Newhalen

The sockeye salmon are coming back smaller for the Newhalen River and Iliamna Lake, plus not a thick as they once did when I was younger.

The decision caps a decades-long battle over a region that is home to both the world’s largest wild salmon run and one of the world’s largest deposits of copper and gold.

An unseasonable winter insect sighting in Newhalen.

I have been speaking with elders in the community and they have never before seen the river break up that soon.

Closely resembling a spider, this long legged mite belongs to the family Erythraeoidae and can be found in many different environments across Alaska.

A hole cut in the ice has produced a lot of overflow, and flooding is now threatening homes and a state-managed road.

“Something” big has shredded fishing gear and long been spotted in the lake. Bruce Wright plans to use a deepwater camera to find it.

Hungry and looking for food, where it was last fall. Very warm 40 degrees and rain. I'm sure it disturbed his hibernation.

On June 19, some kids spotted an unrecognized creature the size of a large whale offshore near the Alaska village of Iliamna. Other accounts followed.

Furry caterpillar in November.

Taking over my yard

Thunder Storms (?)

Unknown purple plant species.

Very early berries this year.

Black fly

Identified as a male Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)

Iliamna Lake is not frozen, very unusual for midwinter conditions.

Black bear (Ursus americanus) sighted during a rather warm winter this year.

Common murre sightings; a concern for the predatory and scavenger bird numbers

Winter storm grounds birds along the shores of Iliamna Lake.