LEO Network

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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

Caribou arrive in the Northwest Arctic region
The Western Arctic Caribou Herd has been declining for years, and the migration patterns of the animals have been changing. In several locations in Northwest Alaska, caribou have been arriving later and later in the season. Friday last week, people in Kotzebue finally started seeing caribou — hundreds of them ― crossing the Kotzebue Sound north of town, coming from the Noatak riverside. Ice conditions are one of the reasons for the caribou’s late migration, said Thomas Baker, chair of the Northwest Arctic Subsistence Regional Advisory Council.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Southwest Alaska village ‘on edge’ after fox and dog test positive for rabies
Adding to the concerns are stories of increasingly aggressive foxes in Marshall and other villages. It appears to be a strong year for the fox population, a state biologist said. Marshall is shooting stray dogs to protect village residents.
Marshall, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Shooting of bear highlights ‘infestation’ in Cordova after poor salmon returns
Residents speculate the black bears are venturing into town because they're hungry, after a poor run of pink salmon and rainy weather that hurt the abundance of berries, limiting food for the animals.
Cordova, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

First the rabbits disappeared. Now Seward’s coyotes are killing dogs.
Coyotes have killed at least three dogs in Seward, and police are trying to trap the predators before they get more.
Seward, Alaska, United States

Man killed, member of search party injured in Eagle River bear attacks
Michael Soltis’ death is the second fatal bear attack in the Anchorage municipality in two summers.
Eagle River, Alaska, United States
Michelle Theriault Boots, ADN - Matt Tunseth, Alaska Star

Musk ox killed in Kotzebue after it posed a threat to residents
Earlier on Monday, Maniilaq Association notified Kotzebue residents about the musk ox in a Facebook post, saying that the animal was “roaming around the Kotzebue area, last sighted near ‘old’ teacher housing on the lagoon.” Health officials asked residents to not approach or agitate the animal and to keep their dogs under control.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Explosion of Deadly Ticks Fueled by Climate Change, Ravaging Moose, Infecting People and Pets
EnviroNews Exclusive: Warmer, shorter winters due to climate change are a boon for the ticks that harm people, their pets and wildlife, scientists told EnviroNews in a series of exclusive interviews for this report. A walk in the woods can be refreshing, fun and good exercise.
Canada-United States, North America
EnviroNews DC News Bureau

As woody shrubs move north in a warming Arctic, so do beavers
Canadian researchers learned that local Inuvialuit hunters had spotted beavers in the region in 2008 and 2009. Those sightings are the first documented signs of North American beaver occupancy on the Beaufort coastal plain.
Babbage River, Yukon Territory, Canada
Alaska Dispatch News

Hunters seeing lower quotas for Fortymile, Nelchina caribou herds
08-03-22 In response to declining numbers of Fortymile and Nelchina caribou, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is taking a more conservative approach to both harvests this fall.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Beaver dam outburst floods prompt effort to protect Richardson Highway
Alaska transportation officials believe there’s a low risk that anyone could be harmed in an outburst, but they say they’re acting swiftly to prevent another road closure.
Paxson, Alaska, United States

Unusual sighting: mule deer in Interior Alaska
FAIRBANKS — Michael Houx was driving Tuesday evening between Eielson Air Force Base and Salcha when he saw an animal that he at first thought was a caribou.
Salcha, Alaska, United States
FairbanksDaily News-Miner

Black bear family roaming Anchorage neighborhood
A family of five black bears is roaming an Alaska neighborhood, toppling trash cans as the group rummages for food and scaring some residents who believe the animals are the same ones seen in the area last summer.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Hunting restrictions on 2 Alaska caribou herds to take effect this summer
Restrictions on bag limits and season length will start July 1 for both the Western Arctic and Teshekpuk herds, whose numbers are dropping. Restrictions will affect both resident and nonresident hunters.
Northwest Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Mule Deer Found Dead Raises Questions
Winter tick has been found in over 50 percent of the mule deer examined by wildlife officials in the Whitehorse area and is also found on moose, caribou, and elk in the Yukon
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Fish and Wildlife News

Alaska musk oxen found frozen in ice
Thirty-two musk oxen carcasses were found March 15 by scientists who had been studying them. The animals were dead and entombed in ice. The belief is that the musk oxen either drowned during a February thaw or became trapped in water and died after it froze.
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Coyote tapeworm in Alberta: 5th human case reported
A relatively rare tapeworm has popped up in several patients in Alberta, Canada in the past few years, which may not sound like much; however, the only other human case in Canada was in 1928 in Manitoba. The parasite is called Echinococcus multilocularis and it appearance in Alberta has caught the attention of some infectious …
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Outbreak News Today

As sea ice gets scarcer, polar bear attacks on people become more frequent
More polar bears on land have been encountering more people in the Arctic, a perfect storm of dangerous conditions, one scientist says.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Sitka-based trooper kills brown bear chasing his dog
The 400-pound young boar attacked the 6-month-old puppy Wednesday morning, according to troopers and state biologists.
Sitka, Alaska, United States

A bear walked into the Anchorage airport post office and wouldn’t leave. Police shot it.
The bear got into the facility through a door trucks use to access the building, a USPS spokeswoman said.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Fur loss, oozing sores observed in Arctic Alaska polar bears
The Far North's iconic polar bear appears to have joined the list of Arctic species afflicted with a mystery illness that causes hair loss, lesions and oozing sores. Six in Barrow and three in Kaktovik.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Canada's AG warns Nunavut about dangers of not having a climate change action plan
Nunavut is not prepared to deal with the impacts of climate change and doesn't have a plan to deal with them, according to the latest report by Canada's auditor general.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
CBC News

Heavy snow in Interior Alaska this winter has bison hanging out on plowed roads and digging up farmland
Bulldozer crews have cleared trails and fields for the bison in hopes of reducing the danger of collisions and damaged fields. There's a layer of ice up to two inches thick within the snowpack that has further complicated foraging.
Delta Junction, Alaska, United States

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

3rd and 4th known cases of ‘Alaskapox’ — both mild — were recently diagnosed in the Fairbanks area
How the virus is contracted and how long it’s been around still remain a mystery. But researchers have found evidence in small mammals.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

An opossum’s arrival in Homer spurs capture efforts, memes and a campaign to #FreeGrubby
Alaska does not have opossums, but as of last month Homer had at least one. The mammal, considered an invasive species in Alaska, turned up in a shipping container from Washington state. It later escaped ingniting a flurry of opinions on the fate of this unusual visitor.
Homer, Alaska, United States

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