Terrapin Island will be a subdivision without terrapins, if a developer’s plan is approved.
This site is wedged between Rehoboth Bay and Camp Arrowhead Road in the Angola area of greater Lewes, where the birds and animals play. Here, the ghost trees in the marsh bear the witness of their losing battle against the tenacious and sneaky seawater invasion. Over time, the saltwater suffocates the trees one by one and claims the territory.
According to the Terrapin Island application, the total parcel is 32.1 acres with 23.1 acres of mature forest, 3.9 acres of tidal wetlands and 8 acres of nontidal wetlands. If I add up the forest, tidal and nontidal wetlands, it comes up to be 35 acres — 3 acres more than the whole parcel. Assuming that every square inch of this land falls into those three categories, which may not be the case, at least 3 acres of the wetlands may also be forested.
These 3 acres of forested wetlands are on their way to give in to the marshland.
This land has been in one family for 120 years. The family may have their stories of the changing scenery of the land. They probably know that more of this land will transition to wetlands over time, which makes now is the time to sell it.
The developer claims that this land sits between developments. The Planning & Zoning Commission says this is an “infill” project and a good place to build. South of this parcel is the West Bay Waterfront Community, which started as a vacation ground 50 years ago. On the north side is the Bay Front community, which started nearly 20 years ago.
Things have changed over time. What was done 20 or 50 years ago is not a model of what we do today. The residents at West Bay can testify that the storms are getting stronger and the high tides are getting higher. We need stronger defense against these natural forces, rather than demolishing what little defense we have left.
The marsh will recede, and the trees will die over time, but while they are there, they are our first line of defense against the floods. Trees and the marsh absorb an enormous amount of excess water and release it slowly. If we cut down the proposed 14 acres of forest and fill it in to elevate the wetlands to build homes and to pave roads, of course the flooding risks to the whole area will increase.
What do we say to the landowners who want to get rid of this piece of wetland for good money? They should contact and work with land-preservation organizations and memorialize the beloved family land of so many years.
The way it goes now, all the wetlands in low-lying Sussex County will be filled with houses sooner than we think. I implore Sussex County Council to create and amend the land-use ordinances to protect the environmental assets of Sussex County before they are all gone or ruined.
We must think about the consequences of the decisions we make today. Will the next generations be thankful to us and be proud of the land called Sussex County?
Eul Lee
Lewes
