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 

The Cuyahoga River was one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. The span from Cleveland to Akron was devoid of fish.

40 years ago today, the river caught fire and captured the attention of Time magazine, which described the Cuyahoga as the river that "oozes rather than flows."

The infamous fire spurred a clean-up campaign and grassroots activism that resulted in a wave of federal legislation devoted to clean air, clean water, and natural resource protection.

Today, the Cuyahoga is home to more than 60 species of fish. Beavers, blue herons and bald eagles nest along the river’s banks.

Historical photo credit: Cleveland Press Collection at Cleveland State University Library

(Read more in a feature story by the New York Times)

"The first time Gene Roberts fell into the Cuyahoga River, he worried he might die. The year was 1963, and the river was still an open sewer for industrial waste. . . Recently, Mr. Roberts returned to the river and said, 'It’s a miracle. The river has come back to life.'"