What’s in a name?

Who would have thought something as benign as the Olympic Games, the pinnacle of athletic prowess that brings out the best in people, would bring such consternation to a local winery and other Olympic Peninsula businesses?

On the eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, scheduled to open Friday, Aug. 8, and the 2010 Vancouver, British Columbia, Olympic Games, it appeared the word Olympic should disappear whenever not sanctioned by the United States Olympic Committee.

That left about a bazillion businesses on the North Olympic Peninsula vulnerable, including everything from schools to medical offices to electric companies.

Fortunately, it’s not that serious for the majority of the businesses and organizations with the word Olympic in their name.

However, for Olympic Cellars, a locally owned winery halfway between Sequim and Port Angeles, the name game became an issue.

Kathy Charlton, principal owner of Olympic Cellars, says she was somewhat surprised when the USOC nearly a year ago informed her via letter that she had to give up the winery’s name.

The dispute regarding the Olympic name stems from the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, 1998 legislation that gave the USOC exclusive commercial control of the word Olympic.

There is an exemption for businesses on the Olympic Peninsula, but they are only permitted to use the name Olympic when marketing in Washington west of the Cascade Mountains. Anything beyond that violates the law.

But Charlton does promote the winery beyond the boundaries, especially via the Olympic Cellars Web site.

Long story short, after seeking legal advice, Charlton won’t be changing the name of her winery but she also won’t marketing much further than her front door.

What’s next? Will the Olympic Mountains themselves have to undergo a name change in order to protect the Olympic Game trademarks?

As Charlton pointed out in a recent guest opinion piece published in the Seattle P-I, there is certainly no confusion as to whether the name Olympic refers to a business, the peninsula itself, or the Olympic Games. “When you hear the name ‘Olympic Cellars Winery,’ is your first thought of a swimmer racing across the pool at the Olympic Games? I don’t think so,” Charlton wrote.

Point well taken.

The Amateur Sports Act was adopted in 1978 and due to the efforts of Stevens was amended in 1998 to become the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. With all the companies and organizations with Olympic in their names, most of which have been so long before 1998, it’s probably time to amend the act again to take in the realities of today’s world.

Thanks to Charlton’s tenacity, the USOC has agreed that it will not object to the use of the word Olympic in the entire state of Washington. That’s good news for the businesses and a famous mountain range and national park.

Protection Island not a destination getaway

Protection Island is a protected island.

That’s what David Falzetti, refuge officer with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, hopes a couple who ran into trouble after a recent kayak trip to Protection Island learned.

Falzetti was surprised to read the couple’s story, titled “Lesson learned: What not to do in a kayak,” in the July 30 edition of the Gazette, and in fact, wants to use their near-drowning incident as a lesson to all who think the island that is within sight of anyone looking out over the strait is a place for picnicking and birdwatching.

Yes, the couple was in trouble after the current changed and tipped one of the kayaks over, leaving the paddler stranded in frigid water. Yes, the couple needed help and had no other choice but to go back to the island. 

But, Falzetti says, their initial idea to kayak to the island was their first mistake.

Protection Island, located at the mouth of Discovery Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, was made a National Wildlife Refuge in 1982 and has been closed to the public for as many years. There is a 200-yard well-marked buffer, meaning boaters must stay 200 yards offshore.

The island provides critical habitat for a variety of species, including tufted puffins, rhinoceros auklets and harbor seals.

The few undeveloped islands in Puget Sound are needed to provide resting, feeding and breeding area for seabirds, marine mammals and other species. It’s important to maintain some areas with little human-caused disturbance for the welfare of wildlife.

According to Fish and Wildlife, Protection Island is perhaps the most critical single island in all of Puget Sound for a variety of species.

Second lesson learned: Those who trespass on Protection Island are breaking the law.

Vote, vote and vote
First, vote for the candidate of your choice in the upcoming primary. Remember, this is a top two primary, which means the top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election in November.

Second, while this paper does not endorse political candidates, the editorial board does endorse issues and we are in favor of the Olympic Medical Center proposed tax levy. Health care is extremely fragile and a yes vote will mean better health care for all of us living on the North Olympic Peninsula.

And finally, make sure to cast your vote for the New Dungeness Light Station, which is in the running with 11 other lighthouses throughout the nation for a complete set of new windows, compliments of the Jeld-Wen Company.

Unfortunately, midway voting results show the Dungeness Lighthouse in the bottom three. C’mon, we can’t let the Grays Harbor Light Station, also in the running, beat us out. Cast your vote at www.jeld-wen.com/lighthouse. Polls close Sept. 7.

Mary Powell can be reached at editor@sequimgazette.com or at 683-3311.