Environment & Science

The start of Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s annual hawk watch is just over a month out, and preparations are well underway. A tradition in its 64th year, volunteers count birds of prey as they migrate along the raptor "superhighway" in the Lehigh Valley’s backyard.

Funding was awarded through the Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program. The program aims to protect and promote natural resources through the implementation of ready-to-go, single-year projects.

With other communities around the state adopting bans on plastic bags, Lower Saucon could be on its way to something similar. if approved, it would involve a transition process to show shoppers the bigger picture and give time for businesses to properly offload plastic bags on hand.

Allentown and Easton have been paired with an engineering company to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. It's Allentown's first time, but Easton's second, in the program.

Environmentalists say the Lehigh River is the cleanest its been in 175 years. A river snorkeling program at Lehigh Gap Nature Centers encourages residents to explore their local waterways and track river health.

This week Watching the Skies explores the ice giant, Uranus.

Another heat advisory has made its way to the Lehigh Valley, accompanied by an air quality alert. While temperatures aren't expected to be as high as the last heat wave, the heat index could still hit triple-digits Monday and Tuesday.

Cars were running and appeared ready to roll Saturday morning at the site of Friday's multi-car derailment.

More than two dozen dinosaurs are on display at the Allentown Fairgrounds Agri-Plex through Sunday night.

Possible showers and thunderstorms will provide little relief from the humidity over the next several days, according to the National Weather Service.

Firefighters battling a blaze on Blue Mountain expressed gratitude to the community for an abundance of donations — so many that they have advised people to hold onto their contributions as they have reached capacity for storage.

The National Weather Service said there will be “no relief” to ongoing drought and fire concerns, with record-challenging temperatures expected by midweek across the Lehigh Valley and the rest of the mid-Atlantic region.

Celebrating a year of space facts and fun sightings to look for.

State environmental officials are calling on residents to nominate their favorite waterway to be 2025 River of the Year. The effort aims to elevate public awareness of specific rivers and recognize important conservation needs and achievements.

Lehigh and Northampton counties are in a drought watch due to persistently dry weather. The Lehigh County Authority is asking residents to start conserving.

A red flag warning is issued when the risk of fire danger is highest. The warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Friday.

The U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday showed all of the Lehigh Valley in either “moderate” or “severe” drought.

At a hearing at Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem, concerned residents voiced worries about what could happen in the case of a train derailment of hazardous material.

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy Marty McGuire talk about the upcoming new moon, just in time for Halloween.

Lehigh and Northampton counties and surrounding areas ripe for easy-starting potential fire situations.

PennEnvironment's 2024 “Renewables on the Rise” report ranks every state for the production of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other metrics over the last decade, tracking growth.

Plainfield Township supervisors voted to consider a zoning change that would pave the way for the Grand Central Landfill to expand. It's the first of many, many steps in the process.