At least 1,100 dead or sick birds, mostly Canada geese, have been reported across New Jersey in an outbreak that started on Valentine’s Day, according to state officials.
At least 50 geese have died at Alcyon Lake in Pitman, Gloucester County. Officials have closed the lake and the adjoining Betty Park out of precaution.
The fish and wildlife division within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are tracking them as suspected cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), or bird flu.
Bird flu is not new. But it began to spread in the U.S. in January 2022 and has infected wild and domestic birds in every state.
While bird flu can infect humans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it is primarily a threat to animals and poses little risk to the public.
State officials say large numbers of dead geesemay be concentrated in areas where birds gather to look for open water as ice melts. They said that the 1,100 dead or sick wild birds were reported between Saturday and Monday.
Where have dead geese been found?
The DEP says it has received reports of dead Canada geese in South Jersey, including in Hainesport, Burlington County; Sicklerville, Camden County; and Pitman.
Annmarie Ruiz, Gloucester County’s health officer, said the dead geese were noticed in Pitman on Tuesday. She said that there were probably more than 50 at Alcyon Lake, but that there were reportsof dead geese elsewhere in the municipality.
“Right now, we have to presume that it is bird flu based on the signs the birds were exhibiting,” Ruiz said.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture took some of the birds for testing. The results could take weeks, she said.
“Right now, we’re just erring on the side of caution,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz said workers use face shields and gloves when handling the birds, which are triple-bagged before being disposed.
She said people can report sick or dead wild birds to Gloucester County animal control at 856-881-2828 or the DEP at 877-927-6337.
A lifeless bird lays on the ice at Alcyon Lake in Pitman, N.J. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Two adjacent parks, Betty Park (in background) and Alcyon Park (not in photo) are closed as a result of the mysterious birds deaths.
Caryelle Lasher, Camden County’s health officer, said there have been only a small number of reports of dead birds in the county.
Those were concentrated in the lake off Mullen Drive in the Sicklerville section of Gloucester Township, she said.
Overall, however, the county has not seen a spike in reports, she said.
Ruizand Lasher — as well as state officials — stress that people should not touch sick or dead wildlife of any kind. And they should keep pets away.
Even though the risk is low, the potential for human infection exists.
H5N1 is a respiratory bird disease caused by influenza A viruses. Wild birds, such as ducks, gulls, and shorebirds, can carry and spread these viruses but may show no signs of illness, according to the DEP.
The disease can kill domestic poultry such as chickens. Typical symptoms include diarrhea, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, and incoordination.
It continues to infect not only birds, but also mammals.
Tips to prevent infection:
Do not touch sick or dying animals, or bring them into your home.
Keep pets away from them, as well as away from droppings.
Wash hands frequently if you are near wildlife.
Do not eat undercooked eggs, poultry, or beef.
Prevent cross-contamination between cooked and raw food.
Philadelphia residents can now consult a new online dashboard to gauge outdoor air quality before heading outto a park, going for a run, or cycling through the city.
The city unveiled a real-time air quality network that collects data from solar-powered sensors at 76 strategic locations, blanketing every neighborhood. The systemcan warn residents whenpollution spikes — for instance, if a junkyard fire sends particulate levels surging.
“Starting now, every resident in Philadelphia will be able to see, almost in real time, the air quality in their own neighborhood,” said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
What does the system measure?
The weatherproof sensors, bolted to utility poles at 1.5-mile intervals,track two primary pollutants:
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), tiny particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause respiratory issues.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of ozone.
Parker, along with City Council members and officials from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Air Management Services (AMS), introduced the Breathe Philly initiative Wednesday at Stinger Square Park in Grays Ferry.
The monitoring system, manufactured by Clarity Movement Co., will cost the city $90,000 annually. It is currently funded through the nonprofit Philadelphia City Fund.
The new network operates independently from the city’s existing 10‑sensor system that supplies data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Parker said it represents a significant step toward environmental justice, especially in neighborhoods that previously lacked adequate monitoring. Some of the sensors will begin monitoring for ground-level ozone as soon as spring.
Ozone is a potent pollutant formed from chemical reactions between vehicle, power plant, and industrial emissions in the presence of sunlight.
“You can check it on your phone, your tablet, your computer,” she said. “You can access up-to-date information about the air that you and your family are breathing right where you live.”
Paresh Mehta (right), an engineer with Philadelphia’s Air Management Services, explains to City Council President Kenyatta Johnson (left) and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker how air quality data is collected.
‘We knew right away’
Palak Raval-Nelson, the city’s health commissioner, said the new air monitoring network has been in the works for years. The project is overseen by the health department’s AMS.
“It’s amazing to finally see that it’s here,” she said.
The system detected the air quality as poor during a fire last week, Raval-Nelson said.
“The monitor went off, and we knew right away that we needed to communicate information,” Raval-Nelson said.
The monitor displays colored circles and squares indicating the air quality at each monitor. Colors range from green, the best, to purple and mauve, the worst.
A sample of the Breathe Philly online dashboard that gives residents real-time data on air pollution from 76 sensors placed around the city.
