Environment & Science

Zoo staff, volunteers and donors gathered at the zoo, 5150 Game Preserve Road in Schnecksville, for a ribbon cutting to mark the opening of Habitat Madagascar, a year-round lemur and tortoise exhibit.

Officials on Thursday gathered at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, 5150 Game Preserve Road in Schnecksville, for a ribbon cutting for the new Habitat Madagascar exhibit.

The group's goal is to prevent veteran suicides.

As a high pressure system moves in over the Lehigh Valley, we can expect dry, mostly sunny conditions, at least for parts of the region until Sunday.

After clearing more than 40 trees without city approval, college officials must resubmit plans to comply with the city's steep slope conservation ordinance. Failure to do so will halt the project.

The spring migration count at Hawk Mountain has ended with counts 25% above the 10-year average.

There are more than 400 species of bees in Pennsylvania, but loss of habitat, disease and pesticides have put them at risk, experts said.

The county's Livable Landscapes program's priorities include land conservation, ecological restoration, education and outreach, municipal park development and rehabilitation and regional trails.

Baby goats, chickens, and even lizards were met with hugs from the seniors, celebrating nursing home week.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is alerting consumers to widespread electric price changes.

Downed trees and power outages were the result of a powerful storm that pounded the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night.

In an update Thursday morning, PPL said crews saw significant damage from downed trees and limbs that caused more than 1,000 individual damage locations. Since the storm, it has restored power for more than 85,000 customers.

A severe thunderstorm brought wind gusts approaching 60 mph, heavy rain and hail to Lehigh and Northampton counties early Wednesday night. Utility companies reported thousands in the dark.

Another day of sweltering temperatures will transition to a night of severe weather across the region, and concern has shifted to timing on when storms are expected to fire.

Near unrelenting heat has become a reality in the Lehigh Valley to kick off summer, putting the area at risk for rapid onset drought — a term that’s part of a new outlook issued by the Climate Prediction Center.

Another surge of heat and humidity is on the way for the Lehigh Valley, with the possibility that severe storms could rattle the region on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Venus, the planet: Morning star, evening star, or just being itself?

The severe thunderstorm watch comes amid a heat wave that looks to break Monday as a cooler air mass mercifully moves into the region Sunday night.

Excessive heat warnings have been posted in parts of the northeastern U.S. with heat indices of 105 to 110 degrees. Forecasters issued an excessive heat warning for southeastern Pennsylvania. As for Saturday, we're expected to hit a high of 96 in the Lehigh Valley.

One trick is to be sure to water plants at the base — not the leaves — to ensure the roots absorb the water. "Everybody waters the plant, but you need to water the soil," says one nursery manager.

The Lehigh Valley ranks as the eighth-highest industrial market in the U.S., it was disclosed at a Lehigh Valley Planning Commission roundtable meeting on Friday.

This week, Megan Frank is joined by environment and science reporter Molly Bilinski, and Northampton County reporter Ryan Gaylor.