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Green Exercise
Posted on May 23, 2025I am writing to applaud your close attention to the PROS Plan, which stands to benefit Kitsap County residents, young and old. I write today to advocate for the plan to optimize equitable nature and green space access for children in places where they live, play, and learn.
I am a pediatrician, have served in the Seattle Children’s Hospital for 27 years. I also volunteered for the Sierra Club ICO (Inner City Outings, now called Inspiring Connections Outdoors). […]
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Plan for the Public’s Parks
Posted on May 23, 2025First, thank you for the Park’s efforts to engage the public about what they want in their parks and to create a solid PROS Plan. I have participated in the Park’s public meetings and surveys to gather my input, and I commend the Park department for providing these opportunities.
The problem is that all this public input isn’t well reflected in the actual Plan, except as appendices. […]
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Kitsap Heritage Park Trails
Posted on May 23, 2025In the Draft 2025 PROS Update that you are considering, the Kitsap County Parks Department is proposing significant changes in the way it manages our parks. The new plan emphasizes active recreation and sports at the expense of natural recreation such as walking, hiking, observing native plants and wildlife, and quiet enjoyment. In my opinion, the proposed PROS Update reveals a serious lack of vision on the part of the Parks Department. […]
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Stewardship at Kitsap Parks
Posted on May 23, 2025An especially troublesome issue in the management of large public properties is fiscal. Public use of these natural areas requires construction and maintenance of access