The sensors detect levels of particulate matter, which are tiny particles in the air that can cause health risks. PM2.5 is the result of the burning of fossil fuels, such as by vehicles or power plants. They sensors also measure NO2, a gas also emitted by burning fossil fuels.
Both chemicals can cause respiratory issues.
“It is a concrete step to help keep all of us and our loved ones safe,” Raval-Nelson said of the new sensor system.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who grew up in Point Breeze, said the system will help provide real-time information in the event of a disaster, such as the PES Refinery explosion and firein 2019.
And it will help those with breathing issues like asthma decide whether it is safe to go outside for extended periods.
One of 76 solar-powered sensors made by Clarity Movement Co. for a new network of real time air quality data available for Philadelphia residents.
A new layer of safety
Alex Bomstein, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Clean Air Council, said the network adds a new layer of safety for city residents.
“You can’t go very far in the city without encountering a monitor, which is wonderful, because that means that everybody in the city is being protected,”Bomstein said.
He fears pollution will worsen in the future as the administration of President Donald Trump continues to roll back environmental rules and regulations, such as those governing vehicle tailpipe emissions.
Sean Wihera, a vice president with Clarity Movement Co., said the company was founded in 2014 as a start-up at the University of California, Berkley. Similar systems have been installed in Los Angeles and Chicago, he said.
The company owns the sensors and is responsible for them if they break or are stolen. The sensors are upgraded after three years for the latest technology. Wihera said it is possible that Philly’s system could monitor for benzene in the future.
“We’ve been working now in 85 different countries, hundreds of cities,” Wihera said. “But this is one of the most successful integrations that we’ve seen.”
The federal official in charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers visited Ocean City and other Jersey Shore communities Friday, along with U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, pledging that beach replenishment help is on its way.
Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, came to New Jersey for a tour hosted by Van Drew. The Army Corps manages beach projects and puts up the majority of money. States and municipalities contribute the rest.
“There’s emergency funding that’s available,” Telle said from Fifth Street on Ocean City’s boardwalk, adding that some beaches would see repairs by summer.
Telle said the money does not hinge on legislation and has President Donald Trump’s support.
The Army Corps will evaluate which beaches are in the most severe condition, he said, including Ocean City, which is among the top of the list. Telle and Van Drew did not cite a specific amount of money but indicated millions could be available.
Telle, Van Drew, and other officials visited Strathmere, Avalon, and North Wildwood, which have all been heavily impacted by storm erosion over the last year. The short-term goal this year would be to take spoils from Army Corps projects and spread that on beaches.
They said they plan to draw on a mix of funding, including money still remaining from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, other supplemental funds, and earmarks — language in appropriations bills to direct federal funds to state and local projects.
Van Drew, a Republican, represents multiple Shore towns on the southern tip of New Jersey.
Friday’s tour came on the heels of zero dollars earmarked for beach replenishment in 2025 — the first time that had happened since 1996. Up to $200 million annually has typically been awarded for beach erosion control projects.
Van Drew also introduced a bill last week to establish a new source of continuous beach replenishment money through the Coastal Trust Fund Act.
The bill would pay for ongoing coastal storm risk management by the Army Corps. U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen, a Democrat from New York, is a cosponsor.
According to Van Drew, the legislation would use revenue from offshore energy leases to fund $1 billion a year into Army Corps of Engineers coastal storm management projects.
He said his bill, if approved, would create a permanent source of funding so that it would not depend on yearly appropriations from Congress.
“We need to get a permanent system in place so we aren’t riding this roller coaster,” Van Drew said.
However, he acknowledged that getting any bill approved in Congress right now is difficult.
“It’s going to be a labor of love,” Van Drew said, adding that he is gathering “support from all around the country.”
There is no date for a vote on the bill.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (center), Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle (right) and Upper Township Mayor Curtis Corson Jr. discuss shore erosion and beach replenishment in Strathmere.
A measure has been introduced by U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican from Tennessee, for $23 million to fund coastal replenishment projects this year. That would be supplemented by a Senate bill introduced by U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, that would allocate $62.2 million. However, neither bill is scheduled for a vote.
In 2025, multiple New Jersey Shore towns found themselves in a crisis over erosion as Congress and Trump pushed for a huge reduction in the federal budget.
No money was made available for crucial beach nourishment projects. The lack of funding became a political issue in New Jersey, which depends heavily on its beaches for tourism revenue.
For decades, beach projects have been a staple of coastal management in the United States. In 2025, projects were paused in New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.
Projects set for Cape May, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle, Strathmere, Ocean City, and Long Beach Islandwerestalled because of the lack of funding. Georgia and Florida also were affected.
In October, Ocean City declared a local emergency over the severe erosion exacerbated by storms like Hurricane Erin and a potent nor’easter in October. The city was left grappling with sand cliffs upward of five feet high after the storms scoured its beaches.
Mayor Jay Gillian and others pushed for urgent state and federal intervention, citing the difficulty of managing large-scale beach replenishments and dune restoration with city resources alone.
