Use the following information gathered by the KEC Working Group to inform your own comments (Capital Improvement Plan section) here: PROS Plan Public Comment Form

Parks Carrying Capacity

We want people, especially Kitsap residents, to love our parks, but we don’t want them to love them to death. Too many visitors and pets simultaneously using a park can damage trails, disturb native animals, degrade the natural environment and user experience. So, some thought should be given to the carrying capacity for visitors in Kitsap County nature parks.  This idea was previously presented in the draft North Kitsap Heritage Park Master Stewardship Plan. Visitor density is, in large part, dependent on the parking lot sizes and vicinity to large developments or urban areas. Over time the number of Park visitors is expected to increase which may have adverse impact on the carrying capacity of the parks. Parking at entrances and trailheads need to be sized appropriately so as not to exceed each park’s carrying capacity. Consideration is also needed for the impact of parking lots on neighbors and traffic flow (where applicable). Stewardship groups can monitor each park’s use and impacts of visitor density to the quality of the natural environment, animal habitats and to provide a good visitor experience.

Under Capital Improvement Projects, Table 6.3 lists a number of planned projects to expand parking and access at Heritage/Nature Parks. Before adding additional parking and access to these parks, consideration should be given to the carrying capacity of these parks.

Use this information gathered by the KEC Working Group to inform your own comments (Capital Improvement Plan section) here: PROS Plan Public Comment Form

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