Drakes Bay Oyster Company: Desperation on the Farm

The end-days of agriculture

in Marin and Somona Counties are near.

Phyllis Faber

 

Don Neubacher whispers to Ms. Faber at a party...

The Point Reyes Light has published a piece written by Phyllis Faber (environmentalist), Peter Prows (public relations attorney for Drakes Bay Oyster Company), and Laura Watt (an associate professor) which does little more than show the desperation supporters of Drakes Bay Oyster Farm are slipping to. According to Ms. Faber, while at a party one night, Don Neubacher (then superintendent of the Point Reyes National Seashore) described to her the "Grand Plan" to destroy agriculture in all of Marin and Sonoma Counties (July 15, 2013 interview on hypno-therapist Robin Carpenter's "Farm and Foodshed Report").

 

The Grand Plan to end agriculture in Marin and Sonoma Counties

In the "Grand Plan" Ms. Faber imagines, after the oyster farm ceases operation in the wilderness area, it will be followed by swarms from the Center for Biological Diversity collecting water samples to show the ranches are polluting the water. Actions to control runoff will in turn will force the marginally profitable farmers out of business, somehow leading to agriculture in all of Marin County then Sonoma County to end (July 15, 2013 interview on hypno-therapist Robin Carpenter's "Farm and Foodshed Report" at 28:25). It naturally follows that starvation comes to San Francisco. All because Drakes Bay Oyster Company ceases its commercial operation in a designated wilderness area. (read 7/17/13 post for more)

 

"Know your enemy"

Ms. Faber and those she is concerned for would do well to know who their "clean water" enemies are. It is not the Center for Biological Diversity. They need only look north to Samish Bay in Washington state where dairy and cattle farmers are being driven to take actions which will prevent their operational run-off from impacting Taylor Shellfish's ability to grow oysters. The very actions Ms. Faber believes are such a threat to the marginally profitable farms she is concerned about. As reported in "The Skagit Valley Herald" December 19, 2010, it was:

Bill Dewey with Taylor Shellfish who has lobbied legislators and worked with reglators to help improve the water quality...

It was the shellfish industry who has had to hold meetings with the many farmers in the Skagit Valley to:

..."take the temp down" in the farming community after many of the livestock farmers had received mandates from the state Department of Ecology intended to help shellfish farmers in the bay.

Saying something will happen does not mean it will happen
Public relations attorney Mr. Prows continuing to press Ms. Faber to repeat her "Grand Plan" story will not make it happen. It will not happen no matter how hard arms are waved. What will happen is the oyster farm will cease its commercial operation and the structures will be removed from the wilderness area. So doing will allow for the completion of the marine wilderness area Congress wrote as law to occur and the gesticulations will finally stop.