Gillian said Friday at the tour stop in Ocean City that he welcomed any help from the Army Corps and Van Drew.
“They’re working for a solution,” Gillian said of Telle and Van Drew. “The permanent funding, that’s huge because it stops the games, and it stops the politics.”
Van Drew represents the largely conservative 2nd District, which spans mostly rural and Shore communities in South Jersey, including all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem Counties, plus parts of Gloucester and Ocean Counties. He remains optimistic for funding.
Erin Mooney, executive director of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, slipped out of a sweltering sauna last weekend wearing only a bathing suit and strode barefoot straight into the coldest day of the winter.
“I never thought that I would find myself in a bathing suit laying down in the snow on a 15-degree day, and I found myself doing that at the Schuylkill Center,” Mooney said.
It marked the opening weekend of a new experience that the Schuylkill Center, on Hagy’s Mill Road in Philadelphia, is offering along with a local sauna company, Fiorst — one that already has had solid booking off social media views, despite having just opened Saturday.
Visitors will have the chance to relax ina glass-walled, wood-fired sauna overlooking a snowy field and woods in Northwest Philly, paired witha cold plunge.
Mooney said the idea to host a mobile sauna on the preserve’s grounds grew from a desire to keep the center lively through winter and draw in new visitors. She was inspired by a sauna exhibit by the American Swedish Historical Museum in FDR Park and began looking for a way to bring that Nordic tradition of “hot and cold” to her own facility.
She spotted Fiorst, a mobile sauna venture run by Jose Ugas, on social media, reached out, and the two forged a near-instant partnership. They spoke on Jan. 30, a Friday; by the next Friday, a custom sauna unit from Toronto rolled onto the grounds.
By last Saturday, the fire was lit, and guests arrived.
“It was, you know, kind of kismet, in a way, we were able to have this shared vision,” Mooney said. “And with him doing this servicing of the saunas on site, it makes it so much easier for us.”
The interior of the Nordic-style sauna at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
How does the sauna work?
Nordic-style wood saunas are notable for their minimalist design and high heat, which participants couple with either a plunge into a cold shower, tub, or lake or a step outdoors.
Fiorst’s installation overlooks the center’s main wooded area, framing the winter landscape through a glass wall as guests sweat it out inside the sauna’s170- to 190-degree temperatures. Each 90-minute session allows participants to cycle at their own pace through intense heat and biting cold, a contrast Mooney found invigorating.
The sauna is modeled on a concept popular across Nordic countries, including Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden.
Mooney said the project has already pulled in new visitors from neighborhoods like Fishtown or outside Philadelphia who might not typically visit for hiking or birdwatching.
She believes the sauna fills a niche for “clean, wholesome, healthy fun” that is alcohol-free.
However, unlike the typical Nordic experience of being nude during the sauna, the Schuylkill Center experience is strictly “bathing-suit friendly,” a choice tailored to American comfort levels.
The collaboration operates on a revenue split, with a charitable twist. During February, the center’s share of the proceeds goes to its Winterfest for Wildlife campaign to support the on-site wildlife clinic.
For now, the sauna remains a seasonal experiment, but it will stay in place as long as demand — and winter weather — holds up.
“I think it will stay seasonal,” Mooney said. “We live in a sauna already in the summer in Philadelphia.”
The sauna is open on weekends at the Schuylkill Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is booked through the Fiorst website. The cost for a 90-minute session is $75. You can add a friend for $25. Private sessions of up to 16 cost $600. For now, bookings can be made only one week in advance.
The Schuylkill Center is expecting Valentine’s Day weekend to book quickly.
Jose Ugas (left), founder of Fiorst, and Erin Mooney, executive director of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, at the sauna.
‘A moment of clarity’
Ugas, a bioengineer at Johnson & Johnson who lives in Whitemarsh Township, felt compelled to bring a Nordic-style sauna experience to the region after a triphe took to Sweden following the loss of his mother to brain cancer in 2023. There, friends introduced him to a traditional Scandinavian ritual: enduring searing dry heat inside a wooden sauna, followed by a plunge into icy water or a cold shower.
What began as a distraction soon crystallized into a moment of clarity, Ugas said.
“Just that time together and kind of going between the hot and the cold just was like a mental reset for me,” Ugas said.
Ugas, who will graduate with an MBA from Villanova University this spring, wanted to replicate the nature-immersive element that had grounded him overseas.
Hefound a Toronto company that builds portable glass-fronted wooden saunas andordered a custom unit equipped with a wood-fired stove, hot stones, steam, aromatherapy, and a cold-plunge tub. Ugas launched Fiorst in 2024, describing it as “nomadic” at first.
The venture first hosted sessions overlooking Valley Forge and at Fitzwater Station in Phoenixville. Ugas then established a more permanent site, which he calls Riverside, on River Road in Conshohocken where he still books sessions.
Ugas calls the partnership with the Schuylkill Center a natural fit given its location amid nature, merging his wellness goals with the venue’s environmental focus.
