Environment & Science

Sarah DeGrendel was recently hired as the city’s first sustainability manager. The position focuses on creating and facilitating sustainability initiatives while capturing grant funding to cover the cost of related projects.

Months after a fire tore through Blue Mountain, the community continues to support the fire departments who helped battle the blaze. This time, that support comes in form of monetary donations.

This week on Watching the Skies, a look at efforts to preserve the artifacts that remain on the moon’s surface.

A pair of river otters at the Lehigh Valley Zoo offered their predictions for the winner of Super Bowl LIX during the zoo's annual Otter Bowl. Eagles fans may not like it, depending on their perspective.

The winter weather advisory will run 3 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday, with mixed precipitation expected in the Lehigh Valley and across the region.

St. Luke's University Health Network on Friday launched an email helpline for residents with questions about avian flu. No human cases have so far been recorded in Pennsylvania.

The Valley’s two major health networks are preparing for an increase in bird flu in people. Cases have been generally mild, with none reported so far in Pennsylvania.

Just shy of 90 awardees from 45 counties were selected for the commonwealth’s Agricultural Innovation Grant Program. Find out what got funded in the Lehigh Valley.

Applications are open for the 2025 Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program. Grants are earmarked for conservation efforts in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission officials last month held the first regional climate planning workshop of the year, WorkshopLV: Environment.

The remnants of Ophelia will drift slowly southward and offshore through Wednesday, the National Weather Service said, bringing a raw start to the week for the Lehigh Valley.

In a recent national report, Pennsylvania received a failing grade in its regulation and treatment of lead in schools’ water. Six local schools have reported unacceptable levels of lead since 2018, and one expert says some of the remediation methods they used are less than perfect.

No longer a tropical storm, the remnants of Ophelia will have an impact on the Lehigh Valley weather at least into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Expect showers throughout Sunday.

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.

A sunrise observance was held Saturday at the private, nonprofit park to mark the transition from summer to fall. The park features dozens of stone settings strategically placed throughout more than 20 acres.

The storm is expected to cause heavy rainfall across the Mid-Atlantic states, potentially leading to flash and urban flooding. Easton's PorchFest has been postponed to Oct. 1.

A tropical system that was officially named Ophelia on Friday will drench the East Coast this weekend, including the Lehigh Valley, officials said.

The free festival runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center. The schedule includes nature walks, live animal presentations, monarch butterfly tagging, music and more.

Northampton County and its conservation district appear poised to split after a County Council committee meeting Wednesday showed deep distrust between them

Lehigh Valley Breathes, a Valley-wide effort, aims to measure air quality. From the collected data, officials said they will make recommendations for improvements.

It’s becoming increasingly probable that a subtropical storm develops off the Southeast coast this weekend, forecasters say, but expected impacts to the Lehigh Valley remain in question.

It took less than 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.