How the Salish Sea got its name

The Salish Sea provides us with experiences to take us beyond its boundaries.

In my mind the story of naming the Salish Sea starts with the discovery of crude oil on Alaska’s arctic shores and the plans to bring, in the mid 1970’s, much of this oil into Washington State’s inland marine waters for refining. The oil industry was getting ready for this North Slope oil to come to Washington State. A new refinery was being built at Cherry Point for the ARCO Company and tankers were being constructed (including the Exxon Valdez) for the trip from Valdez Alaska to various locations in Washington State’s inland marine waters- mostly around Anacortes and Cherry Point.  The potential for oil spills awakened the State and Federal government’s interest in studying the risk to marine resources….

Continued: How the Salish Sea Got its Name