Volunteer Opportunities

We need your help! Learn more about NKTA and the Kitsap Forest and Bay Project at a community presentation with dessert and information on May 21 at the Poulsbo City Hall at 7 p.m.

NKTA is a young organization created by a group of people who use the myriad of trails on public and private lands in North Kitsap. NKTA is teaming up with multiple organizations to help preserve 7,000 acres and trails of Pope land, the Kitsap Forest and Bay Project. There is less than a year left on the "option" to purchase the property and we need your help.

One of NKTA's goals for this year is to connect members with volunteer opportunities they enjoy, that support trails. We have organized working committees: trail building and maintenance, events, water trails, membership, communications and Sound to Olympics Trail. There is an active group working on the Kitsap Forest and Bay project and planning presentations and public outreach. If you prefer to volunteer occasionally, helping build trails or with an event is a great way to help out. Send us an email or join us May 21.

Many outdoor events donate a percentage of their profits to NKTA and need volunteers to put on their event. Check NKTA's website. Come to an informational session, send us an email or look on our calendar for trail work parties. North Kitsap Heritage Park Trail work opportunities are every second Saturday, NW Trail Riders do projects on fifth Wednesdays. Contact us and help us out once, or on a regular basis. We especially need planning help readying for this summers' events highlight our community's one time opportunity to preserve the 7,000 acres in the Kitsap Forest and Bay Project.

"Citizen Park" on Bainbridge will compliment
the Sound to Olympics Trail

The Sound to Olympics Trail (STO for short) is a regional trail crossing Kitsap County. It will connect the trails of the Mountains to Sound Greenway (like the Burke-Gilman Trail), across via both the Winslow and Kingston ferries, with the Olympic Discovery Trail beyond the Hood Canal Bridge.

The STO is called for in numerous planning documents--including the North Kitsap String of Pearls Trail Plan developed by the NKTA with broad community input, and adopted by the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners. The STO is intended to be a family (with kids) friendly facility, and one which provides more room for people with disabilities. Walkers, cyclists preferring a more leisurely pace, people using strollers, wheelchairs, and walkers will benefit from having this paved path.

An 800 foot section of the STO including a beautiful bridge over the Winslow Ravine has already been built along the Vineyard Lane development on Bainbridge Island close to the ferry terminal. The NKTA, Bainbridge Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Committee, Squeaky Wheels, and Go Bainbridge are actively pursuing ways to improve on road safety and complete additional sections of the STO, particularly in the first mile of SR 305 from the WSF terminal.

Plans for the STO fit with those for the Seattle Waterfront and the WSF Coleman Dock Terminal. The Seattle Department of Transportation will be building a similar shared-use path as part of its waterfront reconstruction. That new shared-use path will connect with existing paved paths in Myrtle Edwards Park north of the Sculpture Park.

A broad based community group on Bainbridge is making great progress planning for an attractive "gathering spot" on the southwest corner of SR 305 and Winslow Way as a gateway for Bainbridge Island and beyond in Kitsap. A working name of "Citizen's Park" is being used, and organizers are seeking input on what the final name would be. Citizen Park promises to be a wonderful gateway, which celebrates the open space of the Winslow Ravine containing the oldest trees in Winslow. This park will be valued by people traveling by all modes, including those using the Sound To Olympics Trail.

Kitsap Forest and Bay Project Update

Good News: Governor Gregoire signed the Forest Compensating Tax measure last month, removing a substantial extra cost for Kitsap Conservation projects. King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties already had an exemption to avoid this conservation tax, and now with Governor's signature, Kitsap has the same opportunity. Representative Drew Hanson and Senator Rolfes were instrumental in getting this legislation approved.

Forterra (formerly Cascade Land Conservancy) and Great Peninsula Conservancy have submitted an array of land conservation grant proposals with May deadlines for the Kitsap Forest and Bay Project. Three of the grants focused on the Port Gamble Shoreline Block, two focused on the North Kitsap Heritage Park expansion property and another focused on riparian habitat in the Grover's Creek portion of the Divide property. NKTA was able to assist by providing a conceptual shoreline trail proposal, photos and litter cleanup. Unfortunately there are simply more grants available for shorelines or sensitive wetland areas, than there are for forestland like the Port Gamble upland forests and trails.

On April 18 the Port Gamble S'Klallam tribe hosted a series of meetings and a luncheon for the coalition working on the Kitsap Forest and Bay Project. County Commissioner Gelder, Forterra, GPC, Pope Resources and Port Gamble S'Klallam and Suquamish Tribal leaders, all spoke at the luncheon.

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