To Close or Not To Close an Oyster Farm - Drake's Bay Oyster Company

Keep the Farm Open - Drake's Bay Oyster Company

A terrible fate has just been decided by an over reaching government bureaucracy for this family owned business. The Closing of Drake's  Bay Oyster Company means not just the loss of jobs but also the loss of 90 years of tradition.

Click Here to Watch: The Framing of an Oyster Farm - Drake's Bay Oyster Company

Close the Farm - Perspective From The Conservation Side

..........But wait, there's more to this story!  Before you decide, read the following:

For The Full Packet of Statements Supporting Secretary Salazar's Decision to Designate Drakes Estero As The Only West Coast Marine Wilderness Park - Click Here

- Excerpt from "COALITION OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RETIREES BACKS SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR'S DECISION ON POINT REYES OYSTER FARM"

"When the Congress designated Drakes Estero a Wilderness Area in 1976, Congress allowed an existing oyster company to grow non-native oysters until its lease expired on Nov. 30, 2012. The current owner of the oyster farm bought it from its previous owner in 2005 with the clear understanding that its occupancy permit would expire in 2012. He tried to apply political pressure to the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department to extend the permit, claiming that his operation was not harmful to the resources of the park. The public does not agree. 92% of the more than 52,000 public comments received during the comment period of the NPS' last Environmental Impact Statement on the Drakes Bay Special Use Permit favored full wilderness protection for the area and a termination of the lease."

"By denying the permit extension, Secretary Salazar is acting in the public interest and carrying out his responsibilities as defined in the 1916 NPS Organic Act, the 1964 Wilderness Act, and the 2006 NPS Management Policies. CNPSR Executive Council member, Rick Smith, said, "The oyster farm has a long history of violating the environmental regulations of the California Coastal Commission and the NPS. It also has been operating without federal permits required to protect navigable waters. The NPS is charged with operating areas of the National Park System in ways that are not in derogation of the values and resources for which the area was established. Secretary Salazar's decision will allow the NPS to more faithfully carry out this mission. We applaud his decision."

The following organizations have formed a coalition in favor of full wilderness protection