TOPICAL HEADLINES

BELIZE ENVIRONMENTALISTS SUE TO SAVE RAIN FOREST. A lawsuit filed by Belizian environmentalists with support from the Natural Resources Defense Council has brought a hault to preliminary work on a proposed hydroelectric dam that would destroy the Macal River Valley, one of Central America's last intact rainforests. The suit, the first of its kind in Belize, accuses the Belizian government of violating the country's environmental laws on behalf of Fortis, Inc., the Canadian backer of the dam. (Source: The Natural Resources Defense Council.)

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER! Hundreds of birdwatchers are flocking from all over the country to a remote cabin near Talkeetna, Alaska, to view a rare Great Spotted Woodpecker. (Source: Anchorage Daily News)

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION REPORTS ON ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE: The National Wildlife Federation released two reports that spell out the reasons why drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a bad idea for people and wildlife. (Source: National Wildlife Federation).