Update: Beverly Hills voters KO fur labels BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Voters in this city of the well-dressed and well-heeled rejected a measure Tuesday that would have required fur merchants to attach labels explaining how the animals died. Measure A would have been the first such ordinance in the nation. With all eight precincts counted, the proposal had 1,908 votes in favor compared with 3,363 votes against, or 36.2% to 63.8%, said city spokeswoman Robin Chancellor. "It's disappointing to lose the election, but we've won the battle," said Luke Montgomery, campaign manager of Beverly Hills Consumers for Informed Choice, the group behind the measure. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559515364-349> Tree clearing urged on Mass. island CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - Clearing more than 1,100 acres of spruce and pine trees planted in the '20s on Martha's Vineyard could restore habitat for rare plants and animals on one of New England's most unusual landscapes, according to a new study. Officials at the state Department of Environmental Management, which runs the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest in the middle of the island, haven't approved the proposed clearing plan, but they agree with the study's goal, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday. The Harvard University study comes amid growing concern over development on Martha's Vineyard, a popular vacation getaway and second-home market. More land has been developed in the last three decades than since it was first settled by Europeans 330 years ago. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559508230-2e5> Return To Top <#TOP> | The Environment <#category18> No kill on Makah tribe whale hunt NEAH BAY, Wash. (AP) - The first harpoon toss shot harmlessly over the top of a gray whale as it rolled in the Pacific on the first day of whale hunting by Makah Indians this spring. Seven Indians in a 32-foot cedar canoe had intended only to practice Monday, but protesters who oppose their plans to kill gray whales were closing in. As a result, the tribe issued a 10-day hunting permit that requires other vessels to stay at least 500 yards away, said Keith Johnson, chairman of the Makah Whaling Commission. Under the tribe's arrangement with the Coast Guard, the Makah can declare such a zone for safety reasons. The harpoon shot missed because "the whale rolled and the harpoon went over the top," Johnson said. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559507093-96d>
