In the controversy over the Drake’s Bay Oyster Farm, one question has stood out. What did the Lunny family think would happen when their lease ran out at Point Reyes National Seashore?

The lease had a clear expiration date: November 30, 2012, and the Lunnys knew that when they took over the farm in 2004.

In a new PBS Newshour report produced by former KQED reporter Spenser Michels, Kevin Lunny explains his thinking.

“This lease has a renewal clause,” he says. “It was always anticipated that it could be renewed. … this is exactly what was planned for the seashore. An oyster farm is part of the working landscape. It’s part of the agriculture. It’s really part of the fabric, part of the history, part of the culture that was always expected to be preserved.”

Watch Strange Bedfellows Fight to Keep Oyster Farm in Operation on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

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The report also quotes opponents of the farm, such as Amy Trainer, director of the Environmental Action committee of West Marin, who says the farm is polluting the bay.

Spenser MichelsSpenser Michels

Drake's Bay Oyster Farm Owner Says It Was 'Planned for the Seashore'