Environment & Science

Northampton County will use a mix of local money and a federal grant to buy 43 acres of undeveloped land in Stockertown, officials announced. Officials did not identify the parcel they intend to buy.

The African penguin colony, off exhibit since early January because of bird flu, is back at the Lehigh Valley Zoo.

This week, a preview of confirmation hearings scheduled for Wednesday to confirm a new head for NASA. The nominee is well known to the Lehigh Valley.

City officials were ready in February to award a contract for a tree inventory in Allentown, but uncertainties caused by an order from President Donald Trump's administration forced them to pause that plan.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last week launched the Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction grant program. Aimed at schools and childcare facilities, the program is focused on testing for, and remediating, lead in drinking water.

For the sixth year, Nurture Nature Center will hold the Youth Climate Summit of the Lehigh Valley. The free event aims to engage middle and high school students in climate change issues, as well as seek solutions.

President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency canceled Pennsylvania’s $13 million contract with the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program. A pandemic-era program, farmers were paid to supply local food banks with fresh produce.

This week, how to spot the first traces of the young crescent moon that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The fifth annual Be My Neighbor Day was held Saturday at Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem. Children participated in crafts and gardening activities, interactive musical performances, and meet-ups with Daniel Tiger.

Team Pennsylvania on National Agriculture Day released “The Pennsylvania Agriculture Economic Analysis 2025.” The report takes a deep data dive into the commonwealth’s agriculture sector from 2012-2022.

Spraying began 8 a.m. Tuesday. Black flies have been a recognized pest of humans and livestock in Pennsylvania since the 1970s.

The center’s Board of Trustees said it will form a search committee this summer to begin the process of selecting Erickson’s successor, with the goal to announce a new CEO by spring 2026.

Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center has a new fawn hotline, where a fawn specialist will help callers quickly determine if a newly found fawn needs help, or needs to be left alone.

As the summer solstice arrives this week, the long-range outlook depicts a pattern shift that will go from seasonal to sizzler in a hurry, forecasters warn.

Night at the Drive-In: On Tuesday, June 17, Shankweiler's will host Brad Klein and Marty McGuire for Watching the Skies' first live event. And they will screen (also for the first time) a presentation by Bethlehem’s "Backyard Astronomer" about his favorite planet, Mars.

The Lehigh Valley has endured nearly non-stop weekend rain since April, marking one of the region’s wettest springs. Despite high rainfall totals, flooding hasn't been a concern.

A stalled front could bring rain, clouds, and cooler temperatures to the Lehigh Valley this weekend, impacting major events like Allentown’s Blues, Brews & Barbeque and Bethlehem’s Juneteenth celebration.

Activists gathered outside Nature Nurture Center in Easton on Wednesday to support a ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin.

The survey aims to capture opinions from local restaurants and eateries about single-use plastics.

Join the Watching the Skies guys at Shankweiler’s Drive-In next Tuesday, June 17, for a special filmed presentation on the "red planet," followed by a screening of the 1985 film "Explorers."

The grant, part of a $650,000 round of funding, came from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, a State College-based nonprofit.

Township officials held their first public meeting on the Bushkill Creek Greenway Master Plan. It's a comprehensive, community-driven effort aimed at mitigating flooding, updating facilities and increasing accessibility.