I am concerned that the 2025 PROS Plan before you is a complete replacement that jettisons all the good work that has gone before.
The County has worked on land acquisitions for parks going back to the mid-1960s. The concept of Heritage parks came about in 1998-2000 and was followed by additional purchases of large tracts. These future Heritage parks were intended to provide recreation, but importantly were considered large enough to protect wildlife and habitat—the latter an important point for generating community support. […]

My husband and I were drawn to Kitsap County due to the community’s commitment to the natural spaces here. Before moving here full time, we took WSU Water Stewardship programs, learning how vital it is to protect wild corridors not only for their beauty and the species found in them, but for our own health, flourishing and quality of life. Those experiences changed our whole way of thinking.

You see, we moved from an area of the southwest where most people have very little connection to wildlife, water resources and the lands that are quietly being converted to shopping centers and recreational complexes. […]

My husband and I were drawn to Kitsap County due to the community’s commitment to the natural spaces here. Before moving here full time, we took WSU Water Stewardship programs, learning how vital it is to protect wild corridors not only for their beauty and the species found in them, but for our own health, flourishing and quality of life. Those experiences changed our whole way of thinking.

You see, we moved from an area of the southwest where most people have very little connection to wildlife, water resources and the lands that are quietly being converted to shopping centers and recreational complexes. […]

Kitsap residents deliver their comments to the Planning Commission 5.20.25
Comment period extended to May 27, 5 pm:
Send your comment by email to the Planning Commission.

Find your inspiration from a few of the comments from our Kitsap residents:

Planning Protocol MIA
Unless someone like you cares…
Green Exercise
Kitsap Heritage Park Trails
Kitsap Parks are Precious
Stewardship of the Heritage Parks
A Walk in the Park
Plan for the Public’s Parks
A Bear in the Yard
Heritage Park, not Regional Park […]

I would like to comment on the PROS Plan for the Heritage Parks.

I’ve been having growing concern and a pit in my stomach every time I walk though the Gamble Heritage Park.  There are a lot of bikes – they move fast – and they are changing the way the woods function.  

Many of us – and it’s not just ‘environmental types’ want to keep spaces that are dedicated to wildlife.  This includes things like ‘good habitat’ and undisturbed spaces.  […]