Drakes Bay Oyster Farm shut down by the National Park Service
When the Supreme Court declined to hear our case, we had no recourse but to settle our Federal lawsuit. We continue to stand up for family farms, for sustainable food, and for scientific integrity in government.
Thank you for your support over the years. We could never have gotten through this without our loyal fans, customers, and supporters. It is our hope that justice eventually prevail, and we continue to be encouraged by the truth finally getting out in articles like the Michael Ames' Newsweek article (January 15, 2015), see Newsweek article here.
The National Park Service has removed the oyster shack and all other historic buildings at the site, and is in the process of dismantling and removing the oyster racks and related materials, as is its responsibility under the settlement agreement.
We are still formulating our future plans and will keep people posted at this website. For background on the unjust removal of the farm, please see savedrakesbay.com.
Sincerely,
The Lunny Family and the entire Drakes Bay Oyster Farm Family
News & Events
- Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations - Kevin Lunny Testimony
- Newsweek: The Oyster Shell Game
- USGS and NPS falsify a respected scientist's key findings in order to implicate a family farm Click here to read full article
- Sacramento Bee: California Sketches
- Point Reyes shellfish bounty faces a shutdown. Click here to read full article
- San Francisco Chronicle: 2 million oysters in bay begin restoration effort
- Drakes Bay Oyster Company helps to support San Fansico Bay oyster restoration project by donating shell materials Click here to read full article For original article on DBOF assistance Click here
- Press Democrat: Oyster farm draws support in court battle
- Guy Kovner reviews the personal, historical, environmental and legislative spectrum of Amicus Briefs filed in support of The Drakes Bay Oyster Company. Click here to read full article
- Drakes Bay Files Petition for 9th Circuit En Banc Rehearing
- Drakes Bay Oyster Company requests a full hearing by the 9th Circuit Court. Click here to view our Press Release
- Drakes Bay Oyster Co. to Seek Rehearing of Decision that Could Cause Shutdown
- Owner Kevin Lunny says: "We are more convinced than ever that we will prevail." Click here to read full article
- Drakes Bay Oyster Co: Judge Slams Majority Opinion, Calls it a "Hand Waving" decision
- Owners of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company today said they strongly disagree with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal's decision to eject the historic oyster farm, and that attorneys for Drakes Bay are now reviewing all options before announcing the farm's plans moving forward. Click here to read full article
- Marin Voice: Science shows oyster farm doesn't harm the estero's ecology
- Joe Mueller's July 31 Marin Voice column ("Doing what's right for the ecology") is surprisingly devoid of facts. Almost everything in his column is contradicted by the scientific literature on Drakes Estero. Click here to read full article
- The West Coast Oyster War
- The campaign to shut down a family oyster farm exposes an unflattering side of the American conservation movement. Click here to read full article
- Citizen's Forum: Considering the complete history of 'wilderness' at Drakes Estero
- There is a long history of disagreement over the meaning of wilderness; this is not a unique circumstance to the Drakes Estero conundrum. So to suggest that the meaning and intent of wilderness is clear and unambiguous here, regardless of which "side" one is on, can only result from a selective (or cherry-picking) view of the history. Click here to read full article
- Citizen's Forum: The nature of wilderness - past intentions for oyster farm's future
- In her letter to the editor last week, Amy Meyer described her role on the Citizens Advisory Commission (CAC) back in 1975, making recommendations for the designation of lands within Point Reyes National Seashore as wilderness. She asserted that, by including Drakes Estero in the "potential wilderness" category, it was always the intention of Congress and the public that the oyster farm cease operation in 2012, once its reservation of use expired. Click here to read full article
- Citizen's Forum: Realizing the potential
- A few weeks ago my former student, Adam Williams, arrived in Sonoma County after completing a 4500-mile bicycling trip across the country (he started in April in Maine), as part an organization called Foodcycle (foodcycleus.com) to raise awareness of lunchroom sustainability in schools. His incredible commitment of time and energy to this issue has reminded me of just how central food has become to environmentalism in the past decade. Click here to read full article
- Dr. Corey Goodman Files Scientific Misconduct Complaint
- A comprehensive Complaint detailing serial scientific misconduct was filed on 3/4/2013 with Dr. John Holdren, the President’s Science Advisor (and architect of President Obama’s Scientific Integrity Policy). The 150+ page Complaint addresses an “Enterprise of Misconduct” at three Federal agencies -- the National Park Service (NPS), the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC). Click here to read the letter
- Drakes Bay Oyster Company's Royal Shucking
- "On a cold November Thursday, Ken Salazar made a boatload of enemies with a single phone call. The secretary of the U.S. Interior Department chose that day to announce his decision that the Drakes Bay Oyster Company, the family-run seafood business that became a fixture in Drakes Estero at Point Reyes National Seashore, had 90 days to depart the premises." Click here to read the full article
- Dianne Feinstein Weighs In
- Senator Feinstein writes in to the Marin Independent Journal: "Accurate, objective science should guide environmental policy, and when science has acknowledged problems, it should never be used to make decisions. There is no guarantee that any given study is perfect, but we should all agree that decisions based on science we know to be flawed is a stark violation of the public trust." Click here to read the entire op-ed piece.
Drakes Estero in morning light.
As stewards of the land, our practices are driven by a deep respect for the earth and the waters of the Estero ecosystem. The farms provide jobs, housing, and income to many locals, and are a significant part of the history and diversity of this thriving agricultural community.
We promise that we will provide you and your family with products of only the highest quality produced in the most humane, local and sustainable manner possible.
Our Drakes Bay Oysters and other seafood are raised in the most pristine body of water quality of any growing area in the state of California. A deep-water upwelling just off the coast of Drakes Bay provides cool, nutrient rich water year-round to Drakes Estero. This uniquely pristine water produces what are recognized as some of the finest oysters in the world.
Support Local and Sustainable Farming
We believe that sustainable farming methods are essential to conserving and restoring our natural surroundings. With this in mind, we are urging everyone to support local farmers.
Call (415) 669-1149.
