What Jarvis did at Point Reyes, California, The Nation

[amborin]

<http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090928/elliott>

/snip


"In an effort to expand wilderness in Point Reyes National Seashore, Jarvis's subordinates misrepresented science to portray an oyster farm as an ecological menace. When locals challenged the accusation, Senator Dianne Feinstein stepped in, along with Jarvis's boss, Mary Bomar. Jarvis was instructed to settle the dispute through an independent review; instead, he inflamed it. Since 2007 he has misled federal investigators, deceived the public and undermined scientific process to defend his subordinates' wrongdoing.

Jarvis's actions are punishable under federal laws governing scientific misconduct. In July an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences filed an official charge against him, yet Salazar turned a blind eye and the Interior Department's inspector general refused to investigate (shunting a federal mandate to do so). If Congress approves Jarvis's nomination without unraveling the regional director's record, it will defeat the hope that in the Obama era science would be driven by facts--not by politics."


/snip

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. I've purchased several hundred Oysters from that farm.

They are hardly an environmental hazard. What a crock.

[clixtox]

2. Me too! Fabulous oysters.

I agree that the issue is now very political, it is not just about returning an area to the pristine way it was before it was developed.

The current owners bought the business knowing that the lease was finite as to term, so they apparently gambled that they could remain, somehow.

Perhaps they believed that their political savvy, connections and "good will" would prevail when push came to shove.

Time will tell.

Love the oysters...

[amborin]

3. oh wow! I'll have to try them some time!

[kristopher]

4. This is an important issue that has nothing to do with oysters.

The facts as presented by the article draw a damning picture of an egregious misuse of science and the overt attempt to deceive policymakers with the false data and conclusions.

Now, a person that was central to that act of deception is up for an important post in the Administration. It smacks of Bush style governance and I don't care if it is Obama, this sounds wrong.