Environment & Science

Forecasters say the Lehigh Valley will see a mixed bag of precipitation in the days ahead, with snow showers possible Wednesday and Thursday and a potent storm system expected this weekend.

Lehigh Valley Breathes is a Valley-wide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing. The project is expected to run for a year.

State lawmakers on Monday held a committee hearing titled “Minimizing Risk & Harm: Preparing for Pennsylvania’s Hydrogen Future.” It comes almost two months after President Joe Biden announced seven regional clean hydrogen hub projects, including two in Pennsylvania.

Your name can travel to space on the Europa Clipper Spacecraft. NASA’s ‘Message in a Bottle’ program is open through the end of December.

The state Department of Environmental Protection's Energy Programs Office will host five public engagement sessions in December, four in-person and one virtual, as officials work to create a priority climate action plan to address the negative effects of climate change.

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.

Residents from the Lehigh Valley and beyond on Thursday attended the state Department of Environmental Protection’s last public comment meeting on the commonwealth’s interim environmental justice policy. The majority said the policy doesn’t go far enough.

Blue Mountain Resort took full advantage of a recent cold snap across the region to fire up the snow guns — and schedule Opening Day on Friday.

While plans for the site include homes, offices, restaurants and other facilities at the 200-acre East Side property, regulations call for at least 35%, or about 70 acres, to be preserved as open space for outdoor recreation.

Wildlands Conservancy’s first fall photography contest is underway, with entries due just before midnight Thursday. Officials said the contest aims to encourage residents to explore the outdoors, as well as share their interest in nature with others in the community.

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.

Called the Recovery in Nature initiative, two state departments have joined forces to create regional-specific partnerships to bolster substance use recovery efforts while strengthening all residents’ connection to nature.

While Tropical Storm Francine and its remnants will not be moving this way, it will play a role in the Lehigh Valley’s weather pattern for the next few days.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its report of the most challenging places to live with asthma. The release coincides with peak asthma season in September.