Drakes Estero

Drakes Estero is an expansive estuary in the Point Reyes National Seashore of Marin County on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States, approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of San Francisco.

[3] Conservationists, including L. Martin Griffin, Jr. and oceanographer Sylvia Earle called for an end to the ongoing oyster farming in the estero.

[4][5] Senator Dianne Feinstein criticized the National Park Service, alleging that data used to support the non-renewal was flawed.

[6] On November 29, 2012, United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar directed the National Park Service to allow the permit for oyster farming to expire, allowing the land and waters of the estero to return to their natural state.

[7] A lawsuit was filed on December 4, 2012, by Kevin Lunny, the owner of Drakes Bay Oyster Company, to declare the decision by Salazar null and void.