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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

2 hikers injured in bear attack on popular trail near Seward
Two hikers were injured after fighting off a brown bear about a quarter-mile up the Exit Glacier trail near Seward. The National Park Service closed the trail while troopers and biologists assess the area.
Seward, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Dirty Ice on Exit Glacier
Dirt on Exit Glacier makes it look very different then the information posters.
Seward, Alaska, United States

King salmon’s disappearance has changed the Kenai River, but a soaring sockeye run is keeping it in business
The traditional king salmon fishery on the Kenai River has collapsed for a third straight year, but unprecedented sockeye runs have buoyed local guides, processors and businesses—while also creating new infrastructure and sustainability challenges.
Kenai River, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

16-year-old killed in Turnagain Pass avalanche
A 16-year-old snowmachiner from Soldotna was killed in an avalanche at Turnagain Pass, Alaska, highlighting the ongoing danger in the area due to unstable snowpack conditions.
Turnagain Pass, Alaska, United States
KTUU

Glacier calves into Portage Lake, stranding 2 skaters and underscoring risks of recreation on ice
A window of cold and clear weather has drawn hundreds of people to skate, bike and walk on the lake ice in recent days.
Portage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Strong winds destroy deer shelter at Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Strong winds in Portage, Alaska destroyed a deer shelter at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, used for Sitka deer. Fundraising efforts to rebuild have nearly met the $30,000 goal.
Portage, Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source

Landslide above Portage Lake is on geologists' radar as tsunami threat
A landslide near the southern end of Portage Lake, Alaska, could pose a tsunami threat, with debris potentially creating waves 50 feet tall near the Begich, Boggs Visitors Center.
Portage Lake, Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source

Skier killed, 2 others hurt after falling about 300 metres in Alaska avalanche
An avalanche on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula killed one backcountry skier and injured two others, prompting warnings for people to stay away from steep slopes as warm weather and high winds raise the risk of more snowslides around the state.
Summit Lake
CBC

Rural Chugach Electric customers deal with 'excessive' winter outages
Chugach Electric acknowledges the high frequency of winter power outages in Cooper Landing and Moose Pass, attributing them to heavy snowfall and considering solutions like local maintenance crews.
Moose Pass, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Unprecedented double glacial dam release brings flooding to the Kenai
Usually, the Snow Glacier and Skilak lakes release every two or three years. Both at the same time is unprecedented.
Skilak Lake
Alaska Public Media

Humpback whale nearly knocks paddler off board near Whittier
Stand up paddle boarder near miss with humpback whale in Prince William Sound.
Whittier, Alaska, United States

Alaska tourism threatened as iconic glaciers melt away
As the world’s glaciers retreat, so does the outlook for the Alaska tourism sector. But the pace of that retreat is still in human hands.
Cooper Landing, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Unstable snowpack causes heightened avalanche risk in Turnagain Pass this winter
The reason for the uptick in human-triggered avalanches this winter: persistent weak layers in the snowpack.
Turnagain Pass, Alaska

Alaska SeaLife Center admits first fur seal patient in 6 years
The female seal pup — estimated to be around six months old — was seen swimming “erratically” near the shore in Sitka last month, according to a press release from the center. Worried Sitka residents then reported the pup to the center’s 24-hour stranding hotline.
Seward, Alaska, United States

Volunteers confront an invasion of black slugs near Whittier
Volunteers at the Whittier Slug-Out learned about Alaska’s invasive species and helped mitigate European black slugs near a popular cove on Prince William Sound.
Whittier, Alaska, United States

One lane of traffic open near Cooper Landing after Sterling Highway landslide
The creek slide is the latest environmental incident to strike the Kenai Peninsula this week: a massive landslide in Seward on May 7 continues to block Lowell Point Road, a wildfire broke out near Sportsman’s Landing on May 8 and a separate wildfire broke out on May 10 near Wildman’s.
Cooper Landing, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

Lowell Point Road closed due to landslide - Shelter open at Seward High School
The landslide, estimated to be 300 feet wide, has completely cut off the community of Lowell Point. Lowell Point Road is the only land access between Lowell Point and the City of Seward. As a result the City of Seward cannot access critical wastewater facilities.
Seward Journal

Tangled Up in Blue: Skipping skating
I was looking forward to ice skating this winter. I had bought a pair of Nordic blades. This morning, I woke up to over a foot of snow. It is an early storm for Seward, which was blanketed in white this morning.
Homer News

Beluga whale found dead south of Anchorage will help scientists better understand the endangered animals
The beluga had a ruptured intestine probably related to parasites, which were found in the whale’s abdomen, lungs and kidneys, Burek said. The parasites likely led to an entanglement within a section of the intestines, leading it to rupture. “Very unusual,” Burek said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Washed up - euphausiid shrimp on area beach
Thousands of euphausiid shrimp, the species identified here in Resurrection Bay as Thysanoessa spinifera. were washed into the intertidal zone and on the beach near Whittier
Whittier, Alaska, United States
Gary Freitag, Melissa Good, Amy Holman, Sunny Rice, Tuula Hollmen, Julie Matweyou, Kris Holderied, Richard Hocking

Alaska SeaLife Center takes on 6 rescued harbor seal pups
The Seward facility began housing five seals found in the Cook Inlet area and another that was rescued in Juneau.

