[Argus]

On the one hand, I favor property rights. On the other, I'm sick of watching more open space in California and elsewhere plowed under for yet more housing and mall development. We need rational land use planning and in its absence we get ridiculous exploitation of technicalities like this.

[beltfed308]

"It was the bad luck of the developer that it popped up," Evans said. But when state wildlife officials investigated, they determined the meadowfoam had been planted there and ordered it dug up.

I am sure Mr. Evans is the prime suspect. That anyone would do this causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential damages to the developer is maddening.

[SouthTexas]

Can we send some of these to transplant too?

[T. P. Pole]

Schellinger said the new plants grew from seeds scattered during the "original criminal act." Fish and Game agreed and wasn't inclined to reopen the investigation.

If it grows this easily, maybe it doesn't belong on an endangered list.

[A message]

A Sebastapol meadowfoam bought at the local nursery; $14.95

What I'm going to sell my house for in California: half a million to three quarters of a million dollars.

My laughing all the way to the bank when I leave this state: priceless

[Sender]

Limiting development to protect beautiful wild areas is a good thing. But what is the special value of a meadowfoam plant? Can we get oil or beer out of it?

[newzjunkey]

We have a problem in San Diego related to a public school. The site didn't exist until it was created by man for a future public school. A canyon was filled in. Now that the school is needed, enviromentalists suddenly discovered "fairy shrimp" in vernal pools on the site. Fish & Wildlife has declared these shrimp endangered although they refuse to conduct the DNA testing required to prove these are the endangered variety and not a common one. Talk host Roger Hedgecock suspects these "fairy shrimp" were planted by eco-terrorists.

[Jonathan E]

There are quite a lot of places to start here.
First, 98% of all the plants and animals that have ever lived are extinct. So in reality saving a plant or animal that is going extinct is actually going against nature.
If one really wants to return to a time in the past why is it never one where the land was underwater or ice?
Second, if all of the roads, buildings, bridges any infrastructure were jammed into a area of America it would cover between 3-5% of the land.
Third, IMHO what is going on all over America is Agenda 21.
The putting aside of, at least, 50% of the land so as to return it to nature. You see man is not a part of nature, people are looked at, by environmentalist's, as a type of virus to nature. Does one really think that nature can tell the difference between a rock and a plastic bottle. Does one really believe that nature can be harmed? It can always be altered, cultivated, changed organically,frozen, fried, flooded etc. but harmed. I think not.
Forth, from the story it is apparent that environmentalists will not stop at breaking the law in order to impose their 'religion' on others.
Fifth, this is a private property fight. Why should some properties, i.e. environmentally, 'sensitive' land have more protections then yours under the law. As much bad press as eminent domain has been getting lately doesn't alter the fact that it (eminent domain) is a constitutional right of the people, but it seems that land designated for preservation or habitat cannot be eminently domains. Equal protection under the law, I don't think so.
Sixth, homeowners associations have rules and regulations for living in a particular community and one can always decide not to live there because of them. But because of government required comprehensive plans by counties and cities have been initiated, your local planning and zoning board have become the nation wide homeowners association. Only problem with that is that I already have a set of laws for mine, and that is the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Constitutional rights are being trampled upon because of environmentalism and also by people demanding more and more government to fix their day to day problems.
Seventh, and last for this post, if ones wants to stop sprawl, ramped growth and all of that you need to look no further than your local government. The bigger it gets the more money it needs. It produces nothing. It's only source of funds is what you make. And, if you do not make enough our you go, eminent domain, and bring in a better serf to feed the feudalistic system we have embraced. The fault of uncontrolled growth is not with just developers but with the bureaucracy that has to control in order to survive and thus becomes, no longer, the protector of ones unalienable rights, as deemed by our Constitution, but a destructive force to the American way of life and slowly puts out the lights in the city on the hill.