Marine lab gets six-month reprieve amid discussion of takeover by foundation

'We need to let this play out, but so far it looks promising,' said Estuary & Ocean Science Center interim Executive Director Katharyn Boyer, who specializes in eelgrass propagation. (Elliot Karlan archive / For The Ark 2022)

Tiburon’s Estuary & Ocean Science Center has been granted a six-month reprieve while San Francisco State University administrators explore an alternative to closing its doors.

The university first announced in February that it would shutter the 53-acre marine biology station due to budget cuts, but that decision has been pushed back until at least January 2026, university officials say, while they discuss long-term options with representatives from an unnamed foundation.

Bobby King, the university’s director of communications, confirmed by email June 5 that options include covering short-term expenses or turning over the facility entirely.

“We would consider the possibility of selling the campus, especially if it allowed the continuation of the kinds of (research) activities currently happening,” he said. “We expect to know more about what’s next at some point in the next six months.”

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