Photo credit: Marlene Keltner
A huge thanks to the 50 or so volunteers who came out to the Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park waterfront on a very foggy October morning. Many thanks to REI for sponsoring the event and Kitsap County Parks, North Kitsap Trails Association, and Great Peninsula Conservancy staff for coordinating and bringing their tools and expertise. We couldn’t do it without our amazing members who come out to WORK. They know that to make their parks awesome, it takes a community!
We had four projects on the docket and completed all of them by noon!
- Making an ADA accessible route to the first Port Gamble Bay lookout by spreading and tamping down gravel at an appropriate width.
- Clearing the shoreline loop trail of brush, leaves, ferns, and invasive plants.
- Planting Nootka Rose and Snowberry native plants along the waterfront at the second lookout.
- Creating gravel-filled pads around the new bench and picnic table to maintain them through the rainy months.
Volunteers carry lumber down to the waterfront. 
Poulsbo Middle School Earth Stewards begin planting at the second lookout, obscured by fog. 
The rocky ground was hard to break up in the cold morning. 
A volunteer raked out the gravel at the front of the ADA path while the trail workers got tips before starting out. 
One of the kids carefully using the lopper to cut back ferns from the loop trail. 
A bunch of volunteers with the North Kitsap Trails Association came out. This local family helped clear trails they’ll be able to hike on in the future! 
A group of Kitsap County Stream Stewards joined to help! 
Volunteers worked their way to the end of the trail loop under the majestic trees. 
Keith came up from REI Silverdale and did most of the tamping with a big ole McLeod tool. Now everyone can enjoy this ADA accessible route to a lookout of the bay! 
The first lookout as the fog begins to clear! 
Volunteers lay the gravel in the new bench pad. This will keep the ground from becoming mud slush in the rain. 
Near the end of the morning, the young stewards started picking up trash on the beach. 
A young steward is thrilled to plant a Nootka Rose. Nootka Rose is valuable along shorelines for stabilizing banks. It’s used by birds to nest and many types of wildlife eat its fruit. 
The second lookout is complete and the fog lifts to reveal the beautiful bay! Photo Credit: Marlene Keltner, Earth Stewards Cosponsor