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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

‘Explosion’ of invasive European green crabs reported in Southeast Alaska
The Metlakatla Indian Community, which has been at the forefront in the effort to control the invaders, has trapped more than 40,000 of them this year.
Metlakatla, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Invasive European Green Crab found north of Ketchikan
A small but potentially environmentally threatening crab is expanding its area of influence in Alaska.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States

Heavy rains bring landslides, flooding to Ketchikan
Heavy rains in late May triggered multiple small landslides in Ketchikan, Alaska, blocking roads and damaging a home but causing no injuries.
Ketchikan, Southeast Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Ketchikan responds to landslide that displaced hundreds Thursday
The City of Ketchikan is recovering from a rock slide Thursday morning that left hundreds of people displaced — no injuries or structural damage was reported, but the slide hit a road that connected the north and south areas of the island.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States

Ketchikan landslide blocks roadway, closes schools
A large landslide just outside Ketchikan, Alaska, buried a road on Thursday, displacing hundreds and forcing school closures, though no injuries were reported.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
KTUU
Joey Klecka, Melissa Frey, Justin Mattson

Small landslide in Ketchikan after heavy rainfall
A small landslide occurred in Ketchikan due to heavy rainfall, affecting a private property on Hillside Road.
Alaska's News Source

New Ketchikan landslide blocks road, cutting off motorists
The Revilla Road slide came Sunday evening after heavy rains and initially trapped six vehicles with eight people inside, local officials said. Cleanup continued Monday.
Anchorage Daily News

1 person killed in Ketchikan landslide, multiple homes destroyed
A landslide in Ketchikan resulted in one fatality, multiple destroyed homes, and ongoing emergency responses, following heavy rainfall.
Alaska Public Media

Melting Starfish
Starfish wasting observed in Kassan for the first time in several years.
Kasaan, Alaska, United States
Krissy Dunker, Gemini , Donna Aderhold, Kris Holderied, Melissa Miner, Carol Fletcher, Sarah Yoder

Noctiluca bloom in bay
An unusually large Noctiluca bloom in Kasaan Bay. Noctiluca scintillans is a non-toxic algae bloom, generally considered harmless to humans.
Kasaan, Alaska, United States
Thomas Farrugia, Bruce Wright, Carol Fletcher, Dean Stockwell, Sarah Yoder, Gemini

Ketchikan got drenched with nearly 7 inches of rain on Tuesday
Remnants of Typhoon Bolaven brought the rain from the Pacific. The typhoon has been bringing rain to the Southeast region for days. Ketchikan's one-day record is nearly nine inches, set on Oct. 11, 1977.
KTOO

Minke whale pod sighted
A rare sighting is possible indicator of prey abundance.
Kasaan, Alaska, United States

Dog killed by wolves in Metlakatla was defending its family, owner says
Brittany Hayward says Rosco, a seven-year-old ridgeback-mastiff mix, fought hard defending his family.
Metlakatla, Alaska, United States
KRBD

Evidence of invasive crab that could wreak havoc on Alaska fisheries found near Metlakatla
The European Green Crab are a threat to ecosystems and commercial fisheries. They uproot eelgrass beds in search of food, which serve as habitat for herring and salmon.
Metlakatla, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Reported Landslide Port Saint Nicholas Road, Prince of Wales Island
Landslide at 3 mile PSN happened outside the typical time of year for slides.
Craig, Alaska, United States
Jacyn Schmidt, Edward "Ted" Smith, Richard L Thoman Jr

Decaying Sea Cucumbers
I have photos of four different sea cucumbers decaying, but my friend claims to have observed around 10 dead sea cucumbers.
Saxman, Alaska, United States
Jesse Endert, Gary Freitag, Mandy Lindeberg

High winds severed Ketchikan’s connection with the island’s largest hydroelectric dam on Friday
Strong winds whipped across Ketchikan Thursday evening and Friday morning, and a strong morning gust snapped power lines and severed Ketchikan’s connection to the Swan Lake hydropower reservoir.
KTOO

Killer whale stranded on Prince of Wales Island frees itself
A killer whale that beached itself on Prince of Wales Island on Thursday has freed itself, according to federal biologists.
Craig, Alaska, United States

Paralytic Shellfish Toxin Advisory
The Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research program found that all shellfish species in Settler's Cove and Seaport Beach in Ketchikan and Starrigavan North beach in Sitka are affected by high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Toxin, posing the risk of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning for consumers.
Southeast Tribal Ocean Research

Ketchikan evacuees can return home with potential for dam failure subsiding, officials say
Ketchikan officials say there’s “currently no danger of dam failure” but noted that a flood advisory is in place through Sunday.
Anchorage Daily News

Heavy rains in Southeast Alaska block key roads on Prince of Wales Island
Heavy rains toppled trees and buried roads on Prince of Wales Island Monday. Local and state transportation crews are responding to at least seven landslides blocking roads on the Southeast Alaska island.
Klawock, Alaska, United States

Extreme rain brings flurry of landslides
Large amounts of precipitation triggered landslides across Prince of Wales Island, blocking roads and damaging at least one bridge.
Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

‘Merciless’ rain in Southeast Alaska breaks records, dampens spirits
Record rainfall in parts of Southeast are just one more reason 2020 will be a year some will be happy to forget. Ketchikan recorded 47 inches of rain from June to August.

