Environment & Science

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy Marty McGuire talk about the upcoming new moon, just in time for Halloween.

Lehigh and Northampton counties and surrounding areas ripe for easy-starting potential fire situations.

PennEnvironment's 2024 “Renewables on the Rise” report ranks every state for the production of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other metrics over the last decade, tracking growth.

Plainfield Township supervisors voted to consider a zoning change that would pave the way for the Grand Central Landfill to expand. It's the first of many, many steps in the process.

Covering 187 acres in Salisbury and Upper Saucon townships, the sanctuary has seven different trails, and is the conservancy’s ninth nature preserve in the Lehigh Valley.

The plan, estimated to cost more than $300 million over the next decade, seeks to overhaul and upgrade aging water and wastewater infrastructure across more than a dozen Lehigh County municipalities.

The Bethlehem Area School District is getting $2 million in federal rebates to buy 10 more electric school buses. Officials expect the buses to be in service next school year.

This week is a good one to spot the planets that are visible in the night sky, both in evenings and early mornings.

EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said, “While the milder outlooks that are out there have merit and support, it’s not as cut and dry as it seems and there can be some surprises, especially earlier in winter.”

Easton's Nurture Nature Center is hosting a free star party in Scott Park from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, offering use of their telescopes and the expertise of their staff to help budding stargazers.

The pause is the latest obstacle for landfill officials, who want a 275-acre expansion, and a being counted as a success for many residents who have argued and rallied against it.

Held June 7 in Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley Environmental Advisory Council Network’s “Funding Municipal Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs,” focused on federal and state funding opportunities available to organizations across the region.

There’s one major question as we approach the summer solstice in the Lehigh Valley – where’s the warmth?

Local experts say the Lehigh Valley is well prepared to knock down wildfires, but state data show those blazes are becoming much more common across Pennsylvania.

‘Tis the season for fresh fruits and veggies. This time of year farm stands pop up across the Lehigh Valley, but is there nutritional value to eating locally-grown produce? People from around the area weighed in about the benefits.

The beloved Rose Garden sits at 8th Avenue and West Union Boulevard, sporting hundreds of roses and complementing plants. It has received new life in the last few years.

The projects focus on advancing land conservation and restoration, outdoor recreation, community revitalization through green infrastructure and environmental education.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners in April voted to remove the mail-in application process for antlerless licenses, as well as move up the sale to the fourth Monday in June.

Spraying began 9 a.m. at Washington Crossing State Park. Black flies have been a recognized pest of humans and livestock in Pennsylvania since the 1970s.

The Lehigh Valley is likely to see something Monday it hasn’t witnessed in well over a month: substantial rain.

After the driest May on record, the Lehigh Valley is still dealing with bone dry conditions, exacerbating allergies and creating optimum conditions for brush fires.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.