President’s Perspective Spring 2026
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
It takes a community to save a forest! And what an amazing community we have in North Kitsap.
As most of you know last February (2025) Friends of Miller Bay launched an effort to save 40 acres of upland forest near the intersection of Gunderson Rd NE and Miller Bay Rd NE. We started with a “feasibility” study and lots of questions about how Trust Land Transfers work. The recurring unanswered question was who would be the receiving agency? Who would take possession and protect this forest in perpetuity? In the Trust Land Transfer Program, a receiving agency must be an officially recognized governmental agency; state, county, city, or tribe. After lots of discussion and inquiries with possible candidates, it was decided that Kitsap County Parks was our best bet. So, we laced up our boots and took a “walk” through the property with representatives from Great Peninsula Conservancy and Kitsap County Parks, to get the lay of the land and brainstorm the possibilities. In spring, inspired by our walks, a ground swell of support from FOMB members, our new found knowledge about TLTs, and our collaboration with GPC and County Parks - Connie Reckord, FOMB’s Program Director for Preservation started the application process.
The open questions were: How would the community react, would they see the same benefits we did, and would the Suquamish Tribe stand with us to protect this upland forest? To find out, we launched a letter writing campaign to government and tribal representatives, local non-profits, FOMB members, and North Kitsap community members. We asked and you answered! Our letter campaign resulted in over 60 letters of support. We knew we had Tribal and Community support to move forward!
It is that kind of community response that inspires FOMB to continue our work to preserve and protect natural habitats within the Miller Bay watershed. We still have a lot to do. We’ll be presenting our proposal to the Department of Natural Resources Trust Land Transfer Program and its Advisory Committee on May 27th, then our project will be evaluated and ranked and if we make the “cut”, we’ll face the gauntlet of funding and approval for the 2027-2029 Biennium capital budget. We’ll keep you posted.
We move forward with optimism because your support demonstrates to us that what we do matters and will have long-lasting impact on our community and all the critters we share it with. Our long-term goal for the 40 acres of upland forest is to restore it to a semblance of the northwest rain forest it once was and protect the critical wildlife corridor and 2 creeks that make their way down and into Miller Bay.
If you’d like more information on our Trust Land Transfer Proposal go to https://www.friendsofmillerbay.org/preservation-and-aquisition/trust-land-transfer
and see additional background information at the end of this post.
In most cases it’s not enough to just acquire properties and designate them as open space or natural habitats. Once protected, it takes time, effort, and patience to steward the land and ensure it stays natural and healthy. Volunteers across the county participate in various ‘Preserve’ work parties; removing invasive species, building and maintaining trails, planting native species, and sharing their enthusiasm for the natural world with their neighbors and friends.
Is there more that can be done? Yes, there is!
Take a look at our Action = Impact section of this newsletter and look for ways that you as an individual landowner can have an impact by stewarding your land in a sustainable and natural way. Lead by example and get your family members, friends, and neighbors to do the same. Nature has no borders or fences-- those are man-made concepts. We all share this planet. So, start at home and make a difference, join us on one of our upcoming work parties and remember “Nature will restore you, as you restore nature” ”—John Muir Laws
Thanks again for your support. Hope to see you out and about,
Michael
Some background info...
There are 5 critical criteria used to evaluate a Trust Land Transfer proposal; community support, ecological value, economic value, public benefit, and tribal support. We felt we had a pretty good handle on ecological value, and the economic value seemed pretty low given the “plantation” method used to re-plant in 1975 after a clear cut. The re-planted trees are now 50 years old and so tightly packed they appear to have little timber value. We needed to know if we could garner community and tribal support.
To find out we launched a letter writing campaign consisting of approximately 380 emails and letters to government and tribal representatives, local non-profits, FOMB members, and North Kitsap community members. Then we waited, but we didn’t have to wait for long. Since August of 2025 we have collected more than 60 letters of support, including; our State Representatives Greg Nance and Tarra Simmons, our County Commissioner Christine Rolfes (a strong advocate from the start), Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman, Kitsap County Parks, Great Peninsula Conservancy, Kitsap Environmental Coalition , Puget Sound Restoration Fund, Kitsap Audubon Society, League of Women Voters, Suquamish Community Advisory Council, Bainbridge Island Land Trust, Keta Legacy Foundation, and over 60 letters from friends, neighbors, and community members.
