Environment & Science

The Lehigh Valley has been reshaped by a massive wave of development, both in industrial and residential, that has swept over the region the last three decades. While the development boom may be slowing, the impacts to the region’s economy and the environment are clear. (First of 5 parts)

The planets Jupiter and Mars will share a small patch of the eastern sky with the crescent moon, and the star Aldebaran on August 27. Here's how to see it.

A renewable natural gas plant adjacent to the Bethlehem Landfill opened on Tuesday morning.

The free exhibit, “America’s Beautiful,” at Lehigh Gap Nature Center runs from Aug. 21 to Aug. 29. It includes 50 watercolor paintings of Smokey Bear.

More than eight months after announcing a $600 million price tag over the next decade to upgrade aging water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, the Lehigh County Authority is reaching out to major industrial users.

A full moon is on display the evening of Monday, August 19. The full moon of each month has one or more traditional names, and the August full moon is known as ‘the Sturgeon Moon.’

Wednesday marked the end of the first round of a three-year initiative called TOWERS, or Tackling Obstacles for Women’s Engagement and Retention in STEM, at Cedar Crest. Through the program, incoming freshmen are paired with mentors to complete science projects, gaining confidence and community along the way.

In the home stretch of summer, is the worst of the heat behind us? Here’s where things stand in the Lehigh Valley as we look ahead — and enter the peak of hurricane season.

Four farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

It's becoming more favorable as the summer goes on for viewing the planets in the evening sky, including Saturn. But did you know — its angle in relation to an Earth-bound observer is always changing.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission's Elk Cam gives viewers a close-up look at elk as their activity is about to ramp up with the bugling season. It features a rotating, zooming camera and natural sound.

Three studies show smoke from Canadian wildfires led to a spike in people with asthma visiting emergency rooms in the United States. One study collected data from about 4,000 U.S. hospitals.

The Weather Prediction Center said one inch per hour rainfall rates are possible, as well as “precipitation totals on the order of 1 to 2 plus inches through the period.”

The middle of August is prime time for ragweed pollen production, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection — and that’s exactly what the numbers are showing in the Lehigh Valley.

It is now certain, forecasters say, that the Lehigh Valley will not see a 90-degree day in the month of August. Not with a pool of Canadian air set to descend on the region.

With a roadmap toward spooky season, the Lehigh Valley’s weather looks to match the fall decor now blanketing stores across the region. Cooler temperatures are on the way.

The panel voted 3-1, approving the name change from “Woodland Hills Preserve” to “Sandra Yerger Community Recreation Area and Nature Preserve.” The 146-acre area is located along Countryside Lane.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with Ryan Gaylor and Molly Bilinski.

The severe storms and flash flooding of July 16 overwhelmed parts of the Slate Belt, Forks and Palmer townships and led seven Northampton County municipalities to declare disasters of their own.

The Martin OM Biosphere guitar, which costs $2,299, received the Preferred by Nature Sustainability Framework certification, officials said Thursday. The Nazareth guitar maker is the first company to achieve the certification in the U.S., and only the second worldwide.

Hurricanes in the U.S. the last few decades killed thousands more people than meteorologists traditionally calculate, according to a new study.

Hoping or wishing that an item is recyclable, without actually confirming it, can do more harm than good, and it’s an increasing issue for Lehigh Valley haulers, as well as the recovery facilities where those items are sorted.