State Panel Tables Hood Canal Renaming Proposal
Washington's naming committee delayed a bid to rename the 60-mile fjord to Salish Fjord until its May meeting.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Geography
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The Washington State Committee on Geographic Names voted to table a proposal to rename Hood Canal, a 60-mile-long fjord currently named for British Admiral Samuel Hood, to Salish Fjord. The proposal was advanced by retired elementary schoolteacher Barbara Stark and opposed by Skokomish Chairman and CEO Tom Strong.
Why it matters
The debate centers on how the names of Washington's waterways reflect Indigenous heritage versus colonial-era naming by British explorers. Tribal leaders said they were not properly consulted and asked that the Skokomish Tribe be included before any change.
Hood Canal is a 60-mile-long fjord carved roughly 13,000 years ago by Pleistocene ice sheets and reaching 600 feet deep in places. The committee tabled the proposal on November 5, 2026, and will take it up again at its May 2027 meeting.
The players
Barbara Stark
A retired elementary schoolteacher from Poulsbo who proposed renaming Hood Canal to Salish Fjord.
Tom Strong
Chairman and CEO of the Skokomish Tribe, who spoke against the proposal and asked for proper tribal consultation.
Washington State Committee on Geographic Names
The state body responsible for approving official geographic names in Washington, which tabled the proposal.
The details
Stark proposed the Salish Fjord name after a three-year effort and said she had no tribal connections through which to gather name suggestions. Strong said he learned of the proposal only five minutes before the committee meeting began. The committee also approved renaming Rat Island near Port Townsend to Duck Net Island in the Marrowstone Wildlife Area.
Timeline
1792: British Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver names the waterway Hood's Channel.
November 5, 2026: The committee votes to table the Salish Fjord proposal.
May 2027: The committee's next meeting, where the proposal will be considered again.
Big Picture
The Hood Canal debate revisits the 1792 naming of Hood's Channel by British explorer George Vancouver, and it follows the 2009 decision to adopt Salish Sea for Washington's inland waters. The proposal reflects a broader push to restore Indigenous place names across the Pacific Northwest.
For residents and visitors, the outcome could change the name printed on maps and signs around Hood Canal. The decision would also affect how official state records refer to the waterway.
The takeaway
Place names carry history, and the Hood Canal debate shows how state naming decisions can involve both legal process and Indigenous consultation. Readers interested in the issue can follow the committee's May 2027 agenda.
What happens next
The Washington State Committee on Geographic Names will consider the Salish Fjord proposal again at its May 2027 meeting.
Further reading
Explore more on Washington Geography for background on the state's waterways and place names.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KUOW-FM (94.9, Seattle).
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