(Port Orchard, WA) - Planning for the stewardship of
Kitsap County’s shoreline block of 535 acres in Port Gamble will be discussed in
public workshops that get underway this month. The county’s Parks Department
acquired the property, named the Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park, in February
2014 and was awarded a $175,000 grant from the state Department of Ecology to
develop a stewardship plan and committee, and fund associated activities
including environmental studies, property clean-up and the restoration planting
of native plant species.
“I appreciate the community’s work in creating
this stewardship plan,” said Commissioner Rob Gelder, Chair of the Kitsap County
Board of Commissioners. “The structure that is created through this process can
be expanded and/or replicated for other properties that may come to fruition as
part of the overall conservation effort.”
A cleanup of the property February
21, with the help of 100 community volunteers, resulted in the removal of 60
cubic yards of trash and more than 200 tires. Invasive plant species were
removed and portions of the property were replanted for erosion control and to
restore 1.5 acres of marine riparian habitat east of State Route
104.
Initial planning for the property will include landscape studies, a
forestry inventory and the identification of sensitive natural, cultural and
historic resources. According to Steven Starlund, Kitsap County Parks and Open
Space Planner, priority will be given to the care and protection of these
resources. “Decisions on appropriate locations for public access and
recreational uses will not be made until those are completed,” he said.
“Stewardship planning requires the understanding of existing conditions then a
determination of preservation and conservation measures balanced with
appropriate public access and recreation.”
The first public meeting, from
9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 28, will provide an overview of the park and
planning efforts. Public comment will be taken. The second meeting, scheduled
for 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, will give the community the opportunity to
review the draft stewardship plan and provide input. Both meetings will take
place in the Poulsbo City Hall Council Chambers, 200 Moe Street.
A
steering committee was created last month to begin focusing on issues,
opportunities, conservation, existing recreational uses and their impacts. Use
zones are also being identified to define acceptable levels of facilities,
activities and necessary resource protection within certain areas. The committee
will begin drafting a stewardship plan in early June. After the Parks Advisory
Board reviews it, the public will have an opportunity to comment. The final
report will be adopted in mid-July.
Elements of the plan will include
property profiles and maps; evaluations of current resources and public use
impacts; recommendations for allowable public activities, conservation and
recreation; and land classifications that delineate zones of acceptable use and
preservation. Final recommendations will also include a prioritized list of
actions to implement the plan.
The steering committee includes
representatives from the Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish tribes,
conservation groups, the Parks Advisory Board, North Kitsap Trails Association,
the Kitsap Water Trails, equestrian and mountain bike associations, neighbors
living adjacent to the property, the Olympic Radio Control Association that
operates a model airplane site there and former property owners, Olympic
Property Group.
For more information, go to www.kitsapgov.com/parks/ or
contact Steven Starlund, Kitsap County Parks and Open Space Planner, at sstarlund@co.kitsap.wa.us
or 360.337.5350.
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