Environment & Science

Officials gathered at the Lehigh Valley Zoo Thursday evening for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of Rothrock Red Panda Peak. It's the first time the zoo has had red pandas in residence.

The complaint alleges Sunshine Act violations from the township supervisors and legal filings from the township solicitor with no official approval beforehand.

The Storm Prediction Center has maintained a marginal risk (1 out of 5) for the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas Thursday, with the primary threat being damaging winds.

Environmental and county officials this week began dismantling a dam over Bushkill Creek in an effort to restore the creek. The removal will improve water quality, stormwater function and connectivity for fish and other organisms.

“The pleasant stretch of weather we encountered early in the week is beyond us,” the National Weather Service said in its latest forecast discussion, with the Lehigh Valley at risk of excessive rainfall Wednesday.

After a raging fire on Saturday night destroyed his Center Valley barn, tractors, trucks and equipment, Leroy C. Stahler Jr. vows to rebuild and continue the Stahler family legacy of farming, said his daughter, Tracy Beers.

While monitoring continues, Lehigh Valley Breathes officials used the most recent project update to explain results from the research this spring at Lehigh University.

When all was said and done, May was the Lehigh Valley’s sixth consecutive warmer-than-normal month, with an average temperature of 63.4 degrees – or 1.4 degrees above normal. So what will summer bring?

Voyager 1 is now the furthest man-made object from Earth, having traveled to a distance of around 15 billion miles away.

During this year’s spring migration count, which runs from April 1 through mid-May, Hawk Mountain volunteers and staff tallied 1,001 birds of prey.

Two presentations were given during the city Environmental Advisory Council’s Thursday meeting.

Through Easton Eco-Swap, residents’ food scraps are collected and turned into nutrient-rich compost in lieu of being sent to area landfills.

The 110th PA Farm Show opens this weekend in Harrisburg. While this year's theme is “Growing a Nation,” officials are also spotlighting the crucial role of women in agriculture.

The Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary still is closed to the public after an April bridge collapse. Officials said a new, permanent bridge is slated to be installed in spring.

This week on Watching the Skies, Brad Klein and Marty McGuire talk about Jupiter: shining its brightest this week.

Co-hosted by a father-daughter duo, the show is focused on renovation, but the pair said they also wanted to create family-friendly entertainment while working to preserve existing farms from development.

Of the thousands of stories covered and told in 2025, our staff picked some of their favorites. They included a bald eagle looking for love in the Hellertown area and an $11 million "sky dome" planned for Easton.

In 2025, LehighValleyNews.com readers gravitated toward stories that reflected mounting economic pressure, public safety concerns, environmental uncertainty and moments of sharp civic tension.

“If it does come down in any area, which most areas will see at least some snow showers from it, it is going to stick everywhere," one local forecaster said.

Weather was the main culprit for thousands of power outages that spanned the region early Tuesday.

Beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, the office will transition away from the traditional, chronological structure of the area forecast discussion.

This week, a suggestion for how to enjoy the view from the International Space Station, without the expense and arduous training needed to become an astronaut.