Environment & Science

This week on Watching the Skies, learn how to spot several stars and bright celestial objects in the sky like Mars and Jupiter.

Almost 100 migrating birds of prey have been recorded since April 1, when this year’s count started. Officials at the sanctuary, as well as volunteers, have monitored the spring raptor migration since the 1960s.

Two Northampton County farms were the latest to be included in Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

Crayola officials, along with PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center and local legislators, held an informational session Thursday on the company’s 3.53 megawatt solar farm.

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor this month launched the Quest for the Golden Grabber. In its second year, it's an effort to engage community members in a friendly competition while cleaning litter from the trail.

There were 15 Diamond Clover awardees this year, including two from Lehigh County. The award is the highest in Pennsylvania's 4-H program.

Northampton County will use a mix of local money and a federal grant to buy 43 acres of undeveloped land in Stockertown, officials announced. Officials did not identify the parcel they intend to buy.

The African penguin colony, off exhibit since early January because of bird flu, is back at the Lehigh Valley Zoo.

This week, a preview of confirmation hearings scheduled for Wednesday to confirm a new head for NASA. The nominee is well known to the Lehigh Valley.

City officials were ready in February to award a contract for a tree inventory in Allentown, but uncertainties caused by an order from President Donald Trump's administration forced them to pause that plan.

The officials announced a statewide drought watch this July. Here are the latest updates for Lehigh, Northampton and more.

DOE has selected PPL's application for consideration in the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program.

NOAA's Operational Branch Chief Jon Gottschalck referenced “Snowmaggedon” — the storm that walloped the region in February 2010. He said in this winter outlook, "There’s some hope for snow lovers."

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Wednesday hosted “WorkshopLV: Environment + Transportation." The almost two hour long meeting focused on brainstorming and prioritizing ways to decarbonize transportation across the region.

Several sightings of black bears have been reported recently in residential areas of Bethlehem Township. Despite the animal not typically being aggressive toward humans, the Pennsylvania Game Commission advises not to approach or entice a black bear.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is hosting a series of in-person and virtual meetings to collect feedback on its new environmental justice policy. The next meeting is Oct. 25.

If the Lehigh Valley weather forecast feels familiar, it’s because an end-of-the-week system is once again being watched closely by meteorologists.

A biologist from the Pennsylvania Game Commission visited the location of the sighting in Lower Macungie Township and determined the animal spotted was not a mountain lion.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's “PA Pumpkin Palooza: Where Gourds Go Glam” contest has been extended to Oct. 23. Winners will be announced on Halloween.

A rare piebald deer, which has a distinctive white coat with patchy brown spots due to a pigmentation anomaly, has been seen in the Easton Cemetery. Such deer make up about 1% of the total whitetail deer population.

Brad Klein reviews the week's astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s "Backyard Astronomy Guy."

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.