The American Spectator

home
ADVERTISEMENT
Print Email
Text Size

The Environmental Spectator

Man vs. Beetle

By on 11.1.11 @ 6:07AM

The Puritan tiger beetle has better lawyers than homeowners at Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Estates.

Chesapeake Ranch Estates is a bayside community of about 4,000 homes located in southern Maryland overlooking the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. It is filled with spectacular views and abundant wildlife. Residents believe they enjoy the best of both worlds. It is about a 90-minute commute to Washington, D.C. and yet, the region is distinctly rural.

Unfortunately, about 100 Chesapeake Ranch homeowners are currently living a nightmare. Their homes are located along Golden West Way, a small two-lane road that snakes along cliffs that rise about one hundred feet above the Chesapeake Bay. Today, about one-quarter mile of Golden West is closed as it is deemed no longer to be safe for vehicle travel as the cliff edge is now too close to the road; in some places, a mere 25 feet. Concrete barriers block vehicles from accessing the stretch of road.

It is not just the inconvenience of having to circumnavigate much of the community in order to travel a mere half-mile down the road that irks local residents. Homeowners along Golden West have watched helplessly as their properties have collapsed into the bay. In 1996, 12-year Wendy Miller who was walking along the beach with her family perished when she was crushed under falling earth. Her death caused the beach to be closed.

The problem with the eroding cliffs could be solved with a relatively straightforward undertaking. The homeowners could shore up the cliffs with riprap or revetments in order to stabilize their properties. Unfortunately, they are prohibited from doing so by enforcement of the Endangered Species Act because the cliffs are the natural habitat of the Puritan tiger beetle.

The Puritan tiger beetle (Cicindela puritana) is one of the 1,967 species worldwide that is on the endangered species list. It was added to the list as a “threatened” species in 1990. According to entomologists, the beetle’s preferred habitat is sandy beaches with adjoining cliff faces that are devoid of vegetation. The continuous erosion of the cliffs precludes vegetation from growing and thereby provides the very soil in which the female beetles burrow and lay the eggs. At least 6,500 and as many as 10,000 tiger beetles are estimated to live in the cliffs along the Chesapeake Bay.

For two decades, homeowners in Chesapeake Ranch and elsewhere along 26 miles of the western shore of the Chesapeake have been prevented from taking any reasonable action to shore up the cliffs and slow the erosion as it could result in vegetation growing along the cliff face. There is no resale market for their homes as it is only a matter of time before the properties collapse into the bay.

A detailed study completed in late 2010 found 234 homes are located within 100 feet of the cliff, 43 are within 20 feet, 20 are within 10 feet and 19 homes are within five feet. One home is overhanging a cliff. The homeowners’ predicament could not be more dire in spite of the fact the Puritan tiger beetle is present in only half of the endangered properties.

Federal and state officials have allowed few efforts to stop the erosion. A $200,000 plan undertaken by four families to deploy nearly 600 two-ton hollow concrete domes off-shore as a man-made reef to slow the waves crashing on the beach yielded few results. Another family’s proposal to build a breakwater about a hundred feet into the bay to slow the cliff erosion was disapproved because it might harm the local crab habitat. The Maryland blue crab — while pricey to the consumer — is neither endangered nor threatened.

In recent weeks, a combined federal-state mitigation plan has been in the works. Homeowners may apply for an “incidental take permit” that allows “private parties undertaking otherwise lawful projects that might result in the take of an endangered or threatened species.” In concert with the application, homeowners would be assessed a fee that paid into a fund that would finance an existing tiger beetle habitat elsewhere or would finance a relocation effort.

Complicating matters is that a comprehensive, community-wide plan — which would be the most sensible approach — has been discouraged. Instead, federal and state officials are encouraging a piecemeal approach by requesting homeowners to submit individual plans.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a $2.4 million grant to purchase about 225 acres of shorefront property as an easement (and 230 acres for a similar easement on the Sassafras River on Maryland’s eastern shore) for a protected tiger beetle habitat. There are not any known efforts underway to reintroduce captive-reared or relocated tiger beetles into the preserve.

