking Western Arctic Caribou Herd prompts discussion about future hunting restrictions
One of the largest caribou herds in Alaska is shrinking, prompting hunters and conservationists to consider recommending hunting restrictions.
Northwest Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder

Poor weather leads to cancelled flights and bare shelves in Kimmirut
Regular flights to Kimmirut resumed Wednesday after seven days of cancellations, which caused a backlog of passengers and groceries destined for the hamlet. Seven other Nunavut hamlets have also seen recent cancellations due to weather.
Kimmirut, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

‘A lot of salmon died’: Ahousaht Guardians look to watershed restoration amid B.C.’s dangerously dry summer
B.C. drought exacerbating forestry damage to Bedwell River near Tofino as Ahousaht First Nation works to protect salmon, restore watershed.
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

Beluga whalers in Northwest Alaska, North Slope boast a great 2021 season
With relatively calm summer weather, an Utqiagvik crew landed at least 11 beluga whales this season, Wainwright was lucky to caught 50, and Kotzebue Sound saw the second-highest harvest in more than a decade, according to local hunters.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Helicopter deployed to scare aggressive polar bears from reindeer settlements on Yamal peninsula
Seven polar bears, including a wounded mother bear with two cubs, were scared away by rescuers after they got dangerously close to reindeer herders at several locations on the Yamal peninsula. There are concern over rising numbers of the Arctic’s largest predators leaving their natural habitat and coming closer to humans.
Siberian Times

Relentless heat wave and lack of rain scorching Saskatchewan crops
Crops across much of Saskatchewan are scorched, stunted and thin as they wither under the unrelenting heat wave blanketing Saskatchewan, according to the province's latest crop report.
Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada
CBC

Spring bounty: Utqiagvik landed 10 whales in less than two weeks
This early in spring, the season usually only starts, but the weather patterns have been changing, and so has been the harvest time, Donovan said.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder

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
KYUK

Baby lobster numbers low off New England as waters warm
New data show the population of baby lobsters off New England is below average, raising concerns about the size of future commercial hauls of the valuable crustaceans as waters warm.
Gulf of Maine
Press Herald

Sounding the alarm about the lobster population: We must reverse the trend now
The lobster population along the Norwegian coast is much worse off than first thought. New research shows a huge decline.
Arendal, Agder, Norway
NRK

‘It’s pretty dire’: Vancouver Island salmon under threat from climate change-induced droughts
Since the initial June to July heatwave shocked the Pacific Northwest, Heim says the Tsolum River Restoration Society has observed significantly fewer fish in the river, especially in its lower portions. Many of the remaining coho, which survived the heat wave, are suffering from diseases and fin rot as a result of heat stress.
Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

Reports from the land: N.W.T. hunters and trappers describe unusually warm fall
From the thickness of the ice to moose migration and pelt quality, hunters and trappers say the late arrival of cold weather in the N.W.T. is "going to have effects, down the line."
Aklavik, Northwest Territories, Canada

Shellfish growers in Northwest’s oyster capital want ‘blitz’ against invasive green crabs
Shellfish growers in Willapa Bay in southwest Washington, the self-styled "Oyster Capital of the World," are alarmed by an invasion of potentially destructive nonnative European green crabs. Some are asking for an all-out trapping offensive to corral the invasive species.
Ocean Park, Washington, United States
opb

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