For those of you who follow the plight of the black-footed ferret, this
might brighten your day in a way.  If this could just be passed, the
BFF's food supply will be protected, in turn boosting the BFF population!
Hurray!  They didn't mention the BFF anywhere in the article, but I thought
snippets of it were worth posting anyway.  Aileen
 
[Moderator's note: most of the article was deleted since I came from a
copyrighted AP wire, but here are the first and last paragraphs.  BIG]
 
>05:49 PM ET 03/23/99
"Prairie Dog May Become Protected
 
 Prairie Dog May Become Protected
 By H. JOSEF HEBERT
 Associated Press Writer
 WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Interior Department said Tuesday it will begin a
 nine-month review to see if the black-tailed prairie dog, considered a
 pest by some and an imperiled critter by others, should be protected by
 the Endangered Species Act." ...
 
 "After the 90-day review, the agency could determine that listing the
 species as endangered is needed, is not needed, or may be warranted but
 precluded because of considerations involving other species."
[Posted in FML issue 2626]