Snowmachiner dies in avalanche near Cooper Lake
A snowmachiner was killed Monday afternoon in an avalanche on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska State Troopers reported late Monday night.
Cooper Landing, Alaska, United States
KTUU

Rapid release of water from glacier-dammed lake prompts Kenai flood advisory
The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for Kenai Lake and the Kenai River near Cooper Landing.

'Way too close’: Kayakers encounter calving glacier in Southcentral Alaska
“It was a beautiful event that we were lucky to have survived,” Andrew Hooper said.
Spencer Glacier

Large icebergs are rare in Portage Lake nowadays. This week there are two new ‘shooters.'
“When I first started six years ago, icebergs like this were more common,” says a tour boat captain on the lake near Anchorage.

Beached Grey Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) near Turnagain Arm
Grey whale (*Eschrichtius robustus*) found beached near the Placer River along Turnagain Arm is one of five grey whales reported dead along the Alaska coast during 2019.
Placer Creek

Another gray whale has been found dead in Turnagain Arm
A pilot first spotted the whale last week. What caused the whale’s death isn’t yet known.

Juvenile Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris) Hauled Out
A species rarely seen in the Seward area.

A humpback whale died in Turnagain Arm. Here’s what might have happened.
It’s rare to see humpbacks in Turnagain Arm, known for its swift tides and shallow waters.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Strong winds may have been a factor in avalanche that killed skier in Kenai Mountains, report says
Jeffrey Cheng, 33, died in the slide. One of his friends managed to hold on to a tree as waves of avalanche debris washed over his head. The third member of their group wasn’t caught.
Moose Pass, Alaska, United States

Cougar Sighted on Upper Kenai River
A rare sighting near the confluence of the Russian River.

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.

Wild Ice - Backcountry Skating Alaska
If the winter gives you ice, then it's time to go ice skating! Backcountry skating is the practice of hunting for wild ice, whether on on a river, lake, glacial lagoon, or inside an ice cave. Filmed in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States
Vimeo

A glacier dam bursts and creates minor flooding on the Kenai
Sport fishermen are struggling to reel in the rainbow trout and Dolly Varden that usually are so abundant in fall.
Snow River Bridge, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Flock of Sandhills (Grus canadensis)
Sandhill cranes spotted flying east
Portage Creek, Alaska, United States

Retreating Exit Glacier has become an icon of climate change
The celebrity glacier on the Kenai Peninsula, though relatively small and getting smaller, looms large in the public consciousness.
Exit Glacier, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Stranded, lethargic ringed seal found far south of normal icy habitat
A parasite-riddled seal afraid of the water is the first Alaska marine mammal rescued in 2017. The seal will not be returned to the wild if it continues to survive rehabilitation at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.
Alaska Dispatch News

Unusually warm ocean temperatures linked to massive Pacific seabird die-off
A year after tens of thousands of common murres, an abundant North Pacific seabird, starved and washed ashore on beaches from California to Alaska, researchers have pinned the cause to unusually warm ocean temperatures that affected the tiny fish they eat.
CBC News

Black Slugs Invade Whittier
“They’ve been in Cordova for over 30 years. They’re just starting to be reported and sighted in other places. We have confirmed sightings in Whittier, in Girdwood, in Chenega Bay, in Eshamy Bay and one of the hatcheries out in the sound has reported them.”
Glacier City Gazette

Glide Cracks In Turnagain Pass
Glide Crack in Turnagain Pass
Turnagain Pass, Alaska, United States

Light on snow, high on risk, Turnagain Pass stays closed to snowmachiners
More than two weeks after the area typically opens for snowmachiners, the pass remained closed Tuesday as lower elevations continued to see below-average snow levels.
Turnagain Pass, Alaska, United States

Bugs Swarm at 2017 Mount Marathon Race
The 2017 Mount Marathon races were run under cloudy skies and damp conditions. A man swats at bugs that swarmed at the top of Mount Marathon during the race Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Seward.

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