And a bill called the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 makes it harder than ever for a private citizen to buy a lighthouse at an auction, as Holman did.

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Privately-funded efforts to save this regal bird from extinction had been underway for some time at that point, and the federal government began its own efforts in 1966 with the passage of the Endangered Species Preservation Act, the precursor to the more comprehensive Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973.

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While transformations into homes are rare, the architectural preservation groups that often act as brokers favor anyone (including home buyers and residential developers) willing to preserve historical detail.

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The Forum was established in order to act as an organ for ensuring the preservation of audiovisual collections for future generations.

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And the Recovery Act gave a range of grants to state and local governments in some cases around preservation issues.

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Habitat preservation is a good thing, but are wetlands regulations and the Endangered Species Act the best ways to go about it?

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Allen McConnell, a psychology professor at Miami University in Ohio who studies pet owners' behavior, said those who opt for animal preservation can be motivated by grief, a need for belonging and anthropomorphism the act of ascribing human attributes to animals or even inanimate objects.

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