Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A hunting lodge with antler chandeliers and stuffed ducks on the walls seems a strange place to celebrate the comeback of the ivory-billed woodpecker, but wildlife officials are doing exactly that. They credit hunters in particular with helping bring the rare bird back from presumed extinction in the Big Woods section of Arkansas.

REENWICH, Conn., Dec. 9 — When a deer hunt was proposed on 285 acres of pristine open land here owned by the Audubon center, it was not surprising that hunters, animal rights activists and bird lovers found themselves locked in battle. What was surprising was who was caught in the crossfire — Fairfield County's homeless.It started innocently enough when the Audubon, looking for ways to reduce the number of deer that had the run of the place, asked that any deer killed in the hunt go to feed the hungry. Similar programs have resulted in some 28,000 pounds of venison...

<p>A revving chainsaw kicked off a rally Monday outside the state Capitol that blamed environmentalists for Arizona's fire-prone forests.</p> <p>Although groups from the Audubon Society to the Center for Biological Diversity were the main targets, the crowd was also displeased with the U.S. Forest Service and wary of Gov. Janet Napolitano's plans for forest health.</p>

Commissioners to take final look at rural fringe growth plan Sunday, June 16, 2002By ERIC STAATS, emstaats@naplesnews.com Collier County commissioners are on the verge of adopting the most significant changes to the county's growth plan since it was created in 1985. Landowners opposed to the changes are expected to pack a meeting room Tuesday to protest the so-called rural fringe plan that would apply to some 93,000 acres between the urban area and Golden Gate Estates. The meeting starts at 5 p.m. The backbone of the new plan is a Transfer of Development Rights program that would discourage development on...