Can it be that enemies of the law protecting the snail darter and the spotted owl can team up with fans of the same law that brought back America's symbolic bald eagle on a new way to protect endangered species?

It would seem that it can. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including Max Baucus, D-Mont., and John Grassley, R-Iowa, respectively the chairman and top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, are backing an endangered species plan that features a carrot rather than a stick.

The new approach would offer tax incentives to landowners who work to recover endangered species on their property. It's an idea that has support from both environmental groups and farm groups.

Landowners who protect the habitat of endangered animals and follow an animal management plan could qualify for significant tax benefits -- the measure is estimated to cost the government $2.7 billion over 10 years.

The bill would not change the Endangered Species Act itself, but it could go a long way toward bringing opposing sides together and reducing the number of lawsuits filed over the act. Not to mention helping to better preserve species that, once lost, are gone forever.