The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a last-ditch appeal from Marin County's Drakes Bay Oyster Co., the Point Reyes business that has been fighting for a decade to renew its lease at Point Reyes National Seashore.
The Supreme Court's decision came without comment and was one in a long list of cases that the tribunal announced it will not consider.
In a statement, Drakes Bay said it believes it still has not run out of legal moves:
“We are not yet out of options,” said Kevin Lunny, owner of Drakes Bay Oyster Farm. “While we had hoped the Supreme Court would grant our cert petition requesting a review of the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, our Federal case against the government now returns to the District Court, where we will be making decisions over the next few weeks about how to proceed. We are extremely grateful to our customers and supporters for everything they have done for our family and our workers’ families over the years.”
Drakes Bay has lost successive rounds in its attempt to persuade federal courts that, by denying the oyster farm's attempt to renew a lease that ran out in late 2012, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar had violated both federal environmental and administrative law.
Salazar refused to renew the lease based on 1970s legislation that directed the National Park Service to return Drakes Estero, where the oyster farm is located, to wilderness. Salazar's decision required Lunny to shut down his operation and vacate the property.