The Kitsap Forest and Bay Project is a landscape-level effort to conserve approximately 6,690 acres of timber land and 1.78 miles of shoreline surrounding Port Gamble Bay in North Kitsap County. As population continues to grow in the Puget Sound basin, conversion pressures are mounting on the few remaining undeveloped lands and shorelines.

An opportunity that cannot be missed

The land is currently owned by Pope Resources who, after 160 years of growing trees and milling lumber at Port Gamble, want to move out of North Kitsap County. The company provided the public with an opportunity to determine the future of their lands. Kitsap County, Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish Tribes, Great Peninsula Conservancy and Forterra, have come together to create a comprehensive strategy to conserve the lands surrounding Port Gamble Bay for their economic, ecological, cultural and community values. The Kitsap Forest and Bay coalition is also involved in the project as representatives of a collaboration of community and business organizations.

Together with large-scale conservation, the project proposes a system of regional land and water trails to allow residents and visitors to participate in educational opportunities and enjoy the natural shoreline.  Opportunities for conservation projects on this scale in the Puget Sound basin are dwindling but critical for the future of our communities.

Forterra/Olympic Property Group Option Agreement

In October 2011, Pope Resources and Forterra announced that they entered into an 18-month option agreement to conserve the land surrounding Gamble Bay.

The option agreement represents a milestone in which representatives have come together to work cooperatively for a mutual goal.

The option agreement covers 6,690 acres in five separate blocks in north Kitsap County and represents the largest single conservation opportunity in Puget Sound.

Forterra is serving as a representative for the diverse community interests and will facilitate the purchase of the property based on secured-funding sources and as guided by Kitsap County, Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe and Suquamish Tribe.

Port Gamble Bay, a unique landscape

Port Gamble Bay is part of an interconnected ecological system that supports species in Hood Canal, Admiralty Inlet, and Central Puget Sound. The bay and forests are home to endangered and threatened salmon species, critical stocks of forage fish, significant habitat and migration corridors for bird species and marine mammals.

The lands and waters of Port Gamble Bay provide fundamental cultural, spiritual and subsistence resources to the Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish Tribes. The bay’s plentiful marine resources and protected waters have long been an important food source for native residents.

The bay also has a significant historical background in the Pacific Northwest. One of the earliest and most important lumber-producing centers on the Pacific Coast was located at the mouth of Port Gamble Bay, serving as a critical component of the local economy for 150 years.

The town of Port Gamble was declared a National Historic Landmark (National Register of Historic Places) over 40 years ago.

For More Information

Contact Liz Johnston, Forterra Conservation Transactions Director
(206) 905-6925
ljohnston@forterra.org

Related Links

Pope Resources - http://www.itsyourbackyard.com http:,//www.popenorthkitsap.com
Port Gamble S'Klallam - http://www.portgamblebay.com
Kitsap Forest and Bay Coalition - http://www.greatkitsapforestbay.org
Great Peninsula - http://www.northkitsaptrails.org

Related Media

"Clock’s Ticking On Innovative Land Deal Near Seattle" - KUOW radio report on the Kitsap Forest and Bay project