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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

Agencies complete initial cleanup of diesel spill following work train derailment near Talkeetna
The Alaska Railroad believes between 800 and 1,000 gallons of fuel were spilled, according to a situation report released Monday by the state.
Talkeetna, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Snow’s notable absence and welcome (and sometimes weird) presence
UAF Geophysical Institute space physicist Peter Delamere recently rode his fat-tire bike over frozen vegetation south of the Alaska Range until his tires finally bit snow a bit farther north.
Knik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Hatcher Pass Road still closed by avalanches that will take days to clear
Multiple avalanches have closed Hatcher Pass Road in Alaska due to heavy wet snowfall, with officials forecasting several days of clearance work.
Hatcher Pass, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Hatcher Pass Road closed at mile 14 due to high avalanche danger
Hatcher Pass Road is closed at mile 14 due to high avalanche danger from heavy wet snow, with closures expected to last into the weekend, affecting snowmachining trails and Hatcher Pass Lodge.
Hatcher Pass, Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source

Houston man injured in moose trampling outside his home
A Houston man was injured by a moose near his home, an unusual event linked to increased moose aggression due to harsh winter conditions.
Houston, Alaska, United States

Mat-Su schools closed Tuesday after blizzard hits power lines, highways
Mat-Su schools will be closed Tuesday due to a blizzard causing power outages and hazardous driving conditions.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Chris Klint, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Monday storm again closes Anchorage, Mat-Su schools and state offices
A winter storm in Anchorage and Mat-Su, Alaska has caused closures of state offices, schools, and bus services, with reports of stranded vehicles and accidents, and up to a foot of snow expected in some areas.
Matanuska Valley, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Chris Klint, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Borough declares local disaster for Talkeetna flood damage
In less than a day, the riverbank was eroded back more than 60 feet, threatening some cabins near the river.
Talkeetna, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Moose with lesions on hind leg
The hind of the moose was also covered with flies.
Willow, Alaska, United States
Sarah Yoder, Kimberlee Beckmen, Mike Brubaker

Insect on cloud berries
Is the abundance of insects unusual? Updates from around the state with picking and weather impacts.
Trapper Creek, Alaska, United States

Cold, wet weather delays lucrative peony harvest in Southcentral Alaska
Alaska is one of the only places in the world where peony flowers grow in the summer months. But the unusually cold, wet weather this year is delaying the blooms by weeks.
Willow, Alaska, United States
Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Mat-Su flooding closes roads, threatens homes after deluge soaks Talkeetna Mountains
August 9, 2022 Borough officials said multiple roads were closed Tuesday and more were being monitored after several days of rain.
Houston, Alaska, United States

Large number of flies in our home
"We had never before observed a species of the order Diptera, aside from the mosquitos present every year. Around the middle of September this year, however, there was a large influx of houseflies into our home."
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Hatcher Pass road likely closed all week due to avalanche danger
The Hatcher Pass Road has been closed since April 3 and will likely remain closed by the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities until at least April
Fishhook, Alaska, United States
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

Weather strands travelers in small planes on glacier near Denali
Five people stayed overnight Friday on Ruth Glacier. On Saturday, guides led them to a shelter about 3.5 miles away, A historic storm dropped record amounts of snow throughout Interior Alaska during the last few days..
Ruth Glacier, Alaska, United States

Avalanche closes road to Hatcher Pass
Class 2 avalanche in Hatcher Pass closed down a section of the road between Mile 14 and 16. The nonprofit Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center warned that conditions in the area were dangerous and asked that people avoid the Archangel Road trail nearby.
Hatcher Pass, Alaska, United States

Late Blooming Willow (genus Salix)
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Late Blooming Rose
A wild rose (*Rosa acicularis*) blooms late during a warm fall.
Willow, Alaska, United States

Grey Pigeon (Columba livia)
Invasive pigeons have made their way out of Alaska's large cities to fish camps on the west side of Cook Inlet.
Tyonek, Alaska, United States

