"POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, Calif. — The once-bustling oyster farm and sales shack at the end of the dirt road had the look of sudden abandonment.

Doors and windows gaped open. Wind-chapped buildings were stripped of everything that was valuable or could be resold to other oyster operators. Inside, the commercial detritus of the former owner cluttered mud-caked floors: a shopping cart, fishing poles, plastic gloves, bottles of condiments, office chairs.

In the clear waters of Drakes Estero, where decades of farmers had groomed crops of sought-after oysters, flecks of yellowed plastic foam broken off a timeworn floating barge bobbed like misplaced snowflakes.

It's the aftermath of a yearslong legal battle between the oyster farmer and the National Park Service, which fought to reclaim and restore the bay. The park service prevailed - after spending millions of dollars in scores of lawsuits that ended at the U.S. Supreme Court."

Julie Cart reports for the Los Angeles Times January 28, 2015. [2]