Synopses & Reviews
It all began simply enough. In 1976 the Point Reyes Wilderness Act was passed, with broad support, and it was to include a rare marine sanctuary, the Drakes Estuary, as potential wilderness.” Located in the estuary was a small, struggling oyster farm. In existence for more than eighty years, it was accused of being guilty of environmental harm. In 2005 the farm was given notice by the National Parks Service that their lease on the property, due to expire in 2012, would not be renewed. The intention was to allow this area to be restored and to be a viable part of the wilderness preserve. Kevin Lunny, a local rancher, bought the oyster farm in 2005 and renamed it The Drakes Bay Oyster Farm. He refused to acknowledge the term of the lease nor did he intend to abide by it, and thus began a protracted battle in the courts and in the court of public opinion, over the future of the farm.
Environmentalists, local activists, national politicians, scientists, the Department of the Interior, all joined the battle which began as a matter of local interest and determination and quickly spread to become one of national concern and import, as we began to imagine what a new environmentalist position over wilderness might become in the new century. Wise use” people struggled against localists, purists, and wilderness defenders. National politicians joined with or against local food activists and engaged citizens. Mr. Lunny, the new owner, emboldened by a broad measure of support from important lawyers and politicians, promised to take this case, newly seen as of national importance, all the way to the Supreme Court.
This story is one of intrigue and complication. Nothing is simple in this case and almost nothing is what it seems at first glance. And yet issues raised in the oyster war” may have implications for the future of wilderness legislation and administration for decades to come.
Summer Brennan, an award-winning journalist and someone intimately familiar with the scene and its players, has followed the story from its very beginning. In a lyrical narrative style she explores the case, interviews and portrays the players, (major and minor), and presents this complex matter with thorough and deliberate care.
Review
"In The Oyster War, Brennan writes with clarity and grace about an environmental conflict centered on an oyster farm in one of the most beautiful preserves in America, the Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California, as the forces of history, culture, and politics converge to decide the farms fate. Her saga raises the question: How far can one go to return a land to wilderness, when throughout its history it supported all manner of human endeavor? Its a compelling and evocative read for anyone who, like me, shares Brennan's belief that this territory is, in fact, a little bit magic." Erik Larson
Review
"An absorbing account....[Brennan] confronts the ambiguities of the conflicting arguments and motives of the key players....Well-written and superbly reported." Kirkus, Starred Review
Review
"In these times of crucial need to protect both wild places and working landscapes supporting real people, difficult decisions must be made about who gets to stay and who must go. But we quickly find ourselves in a hall of mirrors. This is a devoutly honest book whose author recognizes that sometimes the closest we can get to truth is a matter of opinion. Her self-questioning integrity is a compass that can help us all steer a wiser course when we find ourselves in a tangle and the right direction is not easy to discern." Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words; What Animals Think and Feel
Synopsis
It all began simply enough. In 1976 the Point Reyes Wilderness Act granted the highest protection in America to more than 33,000 acres of California forest, grassland and shoreline - including Drakes Estero, an estuary of stunning beauty. Inside was a small, family-run oyster farm first established in the 1930s. A local rancher bought the business in 2005, renaming it The Drakes Bay Oyster Company. When the National Park Service informed him that the 40-year lease would not be renewed past 2012, he vowed to keep the farm in business even if it meant taking his fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
Environmentalists, national politicians, scientists, and the Department of the Interior all joined a protracted battle for the estuary that had the power to influence the future of wilderness for decades to come. Were the oyster farmers environmental criminals, or victims of government fraud? Fought against a backdrop of fear of government corruption and the looming specter of climate change, the battle struck a national nerve, pitting nature against agriculture and science against politics, as it sought to determine who belonged and who didn't belong, and what it means to be wild.
About the Author
Summer Brennan was born to parents living in a houseboat on the San Francisco Bay. She has written for magazines and newspapers all over the country and works regularly with the United Nations Press Office in New York covering issues related to decolonization, disarmament, human rights and the environment. As an undergraduate at Bennington she studied with Mary Oliver. Later she took her masters from NYU in journalism and the Middle East. The Oyster War is her first book.