Environment & Science

A 605-pound black bear harvested in the Lehigh Valley has ranked one of the largest in the state to be bagged during its most recent season, and was the sixth-heaviest bear in Pennsylvania for 2023.

Bethlehem City Council on Jan. 17 unanimously approved $88,802 to be put toward the designs of Phase II improvements along the Monocacy Way Trail.

There’s good news ahead for the Lehigh Valley, as temperatures are expected to get progressively warmer each day this week, with "no additional replenishment of arctic air from Canada."

Orion is one of the easiest constellations to identify because of the three stars that make up the hunter's belt.

The team behind Lehigh University's "Community Mapping for Environmental Justice” project is creating an interactive map of litter in Bethlehem. Officials said the collaborative effort aims to improve the health and well-being of the entire community.

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.

The city is one of the first in the Lehigh Valley to carve out a position for a dedicated sustainability coordinator to oversee environmental initiatives and bolster community engagement.

Registration is open for the Nurture Nature Center's Youth Climate Summit of the Lehigh Valley, a free event April 19 and 20. The summit aims to engage middle and high school students in climate change issues, as well as seek solutions.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with journalists Stephanie Sigafoos and Julian Abraham.

A complex storm system will bring snow to the Lehigh Valley on Friday before temperatures tumble, forecasters warn.

Plans to upgrade the pocket park, at 1030 Bushkill St., include adding educational stations, such as a weather station and a sundial, as well as planting a nano-forest.

Cricket Wildlife Rehabilitation Center shared an update about the last escaped African serval on its Facebook page. While two of the three wild cats were captured and brought back to the wildlife center, the last remained on the loose for nearly a month.

Meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting highlighted the area as one to watch, thanks to the setup of a “thermal gradient” or baroclinic boundary as the storm moves through.

This week, Brad Klein shares his thoughts about the commonly heard phrase, "meteoric rise."

The Lehigh Valley is under a winter weather advisory from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, with total snow and sleet accumulations of 2 to 5 inches expected, with the greatest amounts at higher elevations.

While the program has expanded into the Lehigh Valley over the past few years, and is growing in popularity, officials said demand has also increased this year as federal programs and initiatives were canceled or paused.

The Lehigh Valley is in line for potential snowfall Tuesday as a coastal storm takes aim at the region, but there's a lot of uncertainty at this point," forecasters say.

After persistently dry, windy weather last year triggered concerns over the longevity of holiday trees, this year’s crop is shaping up well, Lehigh Valley growers said, with many different varieties available.

The Kline’s Island Sewer System, or KISS, regional wastewater plan has been approved by more than a dozen Lehigh County municipalities. Now, it's up to the state Department of Environmental Protection to approve it.

The survey, part of a project out of Lehigh’s Climate Resilience Center, is open until mid-December. As an incentive, residents who complete the survey will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card.

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's "Backyard Astronomy Guy" Marty McGuire dissect online misinformation circulating about an approaching comet. The third interstellar comet ever detected, combined with the long-running government shutdown, slowed NASA's response to the solar phenomenon, only fueling theories about the comet.

Amid the celebrations and family gatherings, residents can be mindful of their decisions this Thanksgiving, instituting small changes that could make a big difference during one of the most wasteful times of the year.