The nation's fiercest and most protracted environmental battles in recent years have centered on endangered species and the Endangered Species Act. Efforts to protect the Snail Darter, the Northern Spotted Owl and dozens of other plants and animals which are dwindling in number have placed environmentalists in opposition with industrial interests and landowners. The result is often years of litigation and solutions that satisfy no one. Government officials in California are trying a new approach; they're using the Endangered Species Act to create a process that brings the parties in conflict into a negotiation over their differences.
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