No permits have yet been issued to any homeowners under the mitigation plan. The large number of federal and state agencies involved in the approval process (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and three Maryland agencies: Natural Resources, Environment, and Emergency) virtually ensure approval will be a long and drawn-out affair. Further, a source involved with current permit discussions has reported that an unofficial limit has been set at 15 percent of the affected properties. If true, then five out of six property owners will eventually lose their homes. To a beetle.

About the Author

Mark Hyman hosts “Behind the Headlines,” a commentary program for Sinclair Broadcast Group. You can follow him on Twitter at @markhyman.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (47) |

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 11.1.11 @ 6:20AM

They love you, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.

Count Coup| 11.1.11 @ 6:30AM

One can only hope that these former homeowners are now willing to entertain arguments about LESS government.

WRTolkas| 11.1.11 @ 8:09AM

Come-on Count Coup - This is Maryland the author is writing about. They got what they wanted.

KuroShinzo| 11.1.11 @ 7:11AM

If the Government want to preserve something then they must buy it. Good luck with that, the same power that gives the right of eminent domain, gives the Gov the right to everything you are.

DaveD| 11.1.11 @ 8:16AM

I'm of two minds here. In the first place, I agree with you. If the government restricts your ability to maintain your property, the government should compensate you for the loss of property value. On the other hand, if you are stupid enough to build your house too close to an unstable cliff you deserve the consequences.

Dick Nome| 11.1.11 @ 9:52AM

Ditto, but I would also add flood plains, fault lines and barrier beaches to the list. Also areas as found in CA where mud slides are prevelant.

Stan Redmond| 11.1.11 @ 4:37PM

In defense of the homeowners I doubt any of these houses were near the shoreline when they were built many years ago. When they were built there was probably no doubt that eroding cliffs could be artificially protected when the need arose. NOW, suddenly, there is a beatle requiring them to watch their homes crash in to the water. A BEATLE!!!

(I hate to see people lose their homes for the stupididty of gov't action but I would find a certain shadenfrued if liberals lived there. PS, I have had property condemned by local liberals. It is not a good feeling watching you lose your home for the pleasure of a bureaucratic wet-dream.)

Walter | 11.1.11 @ 7:27AM

Only ninety minutes from DC. How convenient? Must be predominently big govecrats living there. I think we should continue to protect the beetles at all cost.

Pecos Pete| 11.1.11 @ 9:38AM

Walter: Good point!

Wouldn't it be poetic justice if just 10% of these homes were owned by bureaucrats in the EPA?

Rob Schapiro| 11.1.11 @ 8:10AM

I must be stupid or something 'cause I don't get it. When the cliffs crumble away, don't they take the beetles with them? How does it save the beetles to have their habitat fall into the sea?

donserge| 11.1.11 @ 8:27AM

When has common sense ever came to the forefront in any government project?

Stan Redmond| 11.1.11 @ 4:37PM

Or a house crashing on top of the precious beatles.

AhiaGuy| 11.1.11 @ 8:28AM

The living definition of Schadenfreud, a wonderful word with no real English equivalent.

Quartermaster| 11.1.11 @ 6:23PM

Schadenfreude. You forgot the 'e' on the end.

Tony| 11.1.11 @ 8:29AM

It's less that the beetles have better lawyers than the full power and force of the federal government protecting them. I past the point of hopelessness on taming this beast.

Michael Tomlinson| 11.1.11 @ 8:38AM

Maryland is getting what it voted for.

Periwinkel| 11.1.11 @ 10:52AM

I lived in Bowie (MD) for six years. Talk about blindly voting a straight party ticket...these people vote Democrat with a larger than life capital D.

The sad part of the story is the homeowners will not learn from this whole Puritan tiger beetle debacle. They elect Democrat after Democrat and wonder why their state is such a mess. Every 20 years or so they elect a Republican just to torment the poor guy.

