Title
Special Recognition - Proclamation Recognizing the Budd Inlet Six 50th Anniversary
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Recognize the Budd Inlet Six 50th Anniversary Year and Proclaim March 7, 2026, as Budd Inlet Six Commemoration Day.
Report
Issue:
Whether to recognize the Budd Inlet Six 50th Anniversary Year and Proclaim March 7, 2026, as Budd Inlet Six Commemoration Day.
Staff Contact:
Melissa McKee, Assistant to the City Council, 360.753.8443
Presenter(s):
Karen Ellick, former spouse of Ralph Munro
Edward B. Mackie, former Chief Deputy Attorney General of the WSBA
Background and Analysis:
On March 7, 1976, six Bigg's (transient) killer whales were captured and held in Budd Inlet near Olympia in an event that became known as the "Budd Inlet Six." The capture unfolded over several weeks in public view and drew significant attention from community members, scientists, educators, and public officials.
During the same period, The Evergreen State College hosted the First International Orca Symposium (March 12-13, 1976), which brought international scientific focus to orca welfare in Puget Sound and coincided with the events in Budd Inlet. Public attention to the capture, together with scientific input and civic engagement, contributed to legal and political actions that resulted in the release of the captured whales and the cessation of live orca capture in Washington State waters.
Former Washington State leaders, including Governor Dan Evans, Attorney General Slade Gorton, and then aide to Governor Evans, Ralph Munro, were involved in these actions.
A year-long recognition is occurring to recognize that the historic events unfolded over several weeks rather than a single day. Commemorating them across an entire year more accurately reflects their scope and significance, while still anchoring the observance to a meaningful historical date. Educational and cultural partners are p...
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