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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

Sockeye yet to make an appearance on Russian, Kenai rivers
Fishing on the Kenai and Russian rivers opened June 11, but as of the previous evening only one sockeye salmon had been counted at the Russian River weir—compared to more than 700 at this time last year.
Kenai, Alaska, United States
Homer News

Wild Roses Blooming
Despite cooler weather in late May and early June, wild roses are blooming near Fairbanks, Alaska, only slightly later than usual, contrasting with previous observations of late blooming due to warmer temperatures.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Fairbanks is under a Weather Service heat advisory. That's a first for Alaska.
The National Weather Service has issued its first-ever heat advisory for Alaska, covering Fairbanks as temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-80s this weekend.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Major washout closes road to Alaska’s North Slope oil fields
A significant flood-induced washout at milepost 315 on the Dalton Highway has closed the only road link to Alaska’s North Slope oil fields between mileposts 305 and 356, with emergency repairs and ongoing monitoring underway.
North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

First large staffed fire in Alaska this season threatens buildings
The Oskawalik Fire near Crooked Creek in southwest Alaska has expanded from 350 to over 1,400 acres, threatening Native allotments and prompting a large-scale firefighting response under windy conditions.
Crooked Creek, Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source

Erosion results in loss of revetment wall
High water on the Noatak River is accelerating erosion and causing the destruction of a decades-old cement pillow revetment wall in Noatak.
Noatak, Alaska, United States

Wildfire reported east of Unalakleet, smokejumpers responding
A wildfire known as Rabbit Fire #176 broke out about seven miles east of Unalakleet on June 17, 2025, prompting a team of six smokejumpers, water scoopers, a helicopter, and a reconnaissance plane to respond and safely evacuate a nearby camp before containing the blaze by late evening.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Severe thunderstorm soaks Juneau, loosens cruise ship mooring
It was a sunny afternoon until the sky abruptly darkened, heavy rain came down and winds gusted up to 60 mph. A cruise ship docked downtown broke free of its mooring and drifted into the Gastineau Channel at the height of the storm.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
KTOO

River erodes road by airport
The Noatak River's persistent erosion is threatening key transportation infrastructure including the adjacent road and airstrip.
Noatak, Alaska, United States

Canadian blazes make for hazy days
Smoke from Canadian wildfires is drifting into Southeast Alaska’s Chilkat Valley, prompting an air quality advisory for Haines and Skagway as hazy conditions persist.
Haines, Southeast Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Fires near Fairbanks trigger evacuation orders as lightning sparks more new blazes around Alaska
Other new fires were reported near the Eureka Roadhouse along the Glenn Highway and near the Denali Park community. Forty new fires were reported Thursday.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Fire danger prompts evacuation alerts for multiple Yukon highway communities
Evacuation alerts were issued on June 20 for areas around Dawson City—including West Dawson and properties along the Dempster, North Klondike, Silver Trail, and Top of the World highways—due to multiple out-of-control wildfires.
Dawson City, Yukon, Canada
Yukon News

Bear Creek and Himalaya Road Fires Temporarily Close Parks and Elliot Highways
Two Interior Alaska wildfires—the 26,000-acre Bear Creek Fire near Healy and the 3,300-acre Himalaya Road Fire north of Fairbanks—forced temporary closures of the Parks and Elliot Highways, prompted evacuations, and led to emergency animal shelter operations.
Interior Alaska, United States
KUAC.org

Lack of drainage causing road problems
An unusual spring thaw in Hooper Bay, Alaska, has led to persistent ponding on roads due to inadequate drainage, prompting the city to use sandbags and cut drainage channels to manage the water.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Interior wildfires: Bear Creek Fire disables cell tower as ash falls in Healy, Ferry
The Bear Creek Fire in Interior Alaska has grown to over 26,000 acres, disabled a cell tower in Denali Borough, and sent ash drifting over Healy and Ferry, prompting expanded evacuation alerts and disrupting communications.
Healy, Denali Borough, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Dawson City mayor urges people to be prepared as wildfires grow
The mayor of Dawson City, Yukon, advises residents to stay calm and ready with evacuation plans as the Quebec Creek and Mount Leotta wildfires approach community outskirts.
Dawson City, Yukon, Canada
CBC News

Interior wildfires burn across Parks Highway, prompt evacuations
Traffic on the Parks was limited Sunday due to the Bear Creek Fire, with about 100,000 acres burning in more than 180 fires across Alaska. Evacuation orders were issued for several nearby residential areas, including the Bear Creek and June Creek subdivisions west of the highway.
Alaska Public Media

Ninilchik River closed to sport fishing
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed the Ninilchik River to all sport fishing from June 23 through July 15 to help meet king salmon escapement and broodstock collection goals.
Ninilchik, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, United States
Homer News

Denali Borough: Multiple homes burned in Bear Creek Fire
Multiple primary residences have burned in the Bear Creek Fire in Denali Borough, Alaska, as officials work to identify impacted homes.
Denali Borough, Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source

Taku River getting close to flooding thresholds
The Taku River near Juneau is rising rapidly due to a glacier lake outburst flood, approaching minor flood thresholds within the next 24–36 hours.
Juneau, Southeast Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source

Spotted in Anchorage: Invasive European Starlings
European Starlings, an invasive species, have been observed in Anchorage, Alaska, where they compete with native birds for resources. Their presence is concerning due to their aggressive behavior and potential to form large flocks, prompting local monitoring and reporting efforts.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

National Weather Service issues heat advisory for Alaska’s western North Slope
This marks the first summer that the weather service in Alaska has issued heat advisories to share with residents what they can do to mitigate hot conditions. Climate scientists say those notices are likely to become common.
Wainwright, Alaska, United States

KBNERR warns of potential harmful algal bloom in Kachemak Bay
The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve detected Pseudo-nitzschia at bloom levels in Kachemak Bay starting July 4. This diatom can produce the toxin domoic acid, associated with amnesic shellfish poisoning, though toxin production is not yet confirmed. Observed bird deaths and marine mammal strandings have spurred collection of mussel samples for lab testing.
Homer, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

Tundra fire on Alaska’s North Slope is among the biggest in recent years
The 2,000-acre fire and others north of the Brooks Range fit a pattern of increasing wildfires in the treeless landscape. While most Alaska tundra fires are south of the Brooks Range, in Northwest or Western Alaska, fires north of the Brooks Range are becoming more common and bigger, according to scientists.
Ikpikpuk River, Alaska

Bear wandering through town killed by authorities
A juvenile brown bear entered Nome’s streets on July 8, 2025, and was fatally shot by Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Nome Police after posing a public safety threat. This was the first urban bear dispatch of the year amid reports of heightened bear activity around town.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

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

Abundant and tall cow parsnip
Observers report an increase in the abundance and height of cow parsnip, also know as pushki or wild celery. These conditions may be a signal of warming and wetter climate trends.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

What's with the white stuff? Why the N.W.T. has so much tree fluff this summer | CBC News
The increase in tree "fluff" is likely a stress response from poplars, aspen and willows reacting to the dry conditions from the past few years, according to the N.W.T.'s department of Environment and Climate Change.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
CBC

Kodiak records rain record
Kodiak set a new one-day precipitation record on July 10, 2025, when 2.11 inches of rain fell—surpassing the previous July 10 record of 1.43 inches set in 1919.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

Lakes Have Curious Color
Observers from a small plane reported unusual green color in lakes and ponds, raising concerns about lake health and the potential for invasive species.
Chefornak, Alaska, United States

Bad week for Kodiak’s migrating gray whales
A USCG survey flight spotted three more dead gray whales on Sitkinak and Tugidak islands, bringing the 2025 total in the Kodiak region to 11, with several apparently killed by orcas and others appearing emaciated.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

The tundra is burning
With wildfires spreading in the Kobuk River country of Northwest Alaska, I just knew I needed to find a way to get home.The Nuna fire is burning still, pushed north by strong southerly winds. There has been some rain, not a lot. I remain concerned about my home. I’m worried about the caribou, too, and what brush will revegetate that tundra after these fires. I’m worried about that beautiful big land between the Jades and Onion Portage, the Hunt and Nuna river valleys.
Kobuk, Alaska, United States

Beached Seldovia whale returns alive to Kachemak Bay
A minke whale stranded on MacDonald Spit near Seldovia for six hours on July 17 but refloated with the rising tide and swam back into Kachemak Bay; the Seldovia Village Tribe suspects a toxic algal bloom disoriented the whale.
Seldovia, Alaska, United States
KBBI AM 890

7.3 magnitude earthquake triggers brief tsunami warning for Southwest Alaska communities
A tsunami warning that was later downgraded was issued for several coastal communities after the earthquake struck south of Sand Point.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States

The tundra is burning
In July 2025, lightning-triggered wildfires near the Kobuk River in Northwest Alaska threatened local homes and the tundra ecosystem. The author returned by small plane to set up firebreaks and sprinkler systems with fire crews to protect his sod house and surrounding caribou habitat.
Kotzebue, Northwest Alaska, United States

Humpback whale found dead in Gastineau Channel
A young male humpback whale calf was discovered dead drifting near Sandy Beach in Gastineau Channel and towed by U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA officials to undergo a necropsy.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Unusual Spider
An unusual spider is identified as *Araneus trifolium* or the Shamrock Orbweaver. This species can be found in much of Northern North America.
Grayling, Alaska, United States

Unusual squid in Chignik Lagoon
An unusual sighting of squid in Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, highlights a pattern of increasing squid observations in unexpected locations..
Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, United States

Erosion exposing community water line
Erosion is rapidly exposing the community water line. Recent efforts to stabilize the area proved ineffective as gravel is quickly washed away, threatening the water supply infrastructure.
Noatak, Alaska, United States

Increased bear activity closes several East Anchorage trails
Officials have indefinitely closed about 2.5 miles of popular biking, running and hiking trails in Far North Bicentennial Park and the Campbell Tract in East Anchorage due to heightened brown bear activity around salmon streams.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Kodiak breaks another rain record
On August 6, 2025, Kodiak recorded 2.31 inches of rain—shattering the previous daily record of 1.72 inches from 2013—and forcing the cancellation of slowpitch softball games.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

Juneau's glacial outburst flood has crested, water levels now dropping
The flood reached a record-breaking crest of 16.65 feet at about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Water continues to seep into Valley neighborhoods.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

As a mountain crumbled Sunday, Alaska experienced its largest landslide-caused tsunami in a decade
Seismic stations more than 600 miles away picked up the rumbling as a mountainside collapsed upon South Sawyer Glacier and into the ocean at the head of Tracy Arm.
Tracy Arm, Alaska, United States

The Dalton Highway is cut off after record rains hammered Interior Alaska
Record rains in Interior Alaska overwhelmed culverts and flooded the Dalton Highway near the Yukon River, closing the road between mileposts 112 and 156. Crews are responding, but there is no reopening estimate.
Dalton Highway near Yukon River, Interior Alaska, United States
KUAC.org

Woman mauled by bear near her Kenai Peninsula home
A 36-year-old woman was seriously injured in a suspected brown bear attack near her home on Chinook Drive in Kenai early Tuesday. Authorities are searching for the bear and urging residents to stay vigilant and secure attractants.
Kenai, Alaska, United States

Diesel spill near Kodiak-area hatchery disrupts salmon fishery
A fishing vessel that ran aground near Afognak Island on Monday has leaked an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 gallons into Izhut Bay, according to state officials.
Izhut Bay, Alaska

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