SparkleNFade| 11.1.11 @ 2:59PM

This is probably is one of the few areas in Maryland that is republican friendly. Most of the rural area in Maryland are Republican, you should read our new redistricting to see how O'Malley has chosen to redistrict the state so no republicans in federal office...

I am a republican living in Prince George's county MD half the time there isn't even a republican candidate to vote for locally.

ImJustaRegularJoe | 11.1.11 @ 5:09PM

Um... I grew up in Southern Maryland. Spent more than 20 years running the roads between Hollywood and Point Lookout. I was graduated from St. Mary's Ryken HS back in the 80's. St.Mary's County is SO Democrat that I would bet that MOST of the home owners losing their houses to the beetle ARE democrats - and yes they ARE getting what they deserve.

David W| 11.1.11 @ 9:12AM

Perhaps a quick spray of diazinon or dursban on the tiger beetle habitat would hasten their demise. No beetles, no need to protect their environment. Or, see if you can import thousands of grackles from Texas into the trees near the homes of federal officials who prevent the MD homeowners from taking action. Then give the grackles protection. After a few months of the sound and bird crap on everything they might change their tune about "protection".

biogal| 11.1.11 @ 9:21AM

The issue is more man vs mother nature. Cliff erosion is a natural process, and several of the homeowners on the cliffs signed waivers with the county because they wanted to build too close to the edges. To properly stabilize the cliffs, the homeowners would have to stabilize the sides and top of the cliffs which would cost a lot of cash. Cliff stabilization also has its issues downstream, as the natural erosion of those cliffs are responsible for some of the sandy beaches loved by Calvert Co citizens.

DonDuke| 11.1.11 @ 10:20AM

No big surprise to me (a Maryland resident). You think CA is the land of PC... welcome to crazy state government East! This is exactly what happens in a liberal, far, far left state. They are getting exactly what they have been voting for for many, many years.

oldfart| 11.1.11 @ 11:01AM

Scuze me - you talking about the Peoples Republic of Maryland? Why do you think people are leaving Maryland as fast as they can.
1. One of 23 states that tax estates
2. One of 9 (I think) that tax Social Security
3. Sur-tax on people with over $1M in reportable income.
4. Thousands of 'fees' on everything except the air you breath. (they are working on that)
Not susprised by this.

One factual err0r - This development is about 50 water miles from the Mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

Dave| 11.1.11 @ 12:27PM

Yet another example of why you don't let bleeding heart liberals make decisions. Here we are, killing people and allowing their deaths in the zeal for a bug. Give me some Raid and I'll protect the bay.

DMH88| 11.1.11 @ 1:48PM

I'm with you! I'd go to my local Home depot/Lowe's and buy everything in stock for killing bugs/beetles/insects!

Dick Nome| 11.1.11 @ 3:49PM

Wipe out the beetles and the shore will still be eroding. Mother Nature can be a bitch.

Kent Lyon| 11.1.11 @ 12:58PM

It's not a question of having better lawyers. Any idiot could prevail in court against these homeowners. The beetles actually have better judges, congresspersons, Senators,lobbyists, media, educational backing, propaganda,support groups, activists, etc. The beetles also benefit from the inherent bias in our society, including in our courts, against the human species. They qualify for preferential treatment because they are not of the species homo sapiens sapiens. The amazing thing is that more severe sanctions, beyond the loss of habitation, are not being pursued against the evil homo sapiens who dared to build there in the first place. Where is a stake or a guillotine when needed? These evil sapiens have defiled Gaia!

ForestWarrior| 11.1.11 @ 1:53PM

This is what the EPA wants. Everyone should live in the city and have no vehicles. No person should be allowed to live in rural areas and the 'greenies' will find ANY reason to evict you. Here in WA it has been overheard that they want the shorelines to look like they did in the 1700's. (No homes) We need to get rid of the EPA!

oldfart| 11.1.11 @ 7:03PM

EPA = Extremely Pitiful Agency

Jeffrey Brady| 11.1.11 @ 2:17PM

I can't say much to someone that wants to build a home near a cliff. To each his own (But not really a good idea!). However they should have the right to protect their assets. The EPA is the most useless P.O.S. Group second to the NAACP! I would love to go face to face and toe to toe with any one of them in a debate. This Country used to be worth something. To heck with the beetles. They will move on and migrate just like they did when they showed up the first time at that cliff.

