Environment & Science

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's "Backyard Astronomy Guy" Marty McGuire look forward to this year’s Lehigh Valley Space Fest at Lafayette College in Easton, set for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11-12.

The exhibit's stop in Allentown is its first on a 13-museum tour that’s booked through the summer of 2030.

State officials on Thursday released the first fall foliage forecast of the year, an annual effort that maps the state’s six-week leaf-peeping season.

Gov. Josh Shapiro reached out to Easton City Council for assistance with signage along the 9-11 Trail in anticipation of the 25 anniversary of Sept. 11 in 2026.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Environment Committee approved comments on more than a dozen water and wastewater projects Tuesday. The projects are part of a five-year capital plan.

This week, a look at the planet Saturn which is shining particularly brightly.

The largest green space in Easton, situated in the West Ward, Easton Cemetery officials are working to generate revenue through membership, fundraisers and events.

Three Lehigh Valley projects are in the running for Green Building United’s 2025 Groundbreaker Awards. Winners will be announced Oct. 9.

Northampton County and state Game Commission officials celebrated the opening of Gerald E. Seyfried Bear Swamp Park and Archery Complex and Wayne A. Grube Memorial Park with events at both locations.

This week on Watching the Skies, the subject is the beginning of ‘astronomical autumn.’

Lehigh and Northampton counties and surrounding areas ripe for easy-starting potential fire situations.

PennEnvironment's 2024 “Renewables on the Rise” report ranks every state for the production of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other metrics over the last decade, tracking growth.

Plainfield Township supervisors voted to consider a zoning change that would pave the way for the Grand Central Landfill to expand. It's the first of many, many steps in the process.

Covering 187 acres in Salisbury and Upper Saucon townships, the sanctuary has seven different trails, and is the conservancy’s ninth nature preserve in the Lehigh Valley.

The plan, estimated to cost more than $300 million over the next decade, seeks to overhaul and upgrade aging water and wastewater infrastructure across more than a dozen Lehigh County municipalities.

“It will feel more like a mid-to-late August day, with highs in the low to mid 80s under clear skies,” the weather service said in its latest forecast discussion, noting records could fall for climate stations across the region.

The Bethlehem Area School District is getting $2 million in federal rebates to buy 10 more electric school buses. Officials expect the buses to be in service next school year.

This week is a good one to spot the planets that are visible in the night sky, both in evenings and early mornings.

EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said, “While the milder outlooks that are out there have merit and support, it’s not as cut and dry as it seems and there can be some surprises, especially earlier in winter.”

Easton's Nurture Nature Center is hosting a free star party in Scott Park from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, offering use of their telescopes and the expertise of their staff to help budding stargazers.

Wildlands Conservancy, as well as other partners and stakeholders, on Tuesday marked the completion of restoration work on the Bushkill Creek at Lafayette College with a celebration and wildflower-planting.

Current conditions in the Lehigh Valley and throughout the region will support the spread of any fires that ignite, the National Weather Service warned Friday. Any fires that erupt could be difficult to control.