“At the core of our mission and their mission is to get people out in nature,” Ugas said.
So far, he has relied on social media to market the sauna, which has drawn hundreds of visitors to its locations.
The Nordic-style sauna at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia.
‘Social sauna’
Serena Franchini, a nurse and founder of Healing Fawn Inner Child Work & Somatic Therapy, has taken sauna sessions at Ugas’ other locations. She sees it as a tool to help with nervous system regulation while offering an immersion in nature.
“I loved the idea that it was outside,” Franchini said.
She likes the relaxed atmosphere compared with some traditional saunas that often enforce strict time limits on heating and cooling cycles. Instead, she cycles between the sauna and cold-plunge tub at her own pace.
Franchini highlighted the mental wellness aspect of Ugas’ “social sauna” sessions, noting Friday night events as “skip the bar” alternatives that allow strangers to gather for a healthy, communal experience.
“It’s a great way for community to connect with people that are interested in the same things that you are,” Franchini said.
Steve Frates of Ocean View, N.J., was driving along Route 9 in Cape May County on a recent bitter cold day and noticed something strange: dead robins lying by the side of the road.
Lots of them.
Frates was even more startled when one flew into his Ford F-150 and died. The 72-year-old retired telecommunications manager wondered what was happening.
“I noticed when it was really cold that I would see flocks of birds alongside of the road as I was traveling up and down Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway,” Frates said. “I would see a lot of birds that had been hit. I’d never seen anything at that scale. This was at a level I’ve never experienced before.”
The winter has been hard on the region’s animals, wiping out 95% of the woodcocks in Cape May Point, fostering frostbite on opossums in Philadelphia, and freezing turtles in place in ponds.
Experts say the animals are well adapted to survive the cold, but this winter has been especially harsh, producing a frozen snowpack that keeps animals from digging for food, and a prolonged cold that has pushed some to the brink.
About 200 woodcocks have died in the area of Cape May Point since the Jan. 25 snowfall that froze under a prolonged cold spell. These were found likely seeking food near the edge of homes.
Woodcocks are starving
Mike Lanzone, a wildlife biologist and CEO of Cellular Tracking Technologies, has been busy the last two weeks helping to gather hundreds of dead woodcocks in Cape May Point and West Cape May. His company makes products that track birds via GPS and other technology.
He described a devastating die-off for the woodcocks, which depend on finding food by probing the ground to extract worms and invertebrates. They have been unable to penetrate the snow and ice, causing starvation.
“They were losing a lot of muscle mass, and they weren’t able to eat anything,” Lanzone said. “We started seeing them die off. First it was just a few. Then 10. Then 15. Then 40. Then almost 100 woodcocks.”
Lanzone said about 254 woodcocks had died as of Thursday.
“There was at least a 90-95% die-off,” he said. “That is what we know for sure. At least in Cape May Point and West Cape May.”
Lanzone said the woodcocks were being taken to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia to be examined.
Jason D. Weckstein, associate curator of ornithology at the academy, said such die-offs have happened before. He will examine the birds and, using chemical signatures in their bodies, determine where they were born.
“They’re dying because they’re starving,” Weckstein said. “They can’t feed. Most of those birds were super emaciated and just died.”
Robins are desperate
Chris Neff, a spokesperson for New Jersey Audubon, said the robins that Frates saw along the side of the road had been driven there in search of food.
“Birds are congregating along the melted edges of roads searching for bare ground on which to find food and even meltwater to drink,“ Neff said. ”Birds are desperate to consume enough calories each day during this extreme weather, and this makes them bolder, meaning they may not fly off when a car approaches if they have found something to eat.”
American robins, he said, travel in large flocks. When their food is exhausted, a few will take off in search of the berries of American holly and Eastern red cedar. The rest will follow en masse, followinga path that might lead them across a road.
The chances of collisions with cars become much higher.
Neff advises that people should slow down if they see birds congregating along a road and keep an eye out for any that might fly across.
“Like deer,” Neff said, ”if one darts across the road, there are sure to be more following.”
A grebe that was rescued amid the harsh winter weather and taken to the Wildlife Clinic at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, where it is being fed and cared for until an open water source can be found for it to be released.
Opossums and other animals
Sydney Glisan, director of wildlife rehabilitation for the Wildlife Clinic at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Northwest Philadelphia, characterizes the severe winter conditions as a critical “make it or not” period for local wildlife.
Some animals, such as deer, are well adapted to the cold and can eat fibrous bark and twigs to survive. Other species, however, struggle.
She said Virginia opossums found in Philadelphia, despite being a native species, have physical attributes that “do not really work for this type of weather.” She has treated multiple opossums for frostbite. The latest patient arrived Friday.
They are susceptible, she said, because their ears, tails, and paws have no fur for protection. Often, tails or fingers need to be amputated.
Residents often find them curled up and immobile, mistakenly believing the animals are dead when they are actually just trying to stay warm or are in a state of shock.
The weather also affects aquatic birds like grebes, which become stranded on land because they require open water to take off and cannot walk well on ice or ground.
