Environment & Science

State police say someone has photos and they are investigating the sighting of a large feline — possibly a mountain lion — in a field in Lower Macungie Township on Sunday.

More than 1,336 acres across the commonwealth were preserved. Here are the Lehigh Valley farms now safe from development.

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.

Rainy weekends have put a damper on attendance at fall festivals in the Lehigh Valley.

A potent system is still on the way to the area, the National Weather Service warned Friday, referencing a storm forecasters have been talking about for almost a week.

The initiative consists of a partnership between Northside Alive and PPL — the latter donating 500 special lightbulbs to the community.

PennEnvironment released data showing Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom when it comes to the growth of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other renewable energy metrics over the last decade.

A powerful storm system expected to bring heavy rain to the region this weekend might not be a total washout, forecasters say.

After Lafayette College cleared more than 40 trees for a $1.2 million walkway without city approval, no trees will be replanted on the hillside where they were removed, the city forester said. Instead, several dozen trees were planted across campus and in Easton.

An agreement between Bethlehem Landfill and the people suing them, reached Tuesday, limits the landfill’s work to expand while a series of lawsuits aimed at stopping the expansion go forward.

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

Officials on Wednesday reviewed several preliminary transportation policy strategies for the Valley's priority climate action plan. The plan’s focus is to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions across the region.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

"Turn around, don't drown", warned a spokesperson for PennDOT. More than once today, people in the Valley have had to be rescued from their cars after driving into water that shut their engines off, trapping the drivers.

Some parts of the Lehigh Valley saw more than four inches of rain from Sunday into Monday, with precipitation still falling.

Schools are closing early and a large swath of the region is under a flood warning until at least 3:15 p.m. as the storm system that inundated the area overnight moves north.

The winter, or December, solstice takes place this year between sundown on Dec. 21 and sunrise Dec. 22

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission at 11 a.m. on Wednesday is holding a meeting at its Allentown office to brainstorm and prioritize ways to decarbonize transportation across the region. Decarbonization is the process of reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions.

Many spots could receive 2 to 3 inches of rain, forecasters warn, with areas of flooding possible Sunday night as another coastal storm targets the region.

Amid the joy and festivities, environmental advocates are urging residents to keep sustainability in mind during what can be a time of year when trash and waste spikes.

State environmental officials on Thursday evening hosted the last of five public engagement sessions, as they work to create a Priority Climate Action Plan, or PCAP, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission statewide and mitigate further effects of climate change.

Forecasters say another impactful storm is expected to move up the coast, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to the region Sunday into Monday.