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Port Gamble S'Klallam proponent urges renaming 'Rat Island' to 'Ducknet Island'; committee moves proposal to final consideration
Summary
Laura Price, representing the Port Gamble S'Klallam, asked the Committee on Geographic Names to rename a Jefferson County island to Ducknet Island to reflect historic duck-netting and to respect cultural sites; the committee advanced the proposal to final consideration and asked staff to clarify mapping and GNIS technicalities.
At the May 7 meeting, Laura Price of the Port Gamble S'Klallam described the cultural and historical significance of a small Jefferson County island commonly called 'Rat Island' and urged the committee to adopt the name Ducknet Island to recognize traditional duck-netting sites and to provide protections for ancestral remains recovered there.
Price said the current name is derogatory and does not reflect the site’s cultural history; she described documented evidence and noted two letters of support and one letter in opposition had been submitted. Jared, committee staff, added that 'Rat Island' did not appear in the GNIS and that, technically, the proposal might be processed as a new name rather than a name change. Members discussed the implications for navigation charts and databases and urged clarity from mapping authorities so references to the feature are updated consistently.
Dean Foster and other members said they supported forwarding the item for final consideration but asked for additional mapping information from navigation and GIS providers so the new name could replace informal uses correctly. Mike Isle moved to advance the proposal (with the technical clarification that it should be treated as a new name if it is not in GNIS); the motion carried.
Staff reminded participants that final consideration will be at the November meeting and requested any additional materials one month in advance.