Even squirrels struggle, as the ice prevents them from digging up cached food, Glisan said.
Glisan advises the public to be cautious about intervening for wildlife such as birds. She notes that even well-intentioned acts, such as providing heated birdbaths, can result in hypothermia if a bird’s wet feathers subsequently freeze in the air.
“As much as it might sound rude, I always say doing nothing is the best thing that you can do,” Glisan said. “I recommend helping by not helping.”
Reptiles and amphibians
Susan Slawinski, a wildlife biologist at the Schuylkill Center, said the danger for reptiles and amphibians comes as lakes and ponds freeze over. Aquatic species such as green frogs, painted turtles, and snapping turtles overwinter at the bottom of ponds.
There, the animals survive by slowing their metabolisms enough to eliminate the need to eat or surface for air. However, prolonged cold poses a specific danger as ponds freeze solid to the bottom. Those hibernating will perish.
The Schuylkill Center uses a bubbler in its Fire Pond to maintain a gap in the ice to let in oxygen.
Despite the risks, Slawinski emphasizes that native wildlife is historically resilient, though mortality is an unfortunate reality for animals that select poor hibernation spots.
For example,thegray tree frog uses glucose to create a natural “antifreeze” that prevents its cell walls from bursting in freezing temperatures.
“Native wildlife is very good at adapting to cold temperatures,” Slawinski said. “There have been colder winters, longer winters before. Unfortunately, there is always going to be a mortality risk.”
Federal and private grants totaling nearly $29 million were announced Wednesday for conservation projects within the Delaware River Watershed, including a South Philadelphia wetlands park, a water trail in Camden County, and support of the Lights Out Philly program to keep birds from crashing into buildings.
The money comes from nearly $12.5 million in grants to the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An additional $17 million comes in matching funds from nonprofits such as thePhiladelphia-based William Penn Foundation.
The total is about $9 million less than last year’s grant awards of $38 million. A representative for the two federal agencies did not state a reason for the decline.
However, the reduction comes as many federal grants have been cut or reduced by President DonaldTrump’s administration.
What’s being funded?
In all, the new funds will flow to 30 conservation projects, including local trail creations, stream restorations, shoreline enhancements, and wildlife habitat improvements. The money will go toward planning, hiring for, and construction of projects in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York.
Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF, said the projects “demonstrate the impact that public-private partnerships can have at a landscape scale and will help ensure a healthier and cleaner future for the Delaware River watershed and the communities and species that depend on it.”
The watershed is within a densely populated corridor but remains 50% forested. Four hundred miles of it is classified as a National Wild and Scenic River, largely undeveloped but accessible for recreation.
The grants cover a wide range of projects.
For example, $498,800 will go toward reducing migratory bird collisions into buildings throughout the Delaware Watershed, which includes Philadelphia and New Jersey. The project of the Wildlife Management Institute, along with Bird Safe Philly, will identify and retrofit buildings to be bird-friendly, inform the public about built-environment hazards, and how to mitigate them.
Leigh Altadonna, coordinator for Bird Safe Philly, a collaborative of five organizations, welcomed the grant.
“These funds will reinforce Bird Safe Philly’s continuing work with nature centers, libraries, arboretums and other buildings as part of our mission to mitigate bird collisions with glass,” Altadonna said.
She said money would go toward educating the public about howto make their homes and communities bird-friendly.
Bird Safe Philly coordinates with owners of the city’s skyscrapers to turn off or dim lights, which can attract birds during the spring and fall migration seasons.
A sample of grants with total federal and private funding
Pennsylvania
$650,000 for South Philadelphia Wetlands Park II, a project of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. The money will go toward completing needed documentation for the park located just south of the base of Tasker Street through Pier 70. The goal is to restore wetland habitat and increase public access to piers and berths, add a kayak launch and a natural pier park, and restore two acres of forested upland, meadow and wetlands.
$2 million for stream channel restoration in the south branch of French Creek, a project of the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust. The stream channel and surrounding wetland will be improved as a habitat for brook trout and bog turtle, restore 6.7 acres of riparian buffer, and more than 13 acres of surrounding wetland and flood plain.
$900,400 to reintroduce wild brook trout in restored agricultural watersheds in Chester County, a project of the Stroud Water Research Center, which will monitor the re-establishment effort and implement agricultural best management practices to give trout the best chance of recovery.
New Jersey
$3.5 million for horseshoe crab and shorebird habitat at the Kimbles Beach and Bay Cove area in Cape May Court House, a project of the American Littoral Society. The money will go toward restoring one mile of critical habitat along the Delaware Bay, by placing 49,000 tons of sand to stabilize the beach, reverse coastal erosion, and protect the shoreline.
$1.2 million for restoration and recreational projects on the Cooper River Water Trail, which is spearheaded by the Upstream Alliance. The money will go toward engaging 3,000 community members through hands-on recreational programming, hiring local youth, and promoting public access on the new trail in Camden County. It will include paddling and fishing programs for the community and create a Friends of the Cooper River Water Trail group.
