You've heard of a ship in a bottle. How about a ship made of plastic bottles? That would be the Plastiki, designed to sail the Pacific on an 11,000-mile voyage highlighting the dangers of living in a throwaway world.

The launch date has been moved back to late 2009. 

(Continue Reading AP story at MSNBC)

Thirty years ago it was officially declared extinct in Britain.

But the beautiful large blue butterfly has made an astonishing return.

Around 20,000 will be flitting through the countryside this summer as a result of reintroduction efforts, scientists say.

(Read the good news in the Daily Mail)

After avoiding B.C.'s coast for decades, blue whales are returning to the region to feed in the same areas where they were once hunted to near extinction.

Scientists hope recent sightings mean an increase in the population of the highly endangered whales, but the whales may have simply migrated north from California following the tiny shrimp on which they feed.

(Read more in Canada.com)

A corner has been turned after decades of Northwest timber wars, thanks to a new focus on preventing wildfires and global warming, along with enhancing fish and wildlife habitat.

Environmentalists are welcoming the sound of chain saws helping to reduce fire danger and restore ecosystem balance, and they're not alone.

The last sawmill standing in the area has adopted green certification because it makes sense for its struggling bottom line, and the local forest ranger has 10 years of work planned out covering 10,000 acres -- including timber sales that will provide logs for the mill -- without a single protest, appeal or lawsuit to stop them.

(Continue reading AP's report at WTOPNews.com) 

Photo credit: sealion in Sacramento