The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal posted a story about Kitsap County purchasing 535 acres of forestland and 1.5 miles of shoreline on Port Gamble Bay for conservation.
Initiated by the Kitsap Forest and Bay Project, this purchase is one of several forested properties in Kitsap that the group, which includes the Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish tribes, hopes to put into permanent conservation. The group’s goal is to conserve nearly 6,700 acres of north Kitsap County.
“The public purchase of the shoreline block at Port Gamble Bay is an accomplishment worth celebrating,” said Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman. “The Suquamish Tribe is grateful that this critical marine habitat will be protected for time immemorial and help in efforts to protect the water quality of Port Gamble Bay.”
This property includes a portion of the western shoreline on Port Gamble Bay, a culturally significant waterway that connects the Port Gamble S’Klallam people to their ancestors and the tribal village that once existed at the town of Port Gamble.
“One of my tribe’s ongoing priorities is to ensure that Port Gamble Bay remains productive and healthy for future generations. The conservation of this property furthers that goal by protecting water quality, preventing development, and limiting storm water runoff and other associated impacts,” said Jeromy Sullivan, chairman of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.