$487,400 for ecological restoration and wildlife habitat improvements at Swede Run Fields in Moorestown, Burlington County, for a project by the township to eradicate invasive species and establish native plant communities within the wetlands, riparian forest, and upland meadow buffers.
PJM Interconnection — the region’s dominant electric grid operator — is poised to play a central role in the expansion of data centers, as the independent organization has been shoved into the national spotlight and subjected to mounting pressure over the last year.
It has been a frequent target of Shapiro, officials from other states, consumer advocates, and the federal government.
In many ways, PJM may be one of the most consequential Philly‑area institutions that most residents have barely heard of, even though their electricity supply and monthly bills hinge on its decisions.
The organization has faced escalating scrutiny nationwide and across the region because of its position as the country’s largest independent grid operator and the challenges tied to surging energy demand.
What is PJM?
Based in Audubon, Montgomery County, PJM manages the minute-by-minute flow of electricity for 67 million people across 13 states and the District of Columbia.
It helps keep the lights on for 13 million Pennsylvanians.
Why are there concerns about PJM and data centers?
Concerns have risen over the cost to consumers posed by hyperscale data centers — the massive server farms needed to run artificial intelligence — that are poised to come online across Pennsylvania and the U.S.
PJM plays a major role in getting those data centers powered and connected to the regional electrical grid.
Consumer advocates say the data centers are forcing consumers to pay for the new power plants and equipment needed to keep up with that demand. And they fear that huge demand could result in electrical outages during times of peak demand.
Already, consumers have seen electricity prices spike — and that’s before most of the proposed data centers are even built.
How much consumers pay is influenced by an annual auction held by PJM designed to get enough commitments from power producers so that the electrical grid can meet forecast demand for several years and to ensure power during peak times. That is known as grid reliability.
Map produced by The National Resources Defense Council estimates electricity capacity costs to utility companies based on PJM forecasts through 2032.
Why is Gov. Shapiro critical of PJM?
Shapiro and other governors have been sharply critical of how PJM has designed its auction, saying the process lacks transparency.
In a 2024 lawsuit, Shapiro’s office referred to PJM’s decisions as “inept” and responsible for “the country’s most snarled interconnection queue,” in reference to projects lined up for approval to be added to the grid.
After the 2025-26 auction, Shapiro reached an agreement with PJM on a price cap that he said would save consumers over $21 billion and avoid historic price hikes. The cap limited the increase of wholesale electricity payments to power plant owners.
PJM forecasts that data centers will drive a need for more than 30 gigawatts of peak electricity capacity by 2030 — enough to power more than 20 million households, or approximately all the homes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and Maryland, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The NRDC says that could lead to another spike in electricity costs through 2033 and cost homeowners and businesses an estimated extra $70 per month.
At the same time, however, officials are also pushing PJM to fast-track data centers.
Late last year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order on so-called colocation that will allow tech companies to plug their data centers directly into power plants.
In January, the Trump administration and a group of governors, including Shapiro, urged PJM to move quickly to boost power supplies and keep bills from rising.
They also want PJM to hold a separate power auction in which tech companies would bid on 15-year contracts to build new power plants. That way, data center operators, not regular consumers, would pay for the power.
Data centers that do not have their own power source and do not volunteer to be cut off from the grid during power emergencies should be billed for the cost of new power plants, they said.
Why do people resist data centers near their homes?
The quick rise of data centers has met stiff resistance from residents who fear the projects will radically alter the character of rural neighborhoods, increase electricity and water costs, and harm the environment.
Developers have submitted applications for at least 20 hyperscale data centers in Pennsylvania. PJM would have to find a way to make sure they can be powered and connected reliably to the grid, or provide their own power.
At least six data centers are being planned or proposed in the Philadelphia region, with some reaching 2 million square feet. Residents have fought the proposals, some of which have run into zoning and planning problems.
Residents of some of those communities are alarmed by a new Pennsylvania House bill (HB 2151), which is backed by Shapiro. It provides a model ordinance designed to speed data center development.
Opponents believe the bill is an attempt by the tech industry to get data centers approved.
“HB2151 would undermine Pennsylvanians’ herculean grassroots efforts to keep dirty data centers out of our communities — it must be stopped,”said Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, an organizer for Food and Water Watch, an environmental advocacy nonprofit.
“This bill pushes Shapiro’s reckless embrace of data centers even further onto communities struggling to grapple with Big Tech’s land, power, and water grab,” she said, calling it a part of “backroom deals” the state is making.
A vote on the bill before the House Energy Committee is scheduled for Wednesday.
What’s next?
Environmentalists and other groups, including some legislators, say a process by PJM to fast-track electricity-producing projects excludes clean energy and gives special treatment to fossil fuel power plants, allowing them to cut ahead in the queue over renewable sources that have waited years to connect to the grid.
That plan calls for changes in PJM policies to bring new power online quickly by providing a streamlined path for state-sponsored power generation projects, improving load forecasts, giving a bigger role in the process to states, and offering ways for data centers to bring in their own power generation while curtailing power in times of system need.
