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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 more gray whales found dead near Kodiak Island
NOAA has declared an “unusual mortality event” for gray whales on the North American west coast and launched an investigation.
Anchorage Daily News

Snowmachiner watches wild dogs take down musk ox in Western Alaska
Patrick Jones, wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Game, said he has heard of dogs killing moose, caribou and a days-old musk ox calf, but nothing like this attack.
Toksook Bay, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

First 2019 paralytic shellfish poisoning case reported in Alaska
The Department of Health and Social Services reports a person experienced PSP symptoms after eating a clam harvested near Perryville on the Alaska Peninsula.
Perryville, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Landslides block NH 37 between Nunga & Rengpang in Manipur - Republic World
Massive landslides triggered by heavy rain blocked the Imphal-Jiribam stretch of the national highway (NH) 37 in Manipur on Wednesday, police said.
Manipur, India
Republic World

Changing ice conditions clear way for historic fuel delivery by barge to Alaska's North Slope
An Alaska company says changing ice conditions in the North Slope area have allowed it to make a bulk fuel delivery to Prudhoe Bay by barge for the first time.
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States
CBC

Cruise ship exhaust prompts complaints to state authorities
Exhaust emissions from a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel docking in Juneau prompted at least 10 complaints to an Alaska regulatory agency.
Juneau, Alaska, United States

Lake Erie water level at its all-time high
Lake Erie, the fourth-largest of the five Great Lakes, has broken the water level record set in 1986.
Lake Erie
CBC

79 wildfires burning in northern Quebec, 11 out of control
Wildfires are still burning in Quebec's northern zone, with 11 fires still considered out of control early Tuesday morning. However, the provincial forest fire prevention agency, SOPFEU, said rain since Sunday and rising humidity have helped stabilize the flames for the time being.
Chibougamau, Quebec, Canada
Montreal

Climate change not one heat wave: scientist
A Canadian climate scientist says Canada and the world are seeing a pattern of more extreme weather events
Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Washington wildfire caused by pyrotechnic, police seek tips
Officials say a wildfire in Southwest Washington that ballooned Sunday, causing regional air quality issues, may have been started by a firework or firearm.
Camas, Washington, United States
The Seattle Times

Temperature hits 100 F degrees in Arctic Russian town
Much of Siberia this year has had unseasonably high temperatures, leading to sizable wildfires.
Verkhoyansk, Sakha, Russia

Another gray whale found dead in Alaska, this time near Cordova
NOAA is monitoring significant numbers of gray whale deaths this spring along the Pacific coast.
Cordova, Alaska, United States

Wild pigs invade national park
One of the most destructive and rapidly spreading invasive species on the continent has been found for the first time in a Canadian national park.
Elk Island National Park
CTV News, Edmonton

2nd right whale death of year reported off of Massachusetts
A member of a species of critically endangered whale that is struggling with poor reproduction has been found dead off of Massachusetts.
Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts, United States
Associated Press

U.S. officials allow killing of sea lions eating at-risk salmon and steelhead in Columbia River watershed
The sea lions have posed a long-running conundrum for wildlife officials, pitting mammals protected under federal law against protected — and valuable — fish runs.
Portland, Oregon, United States

Arctic Russian town records highest ever temperature at 38 C
The temperature in Verkhoyansk hit 38 degrees Celsius on Saturday, according to Pogoda i Klimat, a website that compiles Russian meteorological data.
Verkhoyansk, Sakha, Russia
Global News

Toxic white-haired caterpillars that can cause you to vomit and have asthma attacks are taking over London
People are being warned not to touch the creatures, which are most often found in oak trees -- and to keep pets away from them, too.
London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Vancouver Sun

10 snowmobilers die in thinly frozen lakes in mild Northeast
Albany, New York, United States
Fox News

Pace of Bering Sea changes startle scientists
Frigid north winds blow down from the Arctic Ocean, freeze saltwater and push sea ice south. The ice normally prevents waves from forming and locks onto beaches, walling off villages. But not this year.
Kotlik, Alaska, United States
PBS NewsHour

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

Summer snow falls in parts of Newfoundland: 'Never seen it this late in June'
Two centimetres had fallen in parts of Newfoundland
Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Jumbo squid invade San Diego shores, spook divers
La Jolla, California, United States
The Christian Science Monitor

Dead and dying birds rain down in unexplained occurrence in B.C. community
A British Columbia man who witnessed dozens of birds falling from the sky just south of Vancouver says he was horrified by the sight.
Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada
National Post

Alaska seabird die-off continues for another summer
Carcasses examined so far have shown no indication of disease, and tests are pending for harmful algal toxins. Seabirds have been found emaciated and starved, and changed ocean conditions may have affected prey.
Gambell, Alaska, United States

3rd body found after landslide in Norway; 7 still missing
Rescue teams searching for survivors four days after a landslide carried away homes in a Norwegian village found no signs of life Saturday amid the ruined buildings and debris. Three bodies have been recovered but searchers are still looking for seven more people believed to be missing. The landslide in the village […]
Ask, Akershus, Norway
NBC4 WCMH-TV

Alaska biologists research mystery of declining caribou herd
The size of a large caribou herd in Alaska's Arctic region has dropped by more 50 percent over the last three years, and researchers who have tentatively ruled out hunting and predation as significant factors for the decline are trying to determine why.
North Slope, Alaska, United States
Allied News

Killer whales bad news for belugas
After attacks belugas scattered northward, away from a traditional calving area. Scattering could impact the survival rate of young belugas.
Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada
CBC News

Unseasonably early daffodils prompt wish for cold weather on B.C. farm
Longview Farms just north of Victoria says mild weather a problem for seasonal farming
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

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.
Willow, Alaska, United States
The Seattle Times

Freak hailstorm buries part of western Mexico in ice
Officials in Mexico's second largest city say a storm that dumped more than a metre of hail on parts of the Guadalajara area damaged hundreds of homes.
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
CBC News

Invasive lizard species spotted in Georgia
The South American lizard, which can grow up to 4 feet long, poses a threat to protected native wildlife, including American alligators and gopher tortoises.
Reidsville, Georgia, United States
KMBC

Climate change before your eyes: Seas rise and trees die
Savannah River, United States
ABC News

Biologist: Orca attacks on gray whales up in California bay
Monterey Bay
ABC News

Thousands of walruses show up early on Northwest Alaska coast as sea ice recedes
Sea ice in the Chukchi Sea disappeared far earlier than normal this spring as a result of exceptionally warm ocean temperatures.
Point Lay, Alaska, United States

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.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Independent.ie

Loss of sea ice leads walruses to early appearance in Alaska
Hundreds of Pacific walruses came ashore to a barrier island on Alaska's northwest coast, the earliest appearance of the animals in a phenomenon tied to climate warming and diminished Arctic Ocean sea ice.
Point Lay, Alaska, United States
CBC News

Arctic Greenland is burning, hunters blinded by smoke
Smoke from a wildfire in southwestern Greenland is hampering the wild reindeer hunt on the Arctic island.
Nassuttooq Fjord, Greenland
ABC News

Air quality poor in parts of B.C. as more than 200 wildfires burn across province
Air quality alerts remain in place for several areas in B.C.'s southern Interior on Tuesday as more than 200 wildfires continue to burn through hundreds of square kilometres of the province.
Thompson-Nicola J, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Landslide forces evacuations, flooding fears persist near Kelowna, B.C.
A landslide has forced residents of 17 properties to flee their homes near Kelowna, B.C., as flooding continues to threaten the area.
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
CTVNews

Deadly lightning kills more than 300 reindeer in Norway
More than 300 wild reindeer have been killed by lightning in central Norway.
Hardangervidda mountain plateau, Norway

Another dead grey whale found off B.C. coast
A dead grey whale was found floating in Boundary Bay, near the United States border, this week. It's the sixth grey whale to have been found dead in B.C. waters this year.
Boundary Bay, Canada

Thousands of Pacific walruses again herd up on Alaska coast
Walruses over the last decade have come to shore on the Alaska and Russia sides of the Chukchi Sea as sea ice diminishes because of global warming.
Point Lay, Alaska, United States

Beached whale had 115 plastic cups in its stomach
A dead whale that washed ashore in eastern Indonesia had a large lump of plastic waste in its stomach, including drinking cups and flip-flops, a park official said Tuesday, causing concern among environmentalists and government officials in one of the world's largest plastic polluting countries.
Wakatobi, Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia
CTVNews

Abnormally large basking shark groups spotted off Canada’s east coast
Coastal northwest Atlantic Ocean
Global News

Sask. researchers say they can now better predict storms caused by rising temperatures
Researchers say they've come up with a way to better predict severe storms and protect infrastructure from damage caused by increasing temperatures in Western Canada.
Western Canada

'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

Half of Alberta's Boreal Forest Could Disappear due to Fires, Climate Change
If you factor in wildlife changes, it could be even more.
Fort Mcmurray, Alberta, Canada
HuffPost Canada

Smoke from unusual Greenland wildfire hampers reindeer hunt
Smoke from a wildfire in southwestern Greenland is hampering the wild reindeer hunt on the Arctic island, best known for its ice rather than burning grass and bushes.
Nassuttooq Fjord, Greenland

Arctic snowy owls wintering in U.S. fitted with tiny tracking devices
For researchers, this winter's mass migration of snowy owls from their breeding grounds above the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes region is serious business.
Duxbury Beach, Massachusetts, United States

Shifting permafrost threatens Alaska village's new airport
Tununak Airport near Bethel is facing a catastrophic problem, as airlines are refusing to land there due to the village's shifting permafrost.
Tununak, Alaska, United States

Okanagan flooding expected to be ‘unlike anything ever seen,' Kelowna mayor warns
British Columbia’s Okanagan region is bracing for a storm that Kelowna’s mayor worries could unleash the worst flooding the region has ever seen.
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

Jumbo squid is captured in unfamiliar waters
Sitka, Alaska
msnbc.com

Hundreds of apparently 'flash-frozen' turtles wash ashore in New England
Robert Prescott, of the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, believes a warming trend allowed the turtles to delay their migration south.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States
the Guardian

Wind, rains cool Pakistan heat wave that killed at least 838
Wind from the sea and pre-monsoon rains cooled southern Pakistan on Wednesday, likely marking the end of a scorching heat wave that killed at least 838 people, authorities said.
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

B.C.'s Cowichan River in danger of drying up
Duncan, British Columbia, Canada

The worst U.S. storm landfall since 1935 leaves Northern Mariana Islands devastated
Residents of the U.S. territory were bracing for months without electricity or running water in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu.
Northern Mariana Islands
Caleb Jones, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press

Matanuska River erosion threatens more homes
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Swollen with recent rains, the Matanuska River has launched another erosive assault on properties along its banks. But unlike previous years, when the river attacked properties downstream,
Matanuska River, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Mule deer, mountain lion sightings in Alaska
Interior residents are reporting varieties of wildlife that are new to the region, including mule deer, mountain lions and whitetail deer.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
JuneauEmpire.com

The worst may be yet to come as the flood risk rises in the Okanagan - NEWS 1130
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
NEWS 1130

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