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NPR's John Nielsen reports on today's ruling by the Supreme Court that will allow property owners broader freedom to sue the government over enforcement of the Endangered Species Act. Property owners hailed the victory, saying that federal enforcement of the law is too heavy-handed and has caused numerous farmers and businesses to go bankrupt. Reaction from environmentalists was mixed.

Three federal agencies have come up with a plan to try to stop the slaughter of bison near Yellowstone National Park. More than 700 of the park's herd of 3500 buffalo have been killed for wandering onto private land outside the park in search of food. The agencies say they will implement 24 hour patrols to keep the bison in the park and try to steer wayward animals onto national forest lands. NPR's Mark Roberts reports that environmental groups and the governor of Montana are not satisfied.

From Baku, Azerbaijan, NPR's Anne Garrels reports on the possibility of a caviar shortage in the future due to environmental threats to the sturgeon fish that produces the delicacy. Most of the world's caviar comes from the Caspian sea, near Baku. Garrels reports since the break up of the Soviet Union, pollution in the Caspian and illegal fishing have increased...both of which are threats to the caviar producing sturgeons.

President Clinton today used the Grand Canyon as a backdrop to his announcement that he was designating 1.7 million acres of Utah land as a national monument. The designation is intended to limit development of a coal mine in the area, and was expected to help the president solidify his support among pro-environmental voters. NPR's David Molpus reports.

1:U.S. Poet Laureate ROBERT HASS. (Rhymes with "ass"). He's written several books of poetry including "Praise," "Human Wishes," He also edited "The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson & Issa."(The Ecco Press) He's been nominated to receive the National Book Award for his latest collection of poems, "Sun Under Wood"(The Ecco Press). In addition to his job as a Poet Laureate, which will continue through to this May, Hass is involved in environmental activism and he continues to teach in the English department of the University of California at Berkeley. (REBROADCAST from 4

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.

He maintains that he is NOT Japhy Ryder in Kerouac's "The Dharma Bums"...and that he is NOT a nature poet. But the Zen woodsman is a hero to the back-to-nature movement. He's also been criticized for being an out-of-touch environmental purist. On the other hand, his poetry has been praised and honored, including a 1975 Pulitzer. Catherine Stifter visited Snyder at his home in the Sierras.

, Nina Teichcolz reports the Brazilian government and environmentalists are very worried about the arrival of three big Asian timbers companies with a reputation for clearing huge tracts of forest in a non-sustainable way...

At a news conference in Washington today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it wants to further tighten air-quality standards to reduce both smog and the amount of tiny particles that lodge in the lungs. The EPA's administrator, Carol Browner, said that the proposal would save an additional 20 thousand lives a year by reducing the number of people who develop respiratory diseases like asthma. Environmentalists hailed the EPA's move as long-overdue...but factory owners and makers of products that pollute say the rules could have a devastating impact on business. NPR's David Baron reports.

With control of the House up for grabs this November, interest groups are waging big dollar campaigns in congressional districts across the country. NPR's Peter Kenyon visited a swing district in Northern California, where Republican Rep. Frank Riggs is battling Democrat Michela Alioto and other foes ranging from environmentalists to labor unions.