The plan, PJM said, “will also help address the supply-and-demand imbalance that has the potential to threaten grid reliability and is currently driving up wholesale costs that can impact consumer bills.”
Jeff Shields, a spokesperson for PJM, said the imbalance has been created as sources of power generation are being retired without enough new generation coming online to keep pace. At the same time, demand for electricity has increased substantially due to the proliferation of data centers.
“PJM is doing its part to bring new generation onto the system, and any suggestion otherwise is just not true,” Shields said.
He also noted that while PJM does run wholesale power markets, it does not directly set rates for residential, commercial, or industrial customers. Those rates are set by utilities, such as Peco, along with government agencies, such as the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Large slate-shaped slabs of ice in the Delaware River this week have been like a floating harbinger of things to come for the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD).
PWD, which draws its drinking water from intakes along the Delaware and the Schuylkill, takes a freezing river seriously.
It has implemented emergency plans to provide for 24-hour ice patrol at its river water intake plants — and it is on high alert for freezing and bursting water mains and pipes.
The department has two intakes on the Schuylkill and one on the Delaware that help provide drinking water for about 1.6 million people.
There is no easy way to say how much of the rivers are icing. But the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center at State College, an office of the National Weather Service, uses gauges placed in the rivers by the U.S. Geological Survey. At various times this week, officials could not get readings from some gauges because they were affected by ice.
Brian Rademaekers, a spokesperson for PWD, said the city can also pull from already stored water if ice does became a problem at an intake.
“We’re getting into a stretch where we haven’t been above freezing for days,” he said, “And I think at least through Feb. 1 it looks like we’ll remain below freezing.”
Indeed, the region has been subjected to an Arctic blast for nearly a week. Daily highs have been below freezing since Saturday. The top temperature in that stretch was 28 degrees on Monday. Wednesday hit a low of 14. Overnight Thursday into Friday is forecast to drop to 2degrees.
The National Weather Service is not forecasting a high of 32 until Tuesday. And then it’s back to below-freezing temperatures.
Burst water main on S. 16th Street just below Federal Street, Philadelphia, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026.
Bursting pipes
PWD is warning residents and businesses that the extreme cold is affecting city water mains and reminding them thatwater lines that are the responsibility of property owners.
As the city facesunbroken stretches of below-freezing temperatures, PWD knows pipes will begin to freeze or, worse, burst, Rademaekers said.
Pipes can start to be seriously affected after 72 hours, or three days, of below-freezing weather. Philadelphia is past that benchmark.
PWD’scall center is already inundated with reports of water outages and leaks. But the department cannot help people with frozen pipes because that takes away from crews responding to public water main leaks.
Rademaekers said PWD has responded to 147 water main breaks in January, but noted that is a preliminary figure.
Last year, 256 breaks were reported in January. In recent memory, he said, 2018 was the worst year, with 366 breaks.
City mains are public property and range in sizefrom 96 inches in diameter to 48 inches, 12 inches, and 6 inches.
Breaks in smaller pipes are most common. PWD is currently fixing a 6-inch main at 16th and Federal Streets.
Property owners are responsible for the lateral pipes that run from the curb into a home.
Rademaekers said residents who suddenly find themselves without water should check with a neighbor first. If the neighbor has running water, it’s likely the homeowner has a frozen pipe.
In that case, PWD suggests trying to bring the pipes near your water to 40 degrees and opening faucets so that thawing water can drip out and release pressure.
He said running a hair dryer or using another source to gently warm the pipes could help them thaw. He said residents should be cautious trying to use space heaters to warm on pipes.
The department has tips online for how to deal with frozen pipes.
Homeowners should not to wait for the department to respond to take these steps, PWD advises. Doing so could lead to burst pipes.
Rademaekers said many homes in Philadelphia have their main water meter by the wall facing the street, often in uninsulated basements, some with cracked windows.
“When it falls to 6 degrees overnight, even if the heat’s on in your house, that particular space right there might just get cold enough to freeze that pipe up, and then ice kind of spreads through the system,” Rademaekers said. “Once the freezing starts, the pressure will build.”
Rademaekers cautioned customers against calling 311 if they have a frozen pipe. Instead, he said, they should call the PWD hotline at 215-685-6300 and press 1.
“Certainly whenever we see freezing temperatures for more than two days we start to see a surge of calls into the call center,” he said. “Over the last week, the top three reports we have been getting are water in the basement, leak in the street, or no water at the tap.” Some of those could be water main problems, he said, ”but most often they are traced back to private lines.”
New Jersey and Pennsylvania are poised to regain roughly $244 million in federal funding for electric‑vehicle charging stations after securing a legal victory over the Trump administration.
New Jersey announced this week that it expects $73 million to be reinstated.
Pennsylvania had planned on $171.5 million in EV‑charging funds last year, according to Alex Peterson, a spokesperson for Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“This ruling guarantees that these obligated funds cannot again be interrupted,” Peterson said.
On Friday, a U.S. District Court sided with 20 states that filed suit last year demanding restoration of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI). New Jersey and Pennsylvania were among the plaintiffs.