Waterfowl Disappearance and Other Lake Ecosystem Changes
Residents note significant changes in the Christiansen Lake ecosystem since 2019. This includes fewer nesting birds, fish, and mammals around the lake, while the leech population has increased along with the occurrence of algal blooms.
Talkeetna, Alaska, United States

Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis) in Wasilla
Unusual winter sighting of a northern shrike (*Lanius borealis*) could become more common as temperatures rise.
Knik-Fairview, Alaska, United States

Mat-Su declares disaster after Willow Creek flooding forces evacuations, closes bridge
Flooding on Willow Creek Saturday night and Sunday has led to seven families being evacuated, with five people taking shelter at the Willow Community Center. The Willow Fire Department, Mat-Su Animal Care and the Mat-Su Water Rescue Team organized to assist those impacted by the flood.

More than a dozen homes evacuated due to Willow Creek flooding; Mat-Su officials say bridge could be closed for days
The flooding started when large chunks of ice jammed at Deneki bridge, according to an advisory issued by the National Weather Service.

Narcissus (Anemone narcissiflora) Blooming in Fall
*Anemone narcissiflora*, which typically blooms in June, is experiencing a second bloom in Hatcher Pass.
Hatcher Pass, Alaska

Record heat has Susitna Valley silver salmon in hot - and low - water
Two popular rivers are being closed to fishing because almost no cohos are making it upstream.

Wildfire along Parks Highway burns at least 50 structures
The highway remained closed north of Willow after the fire jumped the road Sunday, authorities said. The fire started Saturday afternoon when wind blew a tree onto a power line.

Wasilla store contends with ‘large-scale’ rodent problem
Fred Meyer is employing an aggressive pest-control plan after customers spotted mice in the store through Southcentral Alaska’s unusually warm summer.
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Summer heat accelerates Alaska peony harvest
On another year, Christy might just now be finishing up the harvest. But today, the only flowers left from this season are stored in a walk-in cooler.

Alaska salmon stream hits high temperature during heat wave
The science director for Cook Inletkeeper, a nonprofit organization that monitors the health of Cook Inlet, wrote a paper two years ago on what salmon streams might be like in the future with climate change.
The Seattle Times

Invasive elodea prompts closure of Susitna Valley lakes
Elodea was discovered in Alexander Lake in 2014 by researchers checking minnow traps. At the time, it covered 20 percent of the lake but now has spread to 90 percent.
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Early Spring Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) Arrival
Meadow Lakes, Alaska, United States

Erosion in Cook Inlet Damaging Old Growth Trees
Both sides of Cook Inlet are eroding near Tyonek. The erosion is reaching old and new growth trees, and causing more debris to fall in to the Inlet, which easily get caught in set nets.
Tyonek, Alaska, United States

Spruce bark beetle damage shuts down 2 popular Alaska campgrounds
The closures of the campgrounds, facing the threat of falling trees, likely will last through summer, the state parks division said.
Fishhook, Alaska, United States

After 6 days, still no trace of couple who went missing at Big Lake
Hundreds of people have combed the terrain near Big Lake, but there’s still no sign of LaVerne and Van Pettigen.
Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Beetle damage skyrockets to nearly 1 million acres in Southcentral Alaska
The latest tally of beetle kill shows more than 550,000 acres of forest with dead spruce from the ongoing infestation this year alone, much of it in Mat-Su.
Knik-Fairview, Alaska, United States

Voracious spruce bark beetles are back in force in Southcentral Alaska
Dead, red trees signal an increasingly dire outbreak driven by warm summers and plentiful spruce, especially in the Susitna Valley.
Trapper Creek, Alaska, United States

Railroad traffic still stalled as Talkeetna flooding recedes
Flooding that halted Alaska Railroad trains north of Talkeetna Saturday, has receded, but train traffic remains shut down. Listen now
Curry, Alaska, United States

‘Wall of ice’ from Susitna River damages railroad tracks
A 7-foot "wall of ice" from a Susitna River ice jam slammed into Alaska Railroad tracks north of Talkeetna on Saturday, pushing the rails 25 feet off course, the railroad said Monday.The Alaska Railroad is racing to make repairs in time for the start of its tourist season on Wednesday.

