The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park Draft Master Plan at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 11 in the Kitsap County Administration Building, 619 Division Street, Port Orchard, and virtually via Zoom. This takes place during the Commissioners’ regular business meeting. Written and verbal testimony will be taken on the draft master plan released earlier this year. No decision is expected at this meeting.
The Master Plan, renamed Framework as a result of public input, was developed over the last two years as a guiding document for future discussions of conservation, restoration, recreation and education opportunities within Kitsap County’s 3,500-acre Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park. The draft framework acknowledges ongoing efforts such as the mountain biking ride park, Sound-to-Olympics Trail and Stottlemeyer trailhead, and proposes discussion of a 33-acre recreation and education campus adjacent to the ride park in the northwest portion of the park.
Other elements include updates to the trail system to create more loop trails while decommissioning trails that impact the environment or provide little meaningful access. The framework also details conservation priorities for a majority of the park acreage with an emphasis on timber acquisition, restoration and passive recreation.
Also available for review and comment are a matrix of previous public comments on the draft plan including staff responses, and a frequently asked questions brochure. These documents, the draft plan and additional information on the park, the planning process and other proposals may be found at https://portgambleforestpark.com under the ‘Draft Plan’ and ‘Reference Materials Library’ tabs.
Source: https://www.kitsapgov.com/pages/CountyNews.aspx?FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=518
