
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.
-
Lehigh Valley Breathes is behind schedule from the course established in August 2023. Here's what officials have learned so far — and how they plan to proceed.
-
The Lehigh Valley has been reshaped by a massive wave of development, both in industrial and residential, that has swept over the region the last three decades. While the development boom may be slowing, the impacts to the region’s economy and the environment are clear. (First of 5 parts)
-
The free exhibit, “America’s Beautiful,” at Lehigh Gap Nature Center runs from Aug. 21 to Aug. 29. It includes 50 watercolor paintings of Smokey Bear.
-
More than eight months after announcing a $600 million price tag over the next decade to upgrade aging water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, the Lehigh County Authority is reaching out to major industrial users.
-
Wednesday marked the end of the first round of a three-year initiative called TOWERS, or Tackling Obstacles for Women’s Engagement and Retention in STEM, at Cedar Crest. Through the program, incoming freshmen are paired with mentors to complete science projects, gaining confidence and community along the way.
-
Four farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.
-
Three flights departing from Lehigh Valley International Airport on Monday have already been canceled. Officials are urging travelers to check their airline's website.
-
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.
-
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.
-
PennFuture and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network earlier this month realized a win in their case against the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, or Transco, and the state Department of Environmental Protection.
-
Zoo staff, volunteers and donors gathered at the zoo, 5150 Game Preserve Road in Schnecksville, for a ribbon cutting to mark the opening of Habitat Madagascar, a year-round lemur and tortoise exhibit.
-
After clearing more than 40 trees without city approval, college officials must resubmit plans to comply with the city's steep slope conservation ordinance. Failure to do so will halt the project.
-
The spring migration count at Hawk Mountain has ended with counts 25% above the 10-year average.
-
There are more than 400 species of bees in Pennsylvania, but loss of habitat, disease and pesticides have put them at risk, experts said.
-
The county's Livable Landscapes program's priorities include land conservation, ecological restoration, education and outreach, municipal park development and rehabilitation and regional trails.
-
The Appalachian Mountain Club on Tuesday released their "Equity and Accessibility Assessment Along the Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania" a report focused on a 2.3 mile section of the D&L Trail.
-
Campaign volunteers outnumbered voters across the Lehigh Valley early Tuesday as Pennsylvania’s primary election got underway.
-
Like all the other major cities in the Lehigh Valley, Allentown is a patchwork of neighborhoods, some with good tree cover and some without any. Officials plan to use a mapping tool as a starting point to make planting trees city-wide more equitable.
-
In its third year, Spring on the Farm is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The free event includes a seedling sale, as well as other local vendors.
-
A program that started at Easton's Nurture Nature Center to protect area watersheds has already garnered state recognition. Now it's expanding.
-
The EPA on Thursday announced a new proposal that would set new guidelines for power plants, requiring “ambitious reductions” in carbon pollution. A Pennsylvania environmental group calls the move a "big step in the right direction.”
-
The city's parking authority earned the 2023 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its Park Green program, a sustainability initiative.