Environment & Outdoors
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Longwood Gardens Boasts Unique Plant Species from All Over the World
One of the most scenic tourist stops in Chester County, Longwood Gardens lets visitors take in unique plant species from all over the world, writes staff for The Martha Blog. With a global reputation for its diverse collection and artistic displays, Longwood Gardens has grown its plant exploration and acquisition program for centuries. Since a…
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Hundreds of Volunteers Collect 350 Bags of Trash at Delaware River Cleanup
The Hunterdon, Mercer, and Sussex Counties’ NJ Clean Communities programs collaborated with the Delaware River Greenway Partnership and the NJ Park Service for their eighth annual Delaware River cleanup. On Sept. 20, around 250 individuals volunteered their time to collect 350 bags of trash from along the river. Typical items like bottles, tires, takeout…
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Plumstead Community Rallies to Protect Township from Food Waste Recycling Company
The Plumstead community is uniting to protect the township from the proposed plan for a Bright Feeds location on Potters Lane, writes Lee Davis for the Bucks County Beacon. Friends Against Bright Feeds is a recently formed nonprofit organization co-founded by Andrew Marcum and Bob Mergner. According to the organization’s website, Bright Feeds is…
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Robert Ridge Park in Newtown Gets New Pollinator Garden Thanks to Volunteers
Robert Ridge Park in Newtown is getting a new garden with the help of dozens of local volunteers, writes Jeff Werner for Patch. Around 80 individuals gathered at the park to plant phase one of the new pollinator garden near Dolington Road. 1,200 native flowers were planted in hopes of attracting pollinators like moths,…
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Send in the Birds: Eliminating Pennsylvania’s Spotted Lanternflies Through Avian Assistance
The ways to get rid of spotted lanternflies over the past few years have been to step, squish, and squash them. But as the battle against the bugs becomes too steep, some researchers say that getting native birds to eat these invasive pests is key, writes Dino Grandoni for The Washington Post. Since the lanternflies…
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Birchrunville Native Scores Resalable Treasures Among Trash from Wealthy Shore Towns
Tucker Upper, a Birchrunville native known to his scores of followers by that name, discovers resaleable treasures among trash from wealthy Jersey Shore towns, writes Lini S. Kadaba for The Philadelphia Inquirer. James Graeff, his given name, films GoPro videos of his trash picking and posts them on his YouTube channel with over 220,000 subscribers,…
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Researchers in Delaware Find Potential Solution for Dealing with Spotted Lanternflies
The season when swarms of spotted lanternflies come to the Philadelphia region is nearly upon us, but this time, researchers may have a way of getting them under control, writes Ross DiMattei for CBS News Philadelphia. Part of the problem why it has taken almost ten years to make any progress in dealing with the…
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PECO Green Region Grant Fuels Accessible Family Fun in Lower Makefield
Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, a two-time winner of PECO Green Region grants, used its most recent award to improve accessibility at Five Mile Woods Preserve, including the installation of more than 700 linear feet of accessible boardwalk and new ADA-compliant parking. These upgrades addressed long-standing barriers for individuals with mobility challenges, many of…
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Hazard vs. Economy: Delaware River LNG Terminal Back in Play
Exporting Pennsylvania’s fracked gas could mean a new $7 billion liquified gas facility along the Delaware River, affecting Chester and Eddystone, writes Nina Sablan for Inside Climate News. Chester already feels the effects of industrial sites along the river. Air pollution is blamed for high rates of deadly illnesses in Chester and surrounding communities. Researchers…
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How PECO Green Region Grants Help Sustain Wissahickon Valley Park
For two decades, the PECO Green Region Open Space program, powered in partnership with Natural Lands, has helped transform the region’s parks, trails, and public green spaces. That impact is seen vividly through organizations like Friends of the Wissahickon, the nonprofit steward of Philadelphia’s treasured Wissahickon Valley Park. Since 2007, Friends of the Wissahickon has received multiple PECO Green…
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Squish, Spray, or Trap: How To Handle Spotted Lanternflies In Your Backyard
Although spotted lanternflies appear beautiful with their delicate spots and striking black and red stripes, they are an invasive species and threaten both local trees and your backyard, so they should be eliminated on sight, writes Janine Frank for Hunker. The insect is not hard to kill, as they are poor fliers and tend to…
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Help Protect Migrating Birds By Lowering or Turning Off Your Lights At Night
Doylestown and several other nearby municipalities are encouraging locals to participate in the “Lights Out” initiative, writes Ed Doyle for TAPinto Doylestown. Officials are urging residents to reduce the use of outdoor lighting or turn it off completely to help migrating birds. Officials are asking that this be done between 11 PM and 5…
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Chemical in Use at Trainer Refinery, Elsewhere Triggers EPA Lawsuit
The Clean Air Council, Communities for a Better Environment, and the Natural Resources Defense Council are suing the EPA to ban or more strictly regulate the use of hydrogen fluoride in refineries, including at the Trainer oil refinery, writes Sophia Schmidt for WHYY. Hydrogen fluoride is used in about 40 refineries across the country, including…
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Invasive “Frankenfish” Caught in Neshaminy Creek in Bensalem
The invasive snakehead, sometimes called Frankenfish for its ability to move across land and even eat birds, was recently caught in Neshaminy Creek in Bensalem, writes Dino Ciliberti for the Patch. Longtime Holland fisherman Joshua Tees snagged a snakehead last week. “I thought I hooked a carp. I was like, OMG! That’s a snakehead,” he…
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Peacock Pursuit: One Bird Caught in Doylestown, One Still on the Run
Two peacocks were seen wandering around a Doylestown neighborhood, and while one has been captured, the other is still roaming free, reports Caroline Goggin for 6abc. The two birds are male and believed to be around a year old. They were seen in a neighborhood near Sandy Ridge Road and Theodore Way. Pocono Wildlife in…
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Peak Spotted Lanternfly Season Hits Philadelphia Area: Time to Step Up Your Stomping Game
Spotted lanternfly season has returned to the Philadelphia region, making it the perfect time to step up your stomping game and stay alert for spotted lanternfly egg masses to destroy, write Mike D’Onofrio and Chrissy Suttles for AXIOS. The Asia-native, polka-dotted bugs were first spotted in Pennsylvania in 2014 in Berks County and have since…
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Coatesville Company Turns Thousands of Plastic Bags into Sustainable Benches and Tables
JAHACO, a Coatesville-based business, is taking plastic bags and soft plastics and turning them into beautiful benches, tables, and more, reports Bill Hartung for 6ABC. JAHACO is run by husband-and-wife duo, Amy and Jeff Burke. Jeff was always passionate about building things, and Amy always loved refinishing furniture, so when they were able to combine…
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Native Bats Are Helping Curb the Spotted Lanternfly Population
Researchers have found that some native bat species are preying on spotted lanternflies, the invasive insects that arrived in Pennsylvania in 2014 and have since caused millions of dollars in damage to trees and crops, writes Jim Melwert for KYW Newsradio. Erin McHale, a PhD candidate at Rutgers, analyzed uncontaminated bat guano from bats that…
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