top
North Bay
North Bay
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Drakes Bay Oyster Company: Rancher Association Splits over DBOC Actions

by Protect Our Shoreline News
Does anyone support Drakes Bay Oyster Company's continued operations anymore?
thelma_louise_cliff.jpg
Who speaks for who?

The Point Reyes Seashore Ranchers Association has had half its members resign over actions taken in support of Drakes Bay Oyster Company in the name of the Association without consulting the Association members. Concerns generating the July 25 resignation letter included an Association document having had comments written by DBOC attorneys which were added to the already approved document without consultation. In addition, a sub-committee of the Association, headed by DBOC owner Kevin Lunny, mailed a letter on Association letterhead which had not been seen by most of the members.

In the July 25 resignation letter the long time ranchers' concerns over actions taken without consultation include this statement:
"This was most recently evidenced by the letter dated July 21, 2014 [from Mr. Lunny's sub-committee] which was sent on behalf of the Association to Superintendent Muldoon and various elected officials. We felt that we had inadequate time to review and respond and consider the implications of such a letter being sent."

Local press asleep at the wheel.

The Marin County press - asleep at the wheel of the car owned by ?*
Both the Point Reyes Light and West Marin Citizen missed the fracture which was detailed in the July 25 letter.

Instead, in an opinion piece published August 7, almost 2 weeks after the resignation, the Point Reyes Light wrote instead:
The ranchers association, galvanized by the Lunnys’ fight, now has a persuasive and unified vision. (Point Reyes Light, "Our choice: A living seashore or a silent landscape" August 7, 2014)
The West Marin Citizen was reporting on August 6 that it was "pink spray paint" on signs which was demonstrating "...the strong feelings evoked by the Drakes Bay Oyster Company controversy." August 7 their Facebook site printed a copy of the letter found on The West Marin Feed's Facebook site.

August 7, KWMR's Robin Carpenter response was to deflect the focus to "...someone leaking a confidential letter."

*Point Reyes Light is owned by Marin Media Institute, co-founded by Corey Goodman. Point Reyes Light is also an underwriter of KWMR.

Just because you say it does not make it so, even if you own the press.

By now it should be obvious that repeating something over and over does not make it so. In the case of support for the commercial operation continuing in the Phillip Burton Wilderness area, the support is not what is being reported by the local press. It is time for true reporters to begin writing.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network