Gary| 11.1.11 @ 5:07PM

Amen brother! I hope mosquitoes are never placed on the endangered list, or flies, or ticks.

Jen| 11.1.11 @ 2:22PM

Think this is an outrage? Read about and support Crusader Pictures, which is making a satirical film on this topic. http://www.crusaderpictures.com/

Dai Alanye | 11.1.11 @ 2:56PM

The specific problem here is the Endangered Species Act, something that most of us thought was designed to save Bald Eagles and Passenger Pigeons. Instead it was immediately used for minor fish and arthropods. Just wait till they start to apply it to bacteria and viruses, perhaps starting with variola major.

The corrective needed is amendment of the act, requiring Congressional approval before adding a species or population to the protected category.

Buck Ofama| 11.1.11 @ 3:14PM

After their homes collapse onto the beach, the owners can go live an NYC park and protest. And guess what? No one will care.

Or, they can move to the FLA coast and rebuild.
After they lose their homes to hurricanes, or decide that the insurance it too high, they can leave for an NYC park in which to protest.
And guess what? No one will care.

And guess what? No one will care.

Son of Liberty| 11.1.11 @ 4:07PM

So how do we as Americans reconcile the fact that we will allow multi-million dollar homes to crash into the sea without compensation to the homeowner to protect the unborn of this beetle; shut off water to farms in the San Joaquin valley destroying them and the thousands of jobs they provide to protect the unborn of the Delta Smelt; and yet we allow individuals to choose to kill millions of unborn humans every year. What does that say about this country?

Gary B| 11.2.11 @ 12:08AM

It says liberalism, progressivism and political correctness are a mental disorders.

Gary| 11.1.11 @ 5:04PM

This for an effing BUG????? There are probably thousands of species of bugs that we don't even know about that become extinct every year. Do these bugs offer any benefit to man? Maybe we should not be allowed to eliminate viruses and bacteria that cause disease, after all are they less inportanat than some bug? It is insanity! The vegans as they now like to be called, the tree worshippers, the animists, the earth worshippers will drive us back into the trees with life spans of 30 to 40 years of foraging, mating, and deficating, a truly natural and noble existence.

Robin| 11.1.11 @ 5:34PM

Gary, you are right - probably more than you realize! I recently watched interviews of the "Occupy WS" bunch, and more than one stated that we should become, once again, "hunter gatherers". The interviewer mentioned that if that were to happen, many people would die, and one girl ACTUALLY said "Oh well". Scary, scary times!

George| 11.1.11 @ 6:20PM

I wonder if, when these beautiful homes fall into Chesapeake Bay, will the endangered beetles make up the lost property taxes that will no longer be paid on the homes values???

whot| 11.1.11 @ 7:56PM

?

gazinya| 11.1.11 @ 8:27PM

I see two options. If these 'beautiful homes' are worthless because they are going back to their natural state, i.e. 'driftwood', then the homeowners should quit paying property taxes and let the county reposess. Two they could burn the houses down and claim that a group of 'Occupy the Cliff' set the fire.

POST American| 11.2.11 @ 4:08AM

----Great piece.

Meanwhile, as we bury yet another
POST 40 year old with, undoubtedly,
Salk POLIO vaccine --sleeper cancer
virus sourced, cancer ---interesting
to follow the cover-up of the vaccine
--AUTISM link.

Seems among the Amish, who NEVER
get shots ---AUTISM is utterly unknown.

