Assignment Earth Video

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The U.S. Congress has passed a sweeping law that permanently establishes the protection of 26 million acres of public lands with special scenic, historic and ecological significance.

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With bits of evidence, researchers are convinced Ivory-billed woodpeckers are not extinct and will soon be found in the swamps of northern Florida.

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To guide habitat restoration in backwater lakes on the upper Mississippi, Iowa researchers track fish with radio transmitters.

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On the Mississippi between Illinois and Iowa, hundreds of bald eagles are now attracted each winter by plentiful fish in ice-free waters.

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New research shows how fragments of lead rifle bullets are poisoning eagles, bears and other wildlife that scavenge carcasses left by hunters.

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Off Alaska's coast, new research shows how entangling fishing gear and trash cause devastating consequences for Steller sea lions.

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Only a handful of the world's most endangered parrots still survive in the wild, but state and federal captive breeding programs are holding them back from extinction.

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In Appalachia, a last-minute change in mining rules by the Bush Administration affects how coal companies can dump debris in watersheds -- a major environmental impact from mountaintop-removal mining operations.

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Coal sludge spill in Tennessee threatens long-term toxic danger.

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For under a thousand dollars, a mechanic in Illinois has converted his pickup truck into a battery-powered vehicle.

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Like other big fish species worldwide, Mongolia's giant trout faces extinction.

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In the Yellowstone region, mountain lions face increasing threats from bears, wolves, and people.

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Winemakers in California's Napa Valley are switching to more sustainable, eco-friendly methods, and producing even better wines.

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In Tasmania, an infectious cancer is wiping out dwindling numbers of an iconic, feisty marsupial.

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Some U.S. lawmakers want to change regulations to allow loaded and concealed weapons in national parks.

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New Technology Saves Water

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In Mozambique, an American philanthropist has made an expensive 25-year commitment to bring a war-ravaged national park back to its former natural splendor.

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In the Northern Rockies, beetle infestation and invasive fungus are destroying ancient whitebark pine forests, with serious impacts on wildlife.

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The western United States is rich in renewable solar and wind energy, but delivering it to consumers will require huge investments in new transmission lines that could cause serious environmental impacts.

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There's wide support for giving federal protection to Snake River headwaters in Wyoming, but farmers downriver in Idaho worry this could mean less water for crops.

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Some scientists suspect that pesticides are the cause of plummeting bee populations, which could have serious consequences for pollination and production of food crops.

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Wildlife officers in Wyoming use sophisticated forensic tools to convict poachers.

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Building new bicycle pathways in Grand Teton National Park could have negative impacts on ground-nesting birds.

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With sage grouse declining across the western United States, researchers try to find out if predatory ravens are responsible.

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Conservationists say the common types of these rodents, essential to healthy grasslands, are threatened by widespread poisoning by ranchers and farmers. U.S. wildlife authorities have been reluctant to give them protection under the Endangered Species Act.

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One of the planet's most endangered mammal species, Florida panthers have tripled their population to about 100 individuals during the past decade, but in a limited habitat their future survival is still in doubt.

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In Wyoming, drilling for natural gas is pumping out huge quantities of salty water from deep underground, causing serious problems for ranchers.

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U.S. wildlife authorities have reintroduced a rare sub-species of gray wolf in Arizona and New Mexico, but cattle interests, political pressures and poachers have all but doomed the recovery program.

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China's appetite for turtles threatens the survival of many species, even in the United States.

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A new Federal plan for managing Alaska's vast Tongass National Forest sparks new debate on logging.

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In Florida, power plants discharge warm water and provide manatees with essential habitats.

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With a strategy to fight a disease threatening cattle, critics say, authorities in Wyoming are unnecessarily capturing, testing and killing wild elk.

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Taking his passengers to an altitude that reveals the extent of its impact on the land, one pilot hopes to make people understand how oil and gas drilling is transforming America's western landscapes.

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In capturing carbon from the atmosphere, old-growth forests are gaining market value beyond the price of their timber.

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In Idaho, native trout suffer from disappearing water flows and competition from introduced species.

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Crystal-clear lakes near Montreal are threatened by algae blooms caused by chemical pollution from home and golf courses.

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Surrounded by downtown Chattanooga, Maclellan Island offers a safe place for herons to nest and raise their chicks.

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Initial studies show underwater habitats and species are recovering successfully in California's new marine protected areas.

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New discoveries reveal alarming increases in jellyfish in the oceans, and scientists suspect the causes could be overfishing and global warming.