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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

Sea Gull Numbers are Extremely Low
Observers in Port Heiden, Alaska report significantly reduced sea gull populations and fewer gull eggs for subsistence, coinciding with decreased seal numbers and increased fox populations.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Jaime Welfelt, Robb Kaler, Jaclyn Christensen

Skate caught in subsistence net
While subsistence salmon fishing, community members from Port Heiden found a skate in the net, which is unusual for them.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Jaclyn Christensen, Jayde Ferguson, Shane Hertzog

Unusual bird sighting. Is it an alcid?
This bird was a noticed on the beach landing area of the community but not touched.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Kathy Kuletz, Jaclyn Christensen, Gay Sheffield

Swallows sighted in February
"Swallows usually show up in the spring time or when winter months are over in Alaska."

Harbor seal with patchy fur
Harbor seal looking sick with patches of fur missing.
Bryan Reed, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Barbara Mahoney, Jaclyn Christensen, Kimberlee Beckmen, Gay Sheffield, Gabe Dunham

Dump burning leads to wildfire
Dry spring conditions and strong winds are allowing a burn at the dump to grow near Pilot Point. Fire crews are dropping suppressant and 12 smokejumpers worry working the fire estimated at 250 acres as of Monday night.
Pilot Point, Alaska, United States

Orca carcass at Hook Lagoon
An Orca (*Orcinus orca*) carcass has been found on a beach in Port Heiden near Hook Lagoon. Sightings of these whales are a bit rare compared to many other whale carcass sightings and we just wanted to share with you this observation.

Dead Young Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
Young gray whale found dead on the beach.
Pilot Point, Alaska, United States
Maio Nishkian, Gay Sheffield, Barbara Mahoney

Meshik Village Erosion and the End of Goldfish Lake
Gradual sea ice reduction and reconfiguration of the coast, have increased the rate of erosion near Port Heiden over the course of several decades. Draining of Goldfish Lake brings memories, loss of community landmark, and many emotions.

Salmon shark stranded near Port Heiden at the end of an unusual summer
Along with significant seabird die-offs near Port Heiden, there have been reports of small whales and porpoises, walrus and sea otters washed up on shore.
Alaska Public Media

Marine Mammal Strandings at 2nd Cape
A variety of stranded marine mammals were observed in the Port Heiden area between August 17 and 26th.
Near Port Heiden
Kathy Burek Huntington, Hillary Burgess, Kris Holderied, Joel Garlich-Miller, Barbara Mahoney, Melissa Good, Gay Sheffield, Jonathan Snyder, Bruce Wright, Kathy Kuletz, Gabe Dunham, Dean Stockwell, Jaclyn Christensen

Port Heiden fights 10-acre blaze
The 450-acre Offal Beach Fire is burning for the fifth consecutive day about 11 miles northeast of Port Heiden.
KDLG

Dead Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis) Near 2nd Cape
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.
Bruce Wright, Kathy Burek Huntington, Jaclyn Christensen, Melissa Good

Mass Die-off of Shearwaters (genus Ardenna)
"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."
Egegik, Alaska, United States
CaSandera Johnson, Jessica Chernikoff, Kathy Kuletz, Erin Ranney, Jaclyn Christensen, Hillary Burgess, Melany Eakin

Unusual Sighting of an Alaska Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma)
Historically, pollock are not a commonly observed species in Bristol Bay, but sightings are becoming more common.
Jaclyn Christensen, Elizabeth Siddon, Tom Okey

Possible Alaska Hare (Lepus othus) Tracks
Strange tracks between Pilot Point and Ugashik, found near the river may belong to an Alaska hare (*Lepus othus*)
Pilot Point, Alaska, United States
Wilson Justin, Dave Crowley, Gregory Kingsley

Late-blooming Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)
Fireweed blooming in mid-late September after other plants have gone to seed.

Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in salmon nets
Billie Shraffenberger is a longtime resident of Port Heiden. This is the first time she has caught a fish like the one she found in her subsistence salmon net this summer.

After a long wait, Ugashik fishermen’s patience pays off
After a very slow beginning to their season, fishermen in Ugashik Bay saw millions of sockeye salmon return in a little over a week in mid-July.
Alaska Public Media

Taken to tusk: Walrus discovery surprises remote Alaskan village - Independent.ie
Two hundred walruses surprised residents on an Alaskan peninsula after arriving en masse on a beach.
Independent.ie

Community takes steps to adapt to climate change
Located on the Alaska Peninsula, 424 miles southwest of Anchorage, Port Heiden is a cluster of homes at the mouth of the Meshik River on the shores of Bristol Bay. It's a community on the frontline of climate change in Alaska, where temperatures are rising twice as fast as the global average.
Bristol Bay Times

Walrus haul out near Port Heiden
Residents saw a few hundred walrus hauled out at the beginning of April. By the end of April, they reported seeing about a thousand. On a recent flight over the shoreline, an ADF&G biologist saw only 100.
KDLG

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Herd at Hook Lagoon
The walrus count at this location was approximately 500-1000, and looks like they are here to stay well at least for this season of time before they return to the north.

‘Bachelor herds’ of walrus gather near Port Heiden, where they haven’t been seen in decades
The herds are increasingly moving around in Bristol Bay, perhaps seeking new feeding grounds, a biologist said.
Anchorage Daily News

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Haul-out On Port Heiden Beach
Walrus in Bristol Bay and Port Heiden are not uncommon in summer. The fact they are present in April is unusual and residents believe factors such as the lack of sea ice, lack of food and warming ocean temperatures may be the reason.
Jaclyn Christensen, Erica Lujan, Moses Tcheripanoff

Storm Related Erosion
Without ice to provide protection from storm waves, Port Heiden has lost the old town road.

Mushroom ascidian (Distaplia occidentalis) Found on Beach
It's about the size of a dinner plate and has a rubbery texture, was told it’s a sea cucumber but I’m not sure.
Tom Okey, Tammy Davis, Erica Lujan, Scott Anderson

Port Heiden loses road access to safe harbor and old village
Port Heiden’s road to its harbor and old village site is crumbling into the sea and the lake on the other side of it will likely breach soon. “The road is basically gone. [Erosion]’s cut right half into the road,” said Scott Anderson, the Native Village of Port Heiden’s Tribal Environmental Director.
Anchorage Daily News

Coral Found Following November Storm
Red coral observed near Port Heiden along the Bering Sea coast.

In Port Heiden, Recent Storms Exacerbate Old Problem
Within the last year, they have measured twenty to one hundred feet of erosion along different sections of their coast line.
Alaska Public Media

Erosion Could Drain Lake at Anytime
Goldfish Lake near Port Heiden is on the verge of draining into the Bering Sea.
Chris Maio, Jacquelyn Overbeck, Mike Brubaker, Richard Buzard, Scott Anderson, Susan Flensburg, Erica Lujan, Moses Tcheripanoff

Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) Hauling Out with Seals
Sea otter population growth not seen in recent history and shellfish harvest have been dropping.

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Haulout at Cape Greig
Pacific Walrus haulout at Cape Greig.
Cape Greig, Alaska, United States

Earthquakes Change Well-water Quality
Residents associated poor well water quality with earthquakes.
Scott Anderson, Melissa O'Domin, Erica Lujan

Coastal Erosion Damaging Boat Launch
Without sea ice, our beaches are eroding.

What Type of Bird? King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)
Unknown bird sighted on the Alaskan Peninsula.

Earthquake swarm in Port Heiden continues
Earthquakes have rattled through Port Heiden more often than usual this year. Michael West is the State Seismologist with the Alaska Earthquake Center. He took a look to compare this year’s quake numbers with other years. Listen Now

Dead Whale on Beach
Dead whale with interesting dolphin-like face.

Shearwater (genus Ardenna) Die-off
Large shearwater die-off at a Pilot Point beach.
Robb Kaler, Kathy Kuletz, Julia Parrish, Gregory Kingsley

Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) In Cottonwood Tree
Dove in Cottonwood Tree
Jaclyn Christensen, Beth Paluso, Julia Parrish

Pacific walrus population dropped drastically in 1980s-90s, study indicates
The notoriously difficult-to-study Pacific walrus population decreased by about half between 1981 and 1999, likely due to hunting and changes to sea-ice habitat, according to a new USGS study that is considered the most up-to-date and comprehensive so far. The Pacific walrus is being considered for Endangered Species Act protections.
Walrus Islands — State Game Sanctuary, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Low Seal Numbers
Low seal numbers

Mollusks in Moose (Alces alces) Gut
11-29-14 Mollusks in moose gut - Egegik, Alaska, USA
Egegik, Alaska, United States

Loss of Fuel Header Due to Coastal Erosion
Fuel headers leading to bulk fuel farm out of service due to coastal erosion.

No Sea Ice
No sea ice alone the northside of the Alaska Peninsula.

Dead Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)
Dead walrus observed while assessing for coastal erosion.
Port Heiden. Alaska, United States

Unusually Warm
Unusually warm weather in Port Heiden.

Storm Disrupts Transportation
Severe storms wreak havoc to a Bering Sea community; the following weather conditions contributed to flooding, disrupting transportation routes, electrical transformers and seepage into local water wells.

Winter Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
A rare sighting to observe a brown bear in January.
Port Heiden Alaska, United States

Natural Gas Vent
On a rising tide, a line of bubbles from the mud under the water of Ugashik Bay can be observed rising forcefully to the surface.
Mike Brubaker, Jennifer Skrada, Nikki Shanigan, Katey Walter Anthony

Weird Orange Bug
6-12-12 Weird orange bug - Pilot Point, Alaska, USA

Seal Pup Found near Port Heiden
Unknown seal pup found near Port Heiden.

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