The invasive Hessian fly spurred suspicions of biological warfare, threatened the new nation’s economy and inspired the nation’s first citizen science project.
A new initiative called Prepare PA is gearing up to help Pennsylvanians face the big challenges of the climate crisis, like more extreme weather and flooding. And 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Women farmers in Pennsylvania talk about the growing diversity in agriculture. A sustainable farming group had a $59 million federal contract reinstated after the federal government tried to claw it back last year.
A state House committee is advancing measures meant to protect Pennsylvanians from negative effects of new data centers. The Allegheny Land Trust has partnered with the Pittsburgh Penguins and a Pittsburgh-based natural gas company to purchase local forest carbon credits. Pennsylvania agencies will collaborate on recommendations for wildlife corridors.
Young people in Pittsburgh are practicing climate action close to home. An oil and gas company let over a million gallons of drilling fluid escape underground into an abandoned mine during pipeline construction in Washington County. Pennsylvania agencies are teaming up with a nonprofit to study ways to modernize the electric grid. An invasive species came to North America just when the United States was forming. Why Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with the Hessian fly.
Safe drinking water is not a reality for many Americans. Residents of an Ohio town say their water tastes and smells bad, and leaves an oily sheen. But regulators say it's safe. Monarch butterflies and other species are waiting for official listing as the Fish and Wildlife Service makes changes to the Endangered Species Act. In towns where residents oppose building big data centers, zoning has become a way to control the narrative.
