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New federal rule affects owners of ivory products, future of elephants

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Alec Strauss showed off a large, engraved elephant tusk at the home of local scrimshaw artist and African elephant advocate Linda Stone, whose Kerrville house is a treasure trove of ivory objects. Stone has been a scrimshaw artist for 37 years whose nationally known work includes an engraved design on an ivory leg that appeared in the 2013 film "The Lone Ranger," starring Johnny Depp. Before June 24, Strauss, Stone and most people in the U.S. could sell their ivory without being...
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Judge halts change to grizzly habitat designation

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...grizzly bear habitat within the Stillwater State Forest north of Whitefish. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy's ruling, issued late Thursday, preserves the "Stillwater Core" grizzly bear habitat from elimination under a plan by the state of Montana that called for building new roads to open the area to increased logging. In the ruling, Molloy concluded that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act by approving the state plan and issuing a permit to...
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Enviromentalists and drillers must work together to save grouse, groups say

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...say if the sage grouse is listed as endangered, it could halt energy in some of the most productive states. "Given the sizable range of the sage grouse's habitat, a listing would be devastating," said Jack Ekstrom, chairman of the Western Energy Alliance. "Vast energy resources would be off limits and jobs lost." A study issued by the group said existing conservation measures implemented by energy companies are effectively protecting the grouse while pulling oil and natural gas...
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APNewsBreak: Feds reverse course on wolverines

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...climate change mean for denning habitat that wolverines prefer."He added, "It's possible wolverines are adapting and continuing to adapt."Federal wildlife officials last year had said future temperature increases could melt snowfields in high elevation mountain ranges in the Lower 48 states where wolverines are found. They called for increased protections to keep the species from going extinct.The first...
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USFWS seeks science, data related to Greater Sage-Grouse

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USFWS Seeks Science, Data Related to Greater Sage-Grouse and Efforts to Protect Sagebrush Habitat DENVER - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is initiating its formal status review of the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act by requesting information from a broad array of state and federal agencies and tribes, along with industry and local conservation partners, about the ground-dwelling bird's population and efforts to protect its sagebrush habitat. During the next several months, the Service will be gathering the best available scientific and commercial data to evaluate the effectiveness of the unprecedented and ongoing campaign to protect North America's largest native grouse and its sagebrush habitat. The West's vast "sagebrush sea" supports an abundance of wildlife. More than…
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Grizzlies and people don’t mix, but some want the bears in California

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But grizzly aggression toward humans has an explanation based on evolution, wildlife biologists say. Black bears evolved in forested areas, and climb trees if threatened. Grizzlies evolved in open country, with few trees to climb, where the appropriate response to threats was fight or flight. This could spell trouble for grizzlies. Many Californians are accustomed to living near black bears who can engage in dumpster diving, pool hopping and climbing trees.
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