Environment & Science

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 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last week launched the Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction grant program. Aimed at schools and childcare facilities, the program is focused on testing for, and remediating, lead in drinking water.

For the sixth year, Nurture Nature Center will hold the Youth Climate Summit of the Lehigh Valley. The free event aims to engage middle and high school students in climate change issues, as well as seek solutions.

President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency canceled Pennsylvania’s $13 million contract with the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program. A pandemic-era program, farmers were paid to supply local food banks with fresh produce.

This week, how to spot the first traces of the young crescent moon that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The fifth annual Be My Neighbor Day was held Saturday at Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem. Children participated in crafts and gardening activities, interactive musical performances, and meet-ups with Daniel Tiger.

Team Pennsylvania on National Agriculture Day released “The Pennsylvania Agriculture Economic Analysis 2025.” The report takes a deep data dive into the commonwealth’s agriculture sector from 2012-2022.

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture on Wednesday held virtual town hall focused on the current freeze on U.S. Department of Agriculture grants earmarked for farmers implementing climate-smart production practices.

North Whitehall Board of Supervisors on Monday hired engineering consultant Gilmore & Associates to create an Open Space Action Plan for the township.

Musikfest organizers have already eliminated paper food and beverage tickets, and started using renewable energy sources to power tents, vendors and beer trucks – but the work continues to make the event more environmentally-friendly.

The Lehigh Valley will begin to see impacts from Tropical Cyclone Debby on Tuesday, forecasters warn, calling expected rainfall a ‘predecessor’ event as the storm begins to crawl up the coast.

This week, Watching the Skies gives an update on the International Space Station, which is currently hosting two ‘extra’ American astronauts.

Saturday’s weather plagued Musikfest and there’s a chance more of the same is in store Sunday for the Lehigh Valley region. After a sunny Monday, heavy rain is in the forecast Tuesday.

Following a severe thunderstorm yesterday, the Lehigh Valley should brace for more intense weather

Downpours and thunderstorms are expected to ramp up across the region heading into the weekend. Here's what to expect if you have outdoor plans, especially if you're heading to Musikfest in Bethlehem.

Over the past few days, Lehigh Valley residents have complained of bad smells wafting through Bethlehem and surrounding areas. Residents have described the most recent heavy odor as a rotting smell.

Another wave of heat is forecast for the Lehigh Valley and a large swath of the region in the coming days, with heat index values up to 100 degrees expected, the National Weather Service said.

ArtsQuest has a plan to keep people safe and hydrated as temperatures rise later this week. But once again, dodging storms on a couple of nights could be the weather headline of Musikfest 2024, says EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich.

One of the best chances to ‘catch a falling star’ is the Perseid meteor shower. And the evening of Aug. 12 and early morning of Aug. 13 should be the peak night for this annual event.

“Noticing a haziness to the sky today? That is due to the smoke spreading into the region aloft from the wildfires in western North America,” the National Weather Service said on X.