Biologists struggle to single out a leading cause of the caribou population’s decline. Increased wolf predation, changed migration patterns and climate warming affecting food sources can all influence the herd. “It’s going to be another rough winter again this year without caribou,” Selawik resident Norma Ballot said.

"I had never seen burrows like this, and they were everywhere on the Nuna. What seemed to be elaborate tunnel systems dug where there was apparently no permafrost, and sometimes the burrows led up to the bench behind."

The first observations of orchids in the area were in 2020. Now they are becoming more common.

After he lost the trail, Jeff King stopped his dog team and draped his sleeping bag over his head to block the battering wind and blowing snow. He was somewhere between the villages of Ambler and Shungnak in the Kobuk 440 Sled Dog Race. Conditions ranged from howling to furious. King lay down with his team. He cuddled a dog named Twister and tried to sleep. That’s when a flaw in the plan rattled his bones. The work of getting there had caused him to sweat, dampness worsened by blowing snow that found its way inside his clothing.

Mayor Clyde Ramoth says frozen pipes are a chronic problem due to issues with the initial installation of the above-ground water system. The warming climate isn’t making things any easier.

High water posed safety hazards and resulted in the removal of boardwalk but also allowed boats to go further up river than usual.

Temperatures in July reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, above the normal high temperature of 72.3 degrees.

Alvin Williams was reported missing on May 2. His body was found Sunday, troopers said.

Thawing and eroding is destroying river bank, impacting access, threatening infrastructure, and causing safety concerns.

Many foggy days in Noorvik during the fall of 2017.

River Erosion

Caribou calving on the Kobuk River, seems early to calf.

Unusual swallow species

The caribou are crossing at different times and locations as the years go by.

Chum salmon die-off in the Kobuk River.

Fishing this spring and caught a broad whitefish that had a growth.

9-5-13 Caribou delayed - Kiana, Alaska, USA

The blueberries are so ripe now that the best time to pick those are late morning while they are chilled down and the leaves are not so moist, otherwise they fall easily or squish in your fingers.

7-23-13 Horntail wood wasp - Selawik, Alaska,

Permafrost thawing causing bridge damage.