Environment & Outdoors
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Regional Study Shows That New Hope Lived Up to Its Name During the Pandemic
A new study by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) found that Philadelphia-area downtowns with a diverse mix of uses — such as New Hope — fared better during the pandemic, writes Natalie Kostelni for the Philadelphia Business Journal. The DVRPC reported several characteristics that shielded downtowns like New Hope from the worst of the pandemic’s implications: Mix of residential and retail uses Transportation options Permanent residential populations Access to…
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Pennsylvania Agriculture Department to Lanternflies on the Move: ‘No Hitchhiking!’
In its strategy to slow the spotted lanternfly infestation, Pennsylvania is using a pesticide to deter the buggers from latching onto vehicles heading into the state, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. Crews armed with backpack sprayers and truck-mounted spray equipment are focusing on railways, interstates, and other transportation rights-of-way. The tactic is meant to kill lanternflies that attach vehicles leaving infested areas. The insecticide’s active ingredient, bifenthrin, is highly toxic to both…
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Pennsylvania Ranks in Top 10 of States that Make Millennials Happy
Pennsylvania is one of the states in which millennials thrive, according to a new report by WalletHub. The Keystone State is ranked tenth on the 2021’s Best States for Millennials list. To determine the most livable places for millennials, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 34 key metrics divided into five categories:…
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As Brood X Cicadas Emerge, Volunteers Will Hop to the Task of Tracking Their Locations
As Brood X cicadas emerge across Pennsylvania and the nation, thousands of volunteer trackers are ready to start mapping the rise, write Linda Poon and Marie Patino for Bloomberg. Citizen scientists will use the mobile app Cicada Safari to add geotagged photos and videos directly onto a live map. These data will be verified by…
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Something Worth Tweeting! Bucks County Is the Number One Spot in the State for Birdwatching
Bucks County topped the list of best counties in Pennsylvania for birdwatchers, according to eBird, the online database of avian observations. The site allows bird enthusiasts (and other volunteers) all around the globe to submit data on the birds they see at any location. Bucks County ranked first in the Keystone State, based on 353 species reported. Delaware County landed…
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Get Ready to Stomp and Squash: Lanternfly Season 2021 Is in the Wings
Spotted lanternfly nymphs are already on the move in Bucks County. As the weather continues to warm, the benevolent-looking dotted bugs will mature to goop up another summer. Grace Griffaton cited some early mitigation efforts for FOX43, Lancaster County. According to Emelie Swackhamer, horticultural educator for Penn State Extension, the hatching and nymph stage has been going on since mid-April. The pesky critters will…
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Ancestral Roots: Langhorne Daughter Preps Site for a Tree, Replacing One Her Grandfather Grew Decades Ago
Barbara “Bluejay” Michalski, a Native American storyteller from Langhorne, paid homage to both her biological grandfather and her spiritual Earth Mother, according to the Bucks Count Herald. She lovingly prepared the soil by the Aquetong Spring for the planting of an Eastern red cedar. As it grows, it will replace a decayed cedar originally tucked into the ground by her grandfather, Chief Whippoorwill (Bill Thompson), 30 years ago. Cedar and a sugar maple trees were special…
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Yardley Volunteers Nurture Mother Nature for Earth Week
A record number of volunteers — more than 40 — got out in the bright sun of an Earth Week day to spruce up Lake Afton, reports Jeff Warner of Bucks Local News. They plucked weeds, raked leaves, spread mulch and planted bushes and perennials. Notable volunteers included Yardley Borough Council President David Bria; David Appelbaum of Experience Yardley; Rich Wayne, leader of the Harvest Day…
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What Do Brood X Cicadas Have to Do with Frank Sinatra?
When amateur musician Peter Block hears the churr of 17-year Brood X cicadas this summer, they will become a marker of the passage of time. In 2007, their last appearance, his now 32-year-old-daughter was 18 and graduating from high school. The time before that, in 1990, she was one year old. The memory of these milestones — and their unusual soundtrack — brought a creative spark. Block took that “pulsating drone that…
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Proposed Quarry in Springfield Township Continues to Face a Rocky Road
The months-long discussion about the safety of a proposed quarry continues to unfolds at Springfield Township Board of Supervisors meetings, writes Hannah Chinn for WHYY. H&K Group has long asked the Supervisors to green-light its conditional-use request for a proposed noncoal surface mining project. The public objects, fearing detrimental effects on health, property values and the environment. At the latest meeting, H&K project engineer Scott Drumbore and H&K lawyer Joseph LaFlamme presented their case once again. The latest…
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Huge Environmental Threat to Bucks County Is No Bigger than a Grain of Rice
Three Bucks County waterways — Delaware River Canal, Neshaminy Creek and Tohickon Creek — tested positive for harmful levels of microplastics, reports the Bucks County Herald. The testing done by the PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center didn’t reveal bad news just for Bucks County; every one of its 53 statewide testing sites showed at least one type of microplastic contamination “The…
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State Grant Means Quakertown Will Get Two Electric Vehicle Chargers
As part of a larger effort to expand electric vehicle use throughout the state, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has allocated $1 million for grants to install fast chargers in several new locations, including Ridley Township and Quakertown, writes Frank Kummer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. “DEP is committed to supporting this choice by increasing public…
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Bucks County Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick Cosponsors Protection Bill for Arctic National Refuge
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County Republican, is co-sponsoring a bill to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that former President Donald Trump wanted to open for drilling, write Frank Kummer and Jonathan Tamari for The Philadelphia Inquirer. During his last day in the office, the Trump administration formally issued leases for oil and gas…
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Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary: It’s Prime Hunting Season, Especially for Lanternfly Egg Masses
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding issued the reminder that the chance to get ahead of the 2022 lanternfly season is to prevent them from hatching in the first place. The way to do that, according to a staff report from The Sentinal, is to destroy lanternfly egg masses that are being laid now. “Every spotted…
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Bucks County Leadership: Oliver Bass, President, Natural Lands
Oliver Bass, the President of Natural Lands, a non-profit organization that saves open space, cares for nature, and connects people to the outdoors in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, spoke to MONTCO Today about being born in Arkansas and growing up in a rural town in East Texas, where he spent the majority of…
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