
Molly Bilinski
Environment & Science reporterI cover environment and science for LehighValleyNews.com. Originally from Schuylkill County, I got my start in journalism writing obituaries for the Reading Eagle in 2014 after graduating from Kutztown University. I’ve also reported for The Press of Atlantic City, covering municipalities, crime and courts, and The Morning Call, where I was part of the audience team. In 2022, I won first place in the diversity category of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s Keystone Media Awards. Contact me at mollyb@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8225.
-
A section of Institute Drive will be closed through most of April to protect breeding amphibians. Experts said the road-closing conservation effort is not only important for the animals, but also for the region’s overall landscape and ecosystem.
-
A three-person crew from Joshua Tree Experts spent hours pruning the trees on Camelot for Children's campus. The work was donated through the company's #JTGivesBack initiative.
-
City Conservation Manager Rob Christopher and Ian Kindle, chair of Easton's Environmental Advisory Council, called on college officials to repair the deforested slope in a joint email sent Friday.
-
Spring wildfire season runs from March through May across the commonwealth. State officials are urging residents to do their part to prevent wildfires.
-
The 120-acre park in Northampton County boasts more than 100 species of trees and shrubs from around the world. "What's unique is it's in a public park setting. It's run by county park staff, not a nonprofit or not a for-profit entity,” the superintendent said.
-
Dozens of students from across Pennsylvania will descend on Saucon Valley Middle School’s gymnasium for FIRST Tech Challenge’s robotics state championship, including two teams from the Lehigh Valley.
-
Pennsylvania’s maple sugaring season is well underway. At the Monroe County Conservation District’s Singing Hemlock Sugar Shack, educators guided visitors through the history of maple syrup production.
-
Advocates and officials across Pennsylvania have signaled their support the new standards for fine particle pollution, also called soot or PM 2.5. However, federal officials don’t anticipate communities will meet the standard for almost a decade.
-
More than 200 years after the sanctuary was built, church leaders are working to make its heating and cooling more sustainable. While work is already underway, the oldest Moravian Church in North America still needs funding.
-
Warehouses, highways: More preliminary data released from $100K Lehigh Valley air monitoring projectLehigh Valley Breathes aims to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing. Here's the February update.
-
Officials on Monday morning cut the ribbon on its per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, treatment plant at the Bethlehem Landfill in Lower Saucon Township. The system uses air to separate the chemicals from water.
-
State officials announced the awards this week. Grants are earmarked for improving local parks to expanding trails and river access points, and creating more green space in local communities.
-
It’s going to cost an estimated $100 million over the next decade to replace pipes made of lead, galvanized steel and unknown materials throughout the Lehigh County Authority’s service area.
-
Rodale Institute on Veterans Day celebrated $500,000 in state funding awarded for its Veteran Farmer Training program. The program draws trainees from across the U.S.
-
The Lehigh Valley is parched, again. Here's what the region needs to get out of the drought that has led to burn bans and voluntary water conservation measures.
-
The Blue Mountain fire, also called the Gap Fire, erupted Saturday in Lehigh Township. It's now 100% contained, officials said.
-
The red flag warning is in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday in both Lehigh and Northampton counties. It's the second red flag warning issued so far this month.
-
The fire erupted Saturday in Lehigh Township. Over the following days, the fire grew from 150 acres to almost 600 near the border of Northampton and Carbon counties.
-
Daniel Klem Jr., director of the Acopian Center for Ornithology at the college, on Saturday was presented with the Walt Pomeroy Conservation Award. His most recent study found 3.5 million birds dying every day in a 365-day period.
-
The annual series, starting later this month and running on select Thursdays through March, focuses on engaging residents about the environment and conservation efforts.
-
The Gap Fire, which erupted Saturday near Route 248 in Lehigh Township, has drawn hundreds of firefighters over four days. Crews have gotten the upper hand and are now searching for and extinguishing hotspots, officials said.
-
Around 10 p.m. Sunday, the evening operation was passed off to DCNR State Wildland Crews, the Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Co. said on social media. A planned backburn was underway to stop the spread of a fire burning since Saturday.