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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

Skunks found dead in Metro Vancouver had avian flu: government
Eight skunks found dead last month in Vancouver and Richmond tested positive for avian flu.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
vancouversun

Fish arriving in revitalized stream in View Royal, B.C.
New fish have been spotted in a recently revitalized section of Craigflower Creek in View Royal, B.C., thanks to a development site with an environmental focus.
View Royal, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Island

Photographer finds massive octopus dead on Vancouver Island shore
A B.C. photographer and her dog found a Giant Pacific octopus washed up on the shore of a Vancouver Island beach.
Cherry Point, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria Times Colonist

Gumboot Chiton Cryptochiton stelleri Die-off
We saw over 100 on a 1/2 mile stretch of beach. I am wondering if the chiton die-off is related to the stormy conditions or something else?
Coupeville, Washington, United States

Sea cucumber die-off near Vancouver Island
When Kathleen Reed descended for her usual weekly dive off the coast of Nanaimo, B.C., last Saturday she was shocked by how many dead sea cucumbers she saw. Experts and harvesters fear that sea cucumbers are being hit by an illness similar to sea star wasting disease.
Dolphin Beach, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Intertidal life after significant heat wave
In Malahat Drive in BC, an extraordinary heat wave, combined with low tides during the middle of the day resulted in the die off of possibly billions of intertidal invertebrates along the coast of British Columbia and Washington State.
Malahat Drive

Extreme heat cooks shellfish alive on Puget Sound beaches
A record-shattering heat wave June 26-28 coincided with some of the year's lowest tides on Puget Sound. The combination was lethal for millions of mussels, clams, oysters, sand dollars, barnacles, sea stars, moon snails, and other tideland creatures exposed to three afternoons of intense heat.
Anacortes, Washington, United States
KUOW

Arbutus trees under stress on Gabriola Island
In early April I observed what appears to be widespread disease of Arbutus trees (Arbutus menziesii) on the island. Leaf blight is a known factor affecting Arbutus trees; but I wonder if other factors such as climate change may also be contributing to what is perceived as a general decline of the species.
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

Western Red Cedar die-off in Pacific Spirit Park
In the last few years, I have observed a significant die-off of Western red cedar in several high traffic and peripheral areas of Pacific Spirit Regional Park (PSRP). The majority of the cedar trees I saw were noticeably consumed by browning, small, and young, with most likely more shallow root systems. This is consistent with vegetative stress to which young trees have not developed resilience, but older trees may be less impacted
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
David Oswald, Cody Thomas, Lauren Wright

Southern resident whales returning later to Salish Sea in ‘drastic’ change
Southern resident killer whales made their first appearance in the Salish Sea on Canada Day after more than two months with only a brief sighting off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Strait of Georgia
Times Colonist

Where are the endangered whales? Southern residents haven't been spotted in B.C.'s Salish Sea
Southern resident killer whales which are often spotted in the Salish Sea near Vancouver throughout June haven't been seen this season, and scientists believe that could be because of the lack of chinook salmon.
Salish Sea, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

The Salish Sea’s orcas are late for their annual summer visit, the latest sign something is wrong
Researchers say their absence is a stark reminder that the orcas are slowly starving to death because there is not enough Chinook salmon to sustain them.
Salish Sea
The Star

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
CBC

Extreme weather sparks large die off of Cedar on Vancouver Island
A growing die off of native Western Red Cedar trees is becoming visible right across East Vancouver Island now. Experts say its a symptom of climate change and as Skye Ryan reports, its changing the forests we've come to know across this region.
East Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Salal (Gaultheria shallon) dying, tops showing dry brown leaves
Salal bushes observed to be very dry and dying in British Columbia.
Burnaby Mountain, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Trees Broken, Uprooted, Toppled by Wind
the Beaufort Picnic Area appears to consist of stream-origin alluvial cobbles, pebbles, and perhaps sand, and so not well consolidated, thus perhaps making these trees relatively vulnerable to wind. The snapped-off trees, however, indicate the unusually high intensity of this particular windstorm.
Beaufort Picnic Area, Cameron Lake, British Columbia

Dead grey whale towed to Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney for necropsy
A dead male grey whale that was found floating between Sidney Island and James Island on Thursday has been towed to Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney for a necropsy.
Sidney Channel, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Intrusion of Beach Stones and Saltwater into the Coastal Forest
French Beach Provincial Park

Eagle preys on duck on Saanich Peninsula
‘I’ve never seen that before in my life’
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria News

72 dead baby sharks removed from dead pregnant shark during necropsy at Coles Bay
Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the University of Victoria’s Juanes Laboratory think the shark came into shallow water to give birth and potentially had complications, as there are no signs of trauma.
Coles Bay, Saanich, BC

Pregnant shark washes up on Vancouver Island shoreline
The carcass of a nearly four-metre-long bluntnose sixgill shark was found on Coles Bay Tuesday.
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Island

Pregnant Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus) in Coles Bay
A pregnant bluntnose sixgill shark found on the banks of Coles Bay may have come in to shallow water to give birth and died from complications.
Cole Bay, British Columbia, Canada

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) die-off French Beach
Many mature Sitka spruce trees dying off from French Beach south into Sooke along waterfront. Many dead partway up and needles thin.
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Elizabeth Graham, Jacob Earnshaw, Robin Mulvey

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

What is Eating Garry Oak (Quercus garryana) Leaves?
Mount Tolmie, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Fraser River sockeye salmon at lowest numbers since records began in 1893
“The exact reasons why the return fell at the lower end of the forecast range are unknown at this time, but poorer than average marine survival is a leading candidate.”
Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada
Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly

Lack of food drives away southern resident killer whales
The southern resident killer whales who returned to their traditional summer feeding grounds in the Salish Sea on Tuesday and Wednesday after a long absence have apparently left again, and although most of the members of J-, K- and L-Pods appeared to be healthy, at least one may be close to starvation.
Salish Sea
Times Colonist

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