A panel of agency officials will be assembled Saturday, Feb. 20 to discuss and answer questions about the severe erosion of cliffs on Maryland’s western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, the office of House of Delegates Minority Leader Anthony J. “Tony� O’Donnell [R-District 29C] announced.

A missive from O’Donnell’s office said the session, which begins at 1 p.m., is open to the public and will be held at Crossroads Christian Church at Route 2/4 and Ball Road in St. Leonard.

“The situation is related to the presence of the Puritan Tiger Beetle, an endangered species, that is found on various cliff faces throughout Calvert County and the beetle’s impact on measurers that stop cliff erosion,� the advisory from O’Donnell’s office stated.

John Eney, president of the Property Owners of Chesapeake Ranch Estates (POACRE), said his community has tried to obtain permission from agencies to address cliff erosion.

He said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has demonstrated concern with the “chronic pollution� to the bay caused by cliff erosion and appears supportive of POACRE’s efforts.

However, the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have opposed POACRE’s proposals for mitigating erosion.

“They are more concerned with a species of beetle,� said Eney.

“We need to help these people save their homes,� stated O’Donnell. “Calvert County is facing a critical and immediate problem of severe erosion of its cliff faces.�

O’Donnell’s office has planned an alternate date in case of more severe winter weather Feb. 20 (alternate date is Feb. 27).

Anyone with questions should contact Linda Darby at O’Donnell’s Calvert office. The telephone number is 410-326-0081.

Meanwhile, another state lawmaker, Sen. Roy Dyson [D-District 29], has sent letters to both of Maryland’s U.S. Senators, Democrats Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin, and to U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer [D-MD District 5], regarding the cliff erosion problems, specifically in Chesapeake Ranch Estates.

“It is unfathomable to me that our citizens are in danger of losing their homes to save a beetle no one has actually ever seen,� stated Dyson.

The Calvert Board of County Commissioners has also written to Mikulski, Cardin and Hoyer about CRE’s dilemma.

“These residents have been told that their options to address the erosion problem are extremely limited because the cliffs are a habitat to approximately 300 endangered Puritan Tiger Beetles,� a letter signed by all five county commissioners stated. “While we appreciate the desire to save endangered species, we are also concerned about the potential threat to life and property that the situation poses. It is our hope that, with your assistance, we can develop a common-sense approach to this issue.�

E-mail Marty Madden at editorial@calvertindependent.com.