Alaska restricts king salmon fishing in Susitna, Little Su and upper Inlet
Fishing businesses in Mat-Su warned that the rules could hurt the state's tourism economy.
Knik-Fairview, Alaska, United States

Unidentified Jay
Unidentified Jay sighted in southcentral Alaska, early December.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Ask a Climatologist: Why do some lakes freeze faster than others?
One important factor is the depth of the lake. But there are other variables too.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Annie Feidt, Alaska's Energy Desk - Anchorage

Funnel Cloud Spotted Near Flathorn Lake
Funnel cloud photographed from the air while flying near Flathorn Lake
Lower Susitna River Drainage, Alaska, United States

Ticks Gorge on Squirrel
These ticks may have been an example of one native species in Alaska.
Bryers Lake State Recreation Area, Alaska , United States

Miserable stretches of trail prompt Iditarod to move race start to Fairbanks
For the second time in three years, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will move its official start from Willow to Fairbanks due to poor trail conditions that race officials determined unsafe.
Alaska Dispatch News

Visible Hue to Air - Smoke.. Smog... Silt..?
Hazy air conditions in the Mat-Su Valley, southcentral Alaska.

Unusual Wasp (Dolichovespula maculata)
Interesting wasp is black with neon stripes

Early Mushrooms
Weeks earlier than normal.

Earliest River Break Up Ever
Earliest Tokositna River break up ever in Denali State Park.
Denali National Park, Alaska, United States

Lack of ice allows dredging to start early
Previously, the dredging started around May and ran through October, but the past three winters it has started earlier and run longer.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Early Willow (Salix scouleriana) Bloom
Early Pussy Willows in Denali Park.
Denali Park, Alaska, United States

Sure Has Been A Warm Winter
It was a very warm week of the 25th of January, on my way home it started raining pretty heavy, mind you, no snow, but rain. I was expecting maybe some wet snow, but it was not to be...

Grounded Murres (Uria aalge)
Flocks of Common Murres were seen flying overhead, along with dying and grounded birds scampering around the Fish Lake area, just to the southeast foothills of Mount Yealo in the Susitna Valley.
Mount Yealo, Alaska, United States

Dead Humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) Near Birchwood
I was flying on Monday and found a giant beached dead humpback whale up on the mudflats near Birchwood. I see belugas all the time but never a humpback.
Eagle River, Alaska, United States

Wildfire
Sockeye wildfire at mile post 77 of the George Parks Highway near Willow.

Unusual Caterpillar
9-10-14 Unusual caterpillar - Big Lake, Alaska, USA
Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Caterpillar (Hyles gallii) with reddish tail
9-2-14 Caterpillar with reddish tail - Tyonek, Alaska, USA
Tyonek, Alaska, United States

Summer Snow
7-27-14 Summer snow - Wasilla, Alaska, USA

Dry April triggers fire warnings in Anchorage

Windy, No Snow
2-17-14 Windy, no snow - Wasilla, Alaska, USA

High winds, rain, flooding in Anchorage
A band of wet, warm weather barreled into Southcentral Alaska on Friday and stirred up an odd blend of high winds, slushy roads and even rainbow sightings.

Windy winter good for wind generation
Fire Island is producing more than expected for this time of year according to Ethan Schutt, senior vice president of land and development for Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) the Alaska Native corporation that operates the wind farm. So far about 17,000 megawatt hours have been produced, enough to power roughly 6,500 Southcentral homes each month.
Alaska Dispatch

Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) in November?
Birch shieldbug found in Wasilla home in November.

Extreme Rain & Flooding
9-21-12 Extreme rain and flooding - Wasilla, Alaska, USA

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

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