This June a U.S. federal agency proposed that a vast swath of Washington State’s Puget Sound region be granted federal protections to ensure the survival of an iconic killer whale population.

But area residents Tom and Margo Wyckoff, retired healthcare workers, were shocked to learn that Hood Canal, a barb-shaped fjord that slices a narrow path into the Olympic Peninsula, was excluded from the ruling.

“Critical Habitat” for Orcas Leaves Pockets of Vulnerability, Critics Say