Environment & Science

Work is underway to restore a half-mile section of the Monocacy Creek that runs through the Archibald Johnston Conservation Area. Officials aim to improve the stream’s health by restoring the natural flow.

Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week, they talk about the upcoming Lehigh Valley Space Fest.

Leaf-peeping season is right around the corner in the Valley, moving from north to south as temperatures drop into fall across the commonwealth. Here's why the region could see an earlier, shorter season.

The box tree moth, a highly destructive, invasive insect, was discovered for the first time in Pennsylvania, in two cemeteries in Erie County. A quarantine has been issued.

The “Stanley Jr. Kids Wheelbarrow and 7-piece Garden Set" has been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission after the paint on the hoe and rake were found to contain lead levels exceeding the federal content ban.

Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week, they look ahead to the Autumnal Equinox.

SpaceX’s capsule Polaris Dawn splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico in the predawn darkness early Sunday. Returning to Earth were two SpaceX engineers, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman of the Lehigh Valley. Isaacman became only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk.

A Lehigh University graduate last year recorded a new species of mushroom at Wildlands Conservancy's South Mountain Preserve.

Monarch butterflies are starting to migrate through the Lehigh Valley. An annual tagging program, held at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, helps conservation efforts.

Testimony that will help a Northampton County judge decide if a lawsuit against the Bethlehem Landfill and Lower Saucon Twp. can move forward continued Friday, and will stretch into a third day.

Essentially a scholastic scrimmage for environmental science, the annual Envirothon combines classroom learning and outdoor activities to engage students in the environment. Find out where Lehigh Valley teams placed.

A two-building, 20-unit apartment complex along Quarry Road received unanimous preliminary final approval from the North Whitehall Township Planning Commission on Tuesday night.

The program will offer an associate's degree, certificate or three-course diploma.

Top-prize-winning projects include plans for an outdoor classroom at Trexler Middle School, several garden spaces and a free bike tune-up day.

Keystone Cement Co.'s hazardous waste permit has been renewed by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Part of the company's plan is to change how it transports waste, from trucks to rail.

Bethlehem and Allentown have achieved gold status through Bird Town Pennsylvania. The program aims to create a healthier, more sustainable environment for birds, as well as other wildlife and residents.

A large cicada emergence is underway across the eastern United States. Find out where they're expected in the commonwealth.

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy, Marty McGuire talk about the planet Venus and its role as the "morning star."

The state Department of Environmental Protection announced $1 million in grants to promote environmental education and stewardship across the state. Four Lehigh Valley programs received funding.

The LVPC on Thursday hosted a workshop, “Planning + Pizza: Deploying Electric Vehicle Infrastructure,” aiming to collect feedback about where best to deploy EV infrastructure throughout the region.

South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners may approve placing a referendum on the November ballot regarding funding to preserve open space.

Overall, 31 of the region’s 35 major climate sites were wetter than normal, with 22 of them experiencing one of their 20 wettest May 1-15 periods. Allentown took the top spot, experiencing its wettest May 1-15 ever.