Drakes Bay Oyster Company

After a two-year court battle, the business was terminated in December 2014, and Drakes Estero was cleared of the offshore racks and onshore structures, with the work completed in 2017.

The decision to close the company was made in 2011 by Ken Salazar, the United States Secretary of the Interior on the grounds it would set a precedent for other park lands.

[5] Salazar had telephoned owner Kevin Lunny personally to inform him of the decision, and later stated “The estero is one of our nation's crown jewels, and today we are fulfilling the vision to protect this special place for generations to come.

Due to an injunction filed by regional restaurants, the company continued to harvest oysters for commercial sales, until the National Park Service gave a 30-day notice for permanent closure of all operations.

[9] Upon final completion, the closure effectively returned Drake's Estero to its original ecosystem condition, and established the waters as a permanent wildlife sanctuary within the Phillip Burton Marine Wilderness Area and Point Reyes National Seashore.