Environment & Science

Leaf-peeper season is right around the corner. Here's when to be on the lookout for pops of brilliant yellows, oranges and reds across the landscape.

Kathleen Covalt, who teaches online classes through Northampton Community College for adults interested in learning about unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, said there's hope for future disclosures.

A stalled front will take a parting shot at the Lehigh Valley on Monday, bringing additional showers, thunderstorms and possible downpours, forecasters say.

Sunday could be mostly a washout, with showers and the potential for heavy rainfall in the forecast throughout the day. Things are looking up, though, for later in the week.

The 17-year-old Allentown Central Catholic senior has been monitoring the creek's surface lead concentrations, and plans to continue researching.

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.

Easton City residents can recycle their old, outdated electronics and appliances at 500 Bushkill Drive this Saturday. Most items can be recycled for free, while some others require a small fee.

It could take two weeks to fix operational issues at Kline’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant on Union Street. Officials described the sewer odor as an ‘"earthy" or "rotten egg" smell, but said it is not harmful to human health.

This first round of designations included 483 tracts across the country, with only one in the Lehigh Valley. Officials said additional designations are slated for the next 12 to 18 months.

The eighth Martin's Guitar Wood Summit was held Thursday at Martin & Co. in Nazareth. The main topic centered on sustainability of forests that provide wood used for guitar construction.

The draft plan is the product of a series of well-attended public-input meetings over the past year.

For the second year, the nonprofit water and wastewater utility has launched a public outreach campaign about lead pipes. Under a new EPA rule, utilities have until 2037 to remove all lead service lines from its system.

The Allentown EAC on Monday approved two letters to City Council with recommendations for the citywide parks plan, as well as the city's first Climate Action Plan, respectively.

Three African Servals escaped from Cricket Wildlife Center after a powerful storm last Wednesday damaged their enclosure. After dozens of reported sightings, two of the wild cats are back, leaving one left to capture.

For November, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's "Backyard Astronomy Guy" Marty McGuire are taking a look at comets, with three getting a lot of attention as they pass through our inner solar system. This week, the subject is astrophotography.

The speaker series, which runs on select Thursdays through March, focuses on engaging residents about the local environment, as well as conservation efforts.

Craig Pfeiffer, Bethlehem's assistant director of planning and zoning, gave a presentation Thursday on the city's new subdivision and land development ordinance, more commonly known as a SALDO.

The baby alpaca was born Oct. 23. The zoo is taking suggestions for a name.

A Wednesday night storm brought damaging winds to the area, with gusts reaching up to 47 mph. The National Weather Service warned of damage to trees and utilities, and a wildlife center in Berks County suffered just that: A tree fell on an enclosure housing three African servals that have since escaped.

Current conditions, along with the continued drying of fine fuels, "could support the rapid spread of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control," the National Weather Service said.

Mackenzie, along with officials from Wildlands Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, on Wednesday morning hiked a portion of the property, lauding the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund that helped preserve it.

Easton's Environmental Advisory Council is continuing to work on an ordinance aimed at decreasing light pollution throughout the city.