Miller Bay Preserve
A success story in record time!
Photo credit Bonnie Chandler
Friends of Miller Bay (FOMB) teamed up with the Great Peninsula Conservancy (GPC) to acquire a 13-acre undeveloped property on Miller Bay/Grovers Creek that we call the Miller Bay Preserve.
The FOMB campaign to raise $150,000 to complete the Miller Bay Preserve purchase, in partnership with the Great Peninsula Conservancy, was launched in mid June of 2019. Some very generous FOMB members pledged donations in the first few weeks after being told about the project Then at the end of July, Lyn and Jerry Grinstein hosted a fundraising gala at their beautiful Indianola waterfront home for FOMB supporters and neighbors. By the time the evening was over the remaining funds had been raised!
We are eternally grateful to the Grinstein’s for all of their generous help, to Teresa Dwyer who arranged and coordinated the the fundraising effort for FOMB, and to everyone who donated to help save this pristine waterfront property and beautiful upland forest - all in record time!
How lucky we are to live in a place where so many people care deeply about the environment!
Here is a brief Q & A about the Project.
Q. What is the Miller Bay Preserve?
A.Thirteen acres of undeveloped land in the tidewater area of Grovers Creek, encompassing 670 feet of undisturbed wooded shoreline, 800 feet of potentially fish bearing streams, and acres of awesome mature second growth conifers extending uphill to forty acres of DNR forest land.
Q. Why is it important to preserve this property?
A.Development is a one-way process. The shoreline area, in its undisturbed state, serves many important and interrelated functions in the Miller Bay/Grovers Creek ecosystem. If altered by development, this unique natural balance cannot be restored.
Q. How will the Preserve be preserved?
A.Great Peninsula Conservancy will purchase the property from its current owners and place it in permanently protected status, then develop a management plan to guide its future stewardship.
Q. How will the acquisition be funded?
A. GPC has been awarded a grant for $150,000 from the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program, and will provide $105,000 from their members donations. FOMB has committed to raising the remaining $150,000 from the local community.
Q. How can I help?
A.Make a donation to Great Peninsula Conservancy earmarked for the Miller Bay Preserve. Mail a check to GPC, 423 Pacific Ave, Suite 401 Bremerton, Washington 98337, or donate online by clicking the button below. FOMB has committed to raising the remaining $150,000 from the local community.
Some maps and pictures of the acreage are shown below. For more complete and up-to-date information click the button to link to the GPC website.
Figure 1: This project would acquire a 13-acre property owned by the Freeman and Stoppelman families on Miller Bay in north Kitsap County (shown in yellow).
Figure 2: This project will build on an existing network of protected land in the Grovers Creek Watershed, including North Kitsap Heritage Park and Great Peninsula Conservancy's Grovers Creek Preserve.
