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| Three decades after President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law, nearly every major decision about what animals or plants to protect—from the Columbia Basin's pygmy rabbit to the Washington gray squirrel—is now made, at least in part, by Arizona's Center for Biological Diversity. Founded more than a decade ago by a philosopher, a biologist and an emergency-room doctor, the Center for Biological Diversity has grown so efficient and successful at filing lawsuits that it is responsible for more than 95 percent of the species nationwide that have been protected by the act since the year 2000. — Seattle Times, December 28, 2003 |