Environment & Science

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.

Testimony that will help a Northampton County judge decide if a lawsuit against the Bethlehem Landfill and Lower Saucon Twp. can move forward continued Friday, and will stretch into a third day.

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.

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.

A multi-day severe weather event will unfold as a strong storm system marches from the Central Plains to the Great Lakes on Monday and Tuesday before targeting the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Brad Klein and Marty McGuire look at the eight planets in our solar system, and discuss what it takes to see them in the night sky.

Eric Mintel recently led an paranormal investigation at Miller Symphony Hall. It comes right before the second Bucks ParaCon, set for March 8.

Allentown received a $100,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to continue funding youth-led climate action projects this year.

While initial testing came back negative, a necropsy found the mature mother eagle died of bird flu. Pocono wildlife officials say it's the fourth bird that came back negative for avian flu during field testing, but was later confirmed to have the viral infection.

The LVPC Environment Committee on Tuesday approved a proposal by Lower Nazareth Township to modify its Agricultural Security Area program. The ASA program lets farmland owners enroll their properties in an ASA, which then is managed by a municipality.

There's been another attempt to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.

This week, Brad Klein and Marty McGuire take a look at the lunar phenomenon known as ‘earthshine.’

Emmaus Borough Council awarded the contracts earlier this week. The project focuses on two of the borough’s wells, including one that’s been offline since PFAS contamination was discovered.

Thousands of the Lehigh Valley's wild and domestic birds have been infected with avian flu. However, risk to songbirds remains low.

There have been dozens of claims brought against B. Braun alleging the ethylene oxide emissions from company facilities contributed to cancer cases in nearby residents and employees.

Bethlehem Twp. Commissioners voted in favor of an ordinance that would legally allow for existing structures on a 43-acre property near Green Pond Road, which houses NCC's East 40, though those properties may need special permits.