Public Comments and Summary Report Now Available for the Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permit Environmental Impact Statement

Date: January 31, 2011
Contact: Melanie Gunn, 415-464-5131

Point Reyes Station – The National Park Service (NPS) has released the Public Comment Analysis Report for the Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permit Environmental Impact Statement. The report presents analysis and summary of public comment, and includes more than 4,000 pieces of correspondence submitted during the 50 day comment period. The Public Comment Analysis Report, all correspondence received during the scoping period, and additional information on the Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permit Environmental Impact Statement can be found at the park website. [Editor's note: The content referenced above was removed from the park's website in 2024.]

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NPS is developing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential issuance of a Special Use Permit (SUP) for commercial oyster operations within Drakes Estero for a period of 10 years. The existing Reservation of Use and Occupancy and associated SUP held by Drakes Bay Oyster Company (DBOC) expires in November 2012.

Point Reyes National Seashore held a 50 day public scoping period for the DBOC SUP EIS from October 8, 2010 to November 26, 2010. During this time, two public scoping open house meetings were held in Marin County and one in the East Bay. The public was encouraged to submit comments at the public meetings, by postal mail, and through the NPS's Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website. 

The Public Comment Analysis Report describes the public scoping process for the EIS and presents the analysis and summary of public comments received. This summary is used by the NPS—along with other relevant law, policy, planning documents, and scientific literature—to determine the scope of the EIS.

-NPS-