In her decision, Judge Tana Lin, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, prohibited the Department of Transportation from withholding funding for approved state EV‑charger deployment plans.
Lin concluded from Seattle that the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) overstepped its authority by halting funding already authorized by Congress. She described the agency’s action as arbitrary and capricious.
“This win puts New Jersey back on track for $73 million in funding unlawfully stripped away through the Trump Administration’s illegal actions,” Jennifer Davenport, New Jersey’s acting attorney general, said this week in a statement. “New Jerseyans want sustainable transportation options.”
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware were among plaintiffs in the suit against a Trump administration freeze on the $5 billion. It’s unclear whether Trump administration officials will appeal.
The states’ legal challenge stemmed from an executive order President Donald Trump signed on his Inauguration Day to eliminate EV mandates — which the suit states never existed.
Regardless, the suit stated, the administration used the order to “immediately pause the disbursement of funds” for EV infrastructure appropriated through the Inflation Reduction and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs acts signed by Biden.
Other states that joined the suit included Washington, Colorado, California, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Davenport called the Trump administration’s refusal to spend funds approved by Congress “unlawful.”
This story has been updated to include newer figures on Pennsylvania’s plan to fund EV charging infrastructure.
A split Pennsylvania Game Commission has voted in favor of a developer’s land swap widely opposed by Limerick Township residents who fear it could pave the way for a large data center.
The commission voted 6-3 on Saturday in favor of a contract with developerLimerick Town Center LLC that would yield the state 559 new acres across three counties. The swap would include what would become Delaware County’s first state game land.
As part of the land trade, Limerick Town Center LLC would get 55 acres of state Game Land 234 in Limerick, Montgomery County. The land is adjacent to an industrial site the developer already owns and that’s currently proposed for warehousing.
Limerick Town Center LLC has not said what it plans for the new land. A representative of the company could not be reached for comment.
In return, however, Limerick Town Center LLC would give the state 60 acres in Limerick it owns immediately to the south of the existing game land, next to the Schuylkill.
Steve Hacker, who lives near Game Land 234 and opposes the swap, called it “a great deal for other townships who will gain all that land … but it comes with a pretty heavy price.”
Commissioners made their decision after listening to the public, who werealso split over the deal.
Revised land swap map new
For and against the swap
In general, residents who live in or near Limerick mostly opposed the swap, saying it would destroy a game land teeming with wildlifeand a popular spot for hunting.
Many are wary of what Limerick Town Center LLC wantsto dowith the 55 acres it would gain, fearing it’s part of a broader plan for a large data center. Although the developer has not proposed building a data center, the idea has been widely circulated on social media, including in posts by State Sen. Katie Muth. Data centers are used to handle the massive amounts of computing needed for artificial intelligence.
The land they’ll be getting in return, residents said, is in a flood plain and has been clear-cut. In addition, those opposing the contract believes it sets a precedent of letting developers use leverage to get what they want.
Limerick officials sent a letter to the commission last week in opposition to the swap.
But hunters who live outside of Montgomery County, as well as some commissioners, spoke in favor of the deal. They said it would provide the state hundreds of acres of new hunting grounds at no cost.
As part of the deal, Limerick Town Center LLC will give 377 acres in Bern Township, Berks County, to the state. And the company would give the state 177 acres in Edgmont Township in what would become the first state game land in Delaware County.
The commissioners
Stanley Knick, president of the Game Commission, who is from Northeastern Pennsylvania, voted against the contract, as did Commissioner Robert Schwalm of Bethlehem.
Commissioner Todd Pride, of Cochranville, Chester County, voted in favor of the contract. Pride said there is, “a lot of information being passed around that was not correct.”
He said Limerick Town Center LLC’s current proposal was “clearly going to have an impact on our existing game lands if we do nothing.”
Now, he said, the commission, “would be swapping 55 acres to get 60″ acres in Limerick while “protecting that area along the Schuylkill.”
“So we’re not losing,” Pride said.
He estimated the overall gain of acreage to the state at $20 million.
‘Simply irreplaceable’
However, Fred Ebert, owner of Ebert Engineering in Montgomery County, speaking as a member of the public, said the current location of state Game Land 234 “is simply irreplaceable.”
He said the new land the state would get in Limerick is surrounded by a railroad and consists mainly of wetlands. The only access, he said, is existing farmland.
“This exchange places a target on all in all game lands for development,” Ebert said. “It provides developers with a game plan and a path to seek out desirable land.”
One East Vincent Township, Chester County, woman who did not identify herself, told the commission she lives across the Schuylkill from the Limerick swap site.
She said so many residents have come forward with stories about how they walk the game land with their children, “showing them what wildlife is still around.”
“If this heavy industry gets to switch out this property, that’s not going to be there for them any longer,” she said.
But Steve Tricarico, a member of the Bern Township planning commission, sees the 377 acres of conserved space his municipality is gaining as a win given the development pressure in Berks County.
“This land would offer new opportunities for outdoor activities and public enjoyment,” Tricarico said.
