Babbitt Unveils Plan to Protect Species

Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt approved a plan to protect the Florida panther, the blue tail mole skink and other endangered animals and plants in the Everglades, calling it the most comprehensive effort of its kind in U.S. history. Such plans usually focus on one threatened plant or animal at a time, or a few species in one ecosystem. The new plan is unprecedented because it covers 68 species living in 23 diverse habitats. Some environmentalists criticized the 2,000-page plan as being light on specifics. Jay Slack of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which created the plan, said details will be released in stages. The cost of the plan could not be determined.