On Saturday, May 17, 9:00 am – 11:00 am, we invite our community to join us in celebrating the acquisition of the Divide Community Forest. The event will feature a ribbon cutting, public tour, and remarks by Kitsap County Commissioner Christine Rolfes. In her role as Senate Chair of the Ways & Means Committee, Christine Rolfes was instrumental in securing $2.9 million in Community Forest funds for the project. Later, as Kitsap County Commissioner, she helped obligate $2 million in Kitsap County Conservation Futures funds for the project.
“GPC appreciates Commissioner Rolfes’ leadership helping to bring nearly $5M to this important community forest project,” said Nathan Daniel, Executive Director of Great Peninsula Conservancy. “This kind of partnership exemplifies how conservation projects get done.”
Spanning 467 acres of vital forestland, the Divide Community Forest (commonly referred to as The Divide) straddles the Grovers Creek and Gamble Creek watersheds and offers stunning views of both the North Cascades and Olympic Mountains. Purchased in December, The Divide features diverse plant communities and a remarkable array of wildlife. GPC will manage the property as a community forest, with the goals of creating an ecologically diverse, healthy, and climate-resilient forest ecosystem that provides opportunities for public recreation, environmental education, and sustainable revenue generation.
“The Divide Community Forest represents a significant conservation achievement that will ensure the wildlife that define our region continue to have a place to live, will keep our aquifers and creeks full and healthy, and will boost our local economy,” shares Erik Steffens, Conservation Director at GPC. “We look forward to working with the community to develop plans for recreational opportunities and ways to ensure habitat connectivity.”
The property is the final large parcel necessary to complete a more than 5,000-acre wildlife corridor spanning the Kitsap Peninsula from the Hood Canal to Puget Sound’s Central Basin. The project marks the successful culmination of the two-decades-long Kitsap Forest & Bay Project, which has been a collaborative effort of more than 30 community groups to protect the natural character of north Kitsap County and retain lands for habitat, recreation, and cultural heritage.
With the protection of the Divide Community Forest, the coalition has now protected Kitsap County’s 799-acre North Kitsap Heritage Park, Great Peninsula Conservancy’s 320-acre Grovers Creek Preserve, and Kitsap County’s 3,493-acre Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park, along with several smaller parcels.
“The successful acquisition of the Divide Community Forest shows the incredible and lasting impact of collaboration between community groups, governments, and private donors,” shares Kitsap County Commissioner Christine Rolfes. “The addition of this property to over 5,000 acres of conservation and recreation lands in North Kitsap is a significant achievement, for both the community and future generations.”
Purchased for $6.34 million, the project was funded from several sources, including a $2.9 million grant from the State RCO Community Forest Program, a $2 million grant from Kitsap Conservation Futures, $600,000 from the US Forest Service Community Forest Program, several major donations from private individuals, and a loan from the Washington Opportunity Fund.
“We invite everyone to join us for this celebration of community conservation in action,” added Daniel. “Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the forest and learn about the many benefits that protecting this landscape provide us all.”
For more information, visit greatpeninsula.org or click here to RSVP.
What: Divide Community Forest Ribbon Cutting and Tour
When: May 17th, 9:00 am – 11:00 am
