Friday, May 06, 2011

Loose Feathers #289

Mexican Amethyst Hummingbird and Green-Tailed Hummingbird, from A selection of the birds of Brazil and Mexico by William Swainson

Birds and birding news
Birds in the blogosphere
Environment and biodiversity
  • A major pipeline leak in northern Alberta released 28,000 barrels of crude oil; it was the largest spill in Alberta since 1975. The leak was discovered on April 29 and has since been repaired, but it contaminated 8 acres of beaver ponds and muskeg. You can see photos of the area here and here.
  • Approval for drilling permits in the Arctic faces several political obstacles, particularly convincing the Interior Department that oil companies can prevent a major spill and persuading Native Alaskans that drilling will not interfere with their subsistence hunting.
  • BP was fined $25 million for a spill in Alaska in 2006.
  • Gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains were removed from the Endangered Species List this week, on order from Congress. The Interior Department also moved to delist the wolves west of the Great Lakes. Their fate will now be in the hands of state wildlife agencies.
Blog carnivals

 
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