Sierra Club praises sprawl limits WASHINGTON (AP) - Buying land around cities, improving mass transit and limiting development were highlighted Monday by a national environmental group as successful state efforts to reduce urban sprawl. The Sierra Club report focused on states where governments tried to keep residents living closer to their jobs and avoiding the pollution and gridlock of extended suburbs. Maryland rated tops for protecting open space, with $140 million earmarked for buying land. Already the state protects 300,000 acres of farmland and other undeveloped areas. Oregon was rated first in land-use planning by allowing communities to require development within clearly drawn boundaries. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561485900-c25> Seed bank is 'botanical seatbelt' LONDON (AP) - The small flower that lived on the banks of the Slapton Lea in the southwest English county of Devon slowly faded out until none were left. But thanks to the Millennium Seed Bank, the corrigiola litoralis was not lost forever. Scientists at the bank germinated the seeds, then created a habitat by the river that would let the flower thrive. And today, thrive it does. Roger Smith, the seed bank's director, hopes the taxpayer-funded project will serve as an impetus for a worldwide movement to save plant species by storing their seeds. He likens the bank to a "botanical seatbelt." "If you are unfortunate enough to have a crash, it doesn't have to be as damaging as it might have been," he says. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561465630-094>
