Environment & Science

Bethlehem Twp. Commissioners voted in favor of an ordinance that would legally allow for existing structures on a 43-acre property near Green Pond Road, which houses NCC's East 40, though those properties may need special permits.

Applications are open for the The Good Farmer Award U.S. Officials are looking for farmers with less than 10 years of experience who exemplify sustainable farming practices while contributing to community and environmental health.

This week, a look at a NASA mission that is on the way to a moon landing, but very different from the Apollo missions a half century ago.

A Northampton County farm was one of the latest group to be included in Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

Unable to fly and rescued from Saucon Park on Thursday, the female bald eagle was set for a 10-day quarantine at the Wilderz at Pocono Wildlife in Hamilton Township, Monroe County. The mother bird died early Friday at the wildlife center.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind watch for winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts of 50 to 60 mph possible for the Lehigh Valley and portions of central, northern and northwest New Jersey and east central and southeast Pennsylvania.

Easton is hiring a sustainability coordinator. It marks the third of the Valley's major cities to carve out a position dedicated to sustainability initiatives and fighting the worsening impacts of climate change.

It's the third time the Delaware River has won the title. Previous wins were in 2002 and 2017.

Some salt sheds across the region could be down to their final grains, officials said Thursday, as reports of a rock salt shortage spread through the region and well beyond.

The state's dairy industry has officially reached "HPAI-free" status after rigorous testing in Pennsylvania dairy cattle for highly pathogenic avian influenza. Other states have detected bird flu in their cattle though, so the state will continue to monitor and test cattle.

Easton residents were surprised to see streetlights swapped to LED fixtures last week, and city officials have halted the Met-Ed conversion project to review details before continuing the project.

A crop farm in Lehigh County was included in the latest round of Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program. Twenty-three other farms across the state were also preserved.

In its 10th year, and led by the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, the conference theme was “Back to Basics,” and drew a sold-out crowd with about 180 people, including professionals and volunteers.

The Allentown Environmental Advisory Council on Monday unanimously approved a letter and draft resolution, urging city officials to use non-chemical methods to dispatch invasive plants.

The Walking Purchase, a 1737 land grab perpetrated by William Penn's sons, shaped the Lehigh Valley as residents know it today. But, the land wasn’t actually purchased, as the name might suggest — it was swindled from the Lenni-Lenape.

On Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's "Backyard Astronomy Guy" Marty McGuire talk about possible signs of life on Mars, as seen by NASA's Perseverance rover.

More than 130 people attended the panel, which focused on efforts across the state to tamp down on light pollution, not only to benefit star-gazers, but for fireflies and migrating birds, too.

Twenty-seven city restaurants and eateries have so far responded to a single-use plastics survey.

As the system moves off the Carolina coast and begins to strengthen and lift northward, impacts farther inland — particularly in the Lehigh Valley — are not expected to be overly hazardous.

Martin Guitar welcomed guests from across the music industry to talk about protecting the environment at its first Sustainability Summit on Thursday.

Veronika Vostinak, Allentown's sustainability coordinator, on Wednesday gave a hourlong presentation to the Lehigh Valley Environmental Advisory Council Network on her experience with plastic reduction efforts, targeting single-use foodwares and reusables for dine-in.

While a full report is expected next year, researchers behind Lehigh Valley Breathes have released a data analysis, which includes three comparisons looking at fine particulate pollution across eight monitoring locations.