The Shore Is Their Oyster Drakes Estero is in many ways
everything a federally protected wilderness area should be:
pristine, vibrant, remote. Its long fingers of land reach out
from California’s northern coast into the Pacific Ocean,
creating a rich, tidal ecosystem. Here, harbor seals bask on the
shore and thickets of eelgrass sprout from an estuary, providing
food for black brant sea geese and a nursery ground for
endangered steelhead and other fish. Comprising more than 2,200
acres in Point Reyes National Seashore, Drakes Estero is so
biologically important that in 1976 Congress designated it as
wilderness—the highest level of federal protection. That status,
however, was not to go into effect until 2012 because of
conflicting land use involving long-standing oyster farming in
the area. Currently, Drakes Bay Oyster Company maintains 1,000
acres within the Estero for growing shellfish. The company is
attempting to extend its operations for at least another decade,
which could postpone wilderness status ind