Environment & Science

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.

Fred Buse, 87, of South Whitehall Township, has been tracking climate change in his backyard for decades. Every day he records the high and low temperatures, precipitation, insects, birds and other animals. He has written “Anticipation: The Effects of Climate and Environmental Changes on the Annual Cycle of Life on the Flora and Fauna in a Suburban Backyard,” which was published in 2021.

Pre-Thanksgiving storm ahead: Your best-laid plans to hit the road for the holiday could be upended next week, forecasters warn.

Officials announced Wednesday the start of its Climate Challenge as part of a broader Climate Action Plan, with goals of making sequential steps in steadily reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Weeks away from the official start of winter, the National Weather Service has established new winter storm warning criteria, officials confirmed late Monday.

City council on Wednesday will consider overriding Mayor Matt Tuerk's veto of council’s approved 2024 no-tax-increase budget, which did not include the position. Advocates still hope to find a way to a hire a sustainability manager.

Brad Klein reviews the week's astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s "Backyard Astronomy Guy."

A November 11 Facebook post showed a map of Pennsylvania and the surrounding mid-Atlantic region being walloped by snowfall in the weeks ahead. It's "wrong" and "without context," a local meteorologist said.

Edward Boscola, city water and sewer resources director, said Wednesday that a roughly $2 increase in monthly sewer charges would keep the capital fund in good shape, minimize borrowing and contribute to upcoming projects at the wastewater facility.

The Lehigh County Authority released the estimate and a schedule of public meetings to review the plan and collect feedback from affected residents. The first meeting is scheduled for 6 tonight in South Whitehall Township.

Through April 25, a section of Institute Drive is closed in the Totts Gap Conservation Area. Officials aim to protect breeding frogs, toads and salamanders from being crushed by vehicle tires.

The spring equinox is right around the corner — this week to be exact. This week, Brad Klein and Marty McGuire talk about the upcoming celestial event.

A destructive storm system moving up the coast is expected to hit the Lehigh Valley on Sunday evening. The area likely won't see any severe weather today, but it is just bordering the potential to, graphics from the National Weather Service show.

Two bald eagles that shared a nest for years at Saucon Park in Bethlehem captured attention after the female bird died of bird flu last month. Now, the surviving male apparently has found a new mate.

Staff from Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center took the drive to feed and water the bird, a Micronesian kingfisher, before its rescheduled flight. The rare bird is native to Guam.

A handful of Lehigh Valley farms are feeling the impact of the federal funding freeze. It's also causing a Harrisburg nonprofit focused on sustainable agriculture to announce furloughs starting next month.

Ruffian Tittmann will start her job as executive director of the Allentown Parknership at the end of March.

Last year was a big year for dam removals not only in the Lehigh Valley, but across Pennsylvania. The state was ranked first in the U.S. for the most outdated, unsafe and uneconomical dams removed in 2024.

The Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program encourages property owners to remove invasive plants by offering native replacements, for free, during events in May throughout the state.

This week, a surprise twist on the total lunar eclipse visible from the Lehigh Valley in the early morning hours of Friday, March 14th.

An invasive insect known for its voracious appetite that can defoliate millions of acres of forest, spongy moths have been an annual blight on the Valley and the rest of Pennsylvania for decades.

Formed in 2008, local weekend event in May features separate day of beer and wine tastings, followed by a for-kids-only day of art and science fun.