11-28-11 Russian River Times: National Enviro Group Smears Local Oyster Farm
“The Drake’s Bay situation points out the need for national organizations … to be responsible for their actions at the local level, or the integrity of the environmental movement will continue to be divided and compromised…. More importantly, it shows how the NPS, without a proper watchdog or national policy for agriculture and mariculture within the parks, places rural communities and their citizens at the whim of the local Park Superintendent. Over a third of the 400-some national parks, monuments and seashores contain culturally significant working landscapes. In the case of Drake’s Estero, the Superintendent flip-flopped from planning a multi-million dollar upgrade of the oyster farm facilities, signing off that it didn’t require any action under state and federal environmental laws, to conducting a highly questionable campaign to get rid of DBOC. His actions resulted in millions of taxpayer dollars spent on reports, studies, staff time and environmental impact statements, and has yet to produce any data showing that the oyster farm is detrimental to the Estero.”
For the complete article, click the link below:
http://russianrivertimes.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/national-enviro-group-smears-local-oyster-farm/
Drakes Bay Oyster Company & the National Park Service. Watch the video, "THE FRAMING OF AN OYSTER FARM" at http://vimeo.com/52331881 