On Friday, October 30, the State Board of Geographic Names voted 5 to 1 in favor of adding "Salish Sea" as one of the approved names for the body of water that includes Puget Sound, Strait of Georgia, and Strait of San Juan de Fuca. The existing names will not be replaced, but Salish Sea will be an added "umbrella" designation to refer collectively to all of these ecologically-vital waters.
This is not the end of the process, as the name still awaits approval by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, as well as its Canadian counterpart. But this could come as early as next month.
The salmon and orcas know no geographic names nor national boundaries for the waters they migrate through. If we are to have any success in restoring their endangered habitat, it is critical that we all come to view these waters as one unified sea, and work collectively across borders and cultures to protect it.
Putting this new name on the map is a welcome first step. No longer will we have to describe ourselves as located between Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia. Instead, we can tell people that our beautiful islands are the heart of the Salish Sea!
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Here is link to a nice article from the Sea-Doc society newsletter. Sign up for their wildlife posts and you can recieve a great Salish Sea map.
ReplyDeletehttp://orcasissues.com/salish-sea-our-inland-sea-is-officially-named
Say "Salish Sea" over and over and over. That's the way it'll become real: http://pugetsound.org/blog/103109ms
ReplyDeleteShann says the Canadian agency has already approved the name, and the US Government is expected to follow suit shortly.
ReplyDeleteAlso: nice article in last weeks SJ Journal with quotes from Shann.
It's official! The US government approved it yesterday or today
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