--AGAIN-- amid the GM food, CHEM-trials
and FUKISHIMA fallout--and the latest
round of YOU-genics 'flu shots' --

-------------HUAC meets NUREMBERG-------------
------------------------2012-------------------------------

---------YOUR LIFE NOW DEPENDS ON IT--------

Jeff| 11.2.11 @ 11:38AM

The moral of the story to me is don't build a house on a crumbling cliff devoid of vegetation. It's terrible that families may lose their houses but it is not the fault of a beetle. These cliffs were eroding when they bought the property. Shoring up the base of the cliff would only slow the inevitable. Plus, the homeowners don't own the Chesapeake and thinking that throwing two ton concrete domes out into the water won't have huge environmental impacts is ignorant. Blue crabs are not endangered but blue crab fishing is a huge industry in Maryland, destroying habitat would negatively effect the livelihoods of fishers and possibly the local economy. Plus, Fish and wildlife has offered a plan for mitigation which is common practice in most efforts to dislocate endangered species. This is a story about misplaced blame, people are losing their houses because of inevitable erosion, not a beetle.

Reformed Trombonist | 11.3.11 @ 3:15PM

A quibble, perhaps: you cannot live in home in southern Maryland that overlooks the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. For that, you'd have to live in Virginia. Maryland is at least a good sixty miles away. Don't they teach geography anymore?

mister Z| 11.3.11 @ 3:42PM

A really clever lawyer could argue that erosion control is needed precisely to protect the beetles from the collapsing cliff faces...

More Articles by Mark Hyman

More Articles From The Environmental Spectator

The First Church of Chicken Little

March 25, 2013 | Larry Thornberry

The Scaremongers’ Ball

December 10, 2012 | Peter Hannaford

With Obama It’s Top and Bottom Against the Middle

October 11, 2012 | William Tucker

Secretary Sarah

August 8, 2012 | Bill Croke

Coal Matters — Even in Manhattan

June 25, 2012 | Ken Blackwell

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/11/01/man-vs-beetle

ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Headlines

Back in the Fray

Kyle Peterson|97 comments

The IRS Immigration Fraud Scandal

Jeffrey Lord|99 comments

Obama’s Climate of Intimidation

Matthew Sheffield|56 comments

Whither Suburbia?

Steven Greenhut|24 comments

The Woman Who Wrote Liberty Valance

Bill Croke|31 comments

Not Super, But Pretty Good

Aaron Goldstein|19 comments

The Loss of Trust

Thomas Sowell|32 comments

Foreign Policy as Farce

Jed Babbin|88 comments

The Spectacle Blog

Let Pitchers Throw Complete Games

Aaron Goldstein | 12:10AM

Thoughts on New U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks

Aaron Goldstein | 6.18.13

Thank You, Bobby Jindal

Matt Purple | 6.18.13

Buzzfeed Faces $3.6 Million Lawsuit for Copyright Infringement

Kaylin Bugos | 6.18.13

Democrat Dan Maffei Blames Budget Cuts for Girl’s Rape, Mother’s Murder

Robert Stacy McCain | 6.18.13

Pro-Life is Smart Politics

Rich Lizardo | 6.18.13

Gerson, Wehner, and the Losing Old Ways Crowd

Jeffrey Lord | 6.18.13

Are Young People Souring on Obama?

Matt Purple | 6.18.13

SPONSORED LINKS

FLASHBACK TO: 1995

Clip of the Day

Most Popular Articles

The IRS Immigration Fraud Scandal

Jeffrey Lord | 6.18.13

Foreign Policy as Farce

Jed Babbin | 6.17.13

The Biggest Fool of All

Doug Bandow | 6.17.13

Can Liturgical Music Be Saved?

Patrick O'Hannigan | 6.17.13

Obama's Climate of Intimidation

Matthew Sheffield | 6.18.13

Revenge of the Fruitcakes

Peter Hitchens | 6.17.13

The Mole in Don Draper

James Bowman | 6.17.13

Whither Suburbia?

Steven Greenhut | 6.18.13

ADVERTISEMENT

Home |About |Contributors |Advertise |Donate |Privacy Policy |Contact

The American Spectator Foundation is the 501(c)(3) organization responsible for publishing The American Spectator magazine and training aspiring journalists who espouse traditional American values. Your contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Each donor receives a year-end summary of their giving for tax purposes.

Copyright 2013, The American Spectator. All rights reserved.