Seiners in Southeast Alaska rescue an unlikely hard-shelled visitor
A fishing crew near Prince of Wales Island recently made an unusual catch: a Pacific green sea turtle. This not only excited the crew, but has also caught the attention of marine biologists.

Rains erase last of ‘severe drought’ in Southeast as conditions improve statewide
Rains throughout October and November mean Southeast Alaska is finally out of “severe drought” status for the first time since September of 2018. Ketchikan, Wrangell and Juneau are still in “moderate drought.”Sitka, Hoonah and Haines remain “abnormally dry,” though not in drought.

Spider Population May Be Increasing
The crab spider, *Misumena vatia*, is a species well-known throughout Interior, Southcentral, and Southeast Alaska. Little is known about changes in their abundance.
Klawock, Alaska

Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) with White Nodes/Lumps
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.
Tolstoi Bay, Alaska, United States
Ted Meyers, Carol Fletcher, Emily Mosites, Ryan Brubaker, Andrew Atkinson

Large group of black plant bug nymphs (Irbisia sericans)
A large group of black plant bug nymphs were observed in early June.

Wolves (Canis lupus) are coming too close to the towns of Klawock and Craig
Deer populations are fluctuating, but wolf populations have been growing on Price of Wales island since 2014. Wolves are seen more frequently around communities.

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) Entering Breeding Grounds Early
Swans have arrived early in Southeast Alaska this year, with most lakes still frozen and no green grass anywhere. Most lakes are frozen; the swan is sticking to a small patch of water surrounded by ice.

Ketchikan on 24/7 diesel power for foreseeable future
During Thursday’s Ketchikan City Council meeting, City Manager Karl Amylon said that Ketchikan Public Utilities started switching back and forth between hydro and diesel a few weeks ago, but starting Oct. 15th, extremely low lake levels meant switching completely to diesel.
KRBD

Drought in a Rain Forest
The Tongass Forest in southeast Alaska, a temperate rain forest, is experiencing record-low precipitation and severe drought conditions, impacting community hydroelectricity production.

Spring rains helped but parts of the Panhandle remain in drought
Southeast Alaska has dropped into drought conditions off and on for the past two or more years. Spring rains and snow melt helped refill lakes and reservoirs but a dry, hot July pushed the southern Panhandle into a deeper deficit.
KTUU

Milky Blue Water Near Prince of Wales Island
Warmer waters likely enabled a phytoplankton bloom to occur much later in the year than normal off the coast of Alaska and British Columbia.
Craig, Alaska, United States

Phytoplankton Bloom near Prince of Wales Island
Ocean water has a green tint near Craig and Klawock, Alaska.

Drought in a rainforest? Yes
There are no tumbleweeds blowing through the streets of Southeast Alaska towns, but, the region has received quite a bit less precipitation than usual over the past nine months.
KRBD

Noctiluca Bloom
Second Noctiluca bloom we have had in the last 4 weeks

Sea otters make a comeback in southeast Alaska, and fishermen are not happy
Northern sea otters, once hunted to the brink of extinction along Alaska's Panhandle, have made a spectacular comeback.
Associated Press

Wolves and logging both cut into Prince of Wales deer
This deer season has been the worst in recent memory for a lot of hunters on Prince of Wales Island.
Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, United States

Cougars in Alaska, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Alaska is considered to be outside the range of cougars (also called mountain lions and panthers), but with cougar populations increasing in many western states and Canada, that could change.
Alaska Fish & Wildlife News

Sightings of large cat, possibly a cougar, reported near Ketchikan
Mountain lion sightings have been reported in far Southeast Alaska for years, and one sighting has been confirmed.
Alaska Dispatch News

Late Bloomer - Salal / Laughing Berry (Gaultheria shallon)
Late blooming Laughing Berry (*Gaultheria shallon*) in Metlakatla

Parasites on Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
Parasite identified as sea lice.
Whipple Creek, Alaska, United States

Small Ladybug Like Beetle (Chrysomela)
Unidentified beetle near Tongass Highway

Dead Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) and Starfish (Phylum: Echinodermata)
Dead sea otter and star fish
Prince of Wales Islands, Alaska, United States

Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) Sighted
A salmon troller saw a leatherback turtle in the summer of 2015.
Southeast Region, Alaska, United States

Early Plants
1/27/15 Early plants - Klawock, Alaska, USA
Klawock, Alaska, United States

Late Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
12-31-15 Late coho salmon - Klawock, Alaska, USA
Klawock, Alaska, United States

Krill Die-off
11-1-13 Krill die-off - Metlakatla, Alaska, USA

Salmon Die-off
Thousands of varied salmon species reported dead at Klawock River.

Growth in Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
8-12-13 Growth in coho salmon - Hydaburg, Alaska, USA
Hydaburg, Alaska, United States

Bloom Turns Beach Orange
A mystery bloom brightens up local beach.
Annette Islands, Alaska, United States

Lots of Earthquakes
Increasing number of seismic events.

Deer with Hair Loss
Sitka black-tailed deer (*Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis*) seen with large amount of hair loss.
Hollis, Alaska, Unites States

Square-legged Camel Cricket (Tropidischia xanthostoma)
We found an unusual looking spider or insect.

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