About the LEO Network

The Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network is a mobile and web-based platform that allows its members to share observations and knowledge about unusual environmental events. The purpose of the Network is to increase understanding about environmental change and to help identify healthy and effective ways to address or adapt to those changes.

The Network is based on the idea that connecting people from different knowledge backgrounds is key to understanding our changing world. LEO was originally developed in Alaska to bring local area experts in rural communities into contact with topic experts who might be far away. Today, the Network includes people from many places, representing different knowledge backgrounds, and possessing a wide range of skills and expertise.

Arctic communities have been among the first to experience significant impacts from climate change. In 2009, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) established the Center for Climate and Health to help describe connections between climate change, environmental impacts and health effects. In 2012, with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), LEO Network was launched as a tool to help the tribal health system and local observers share information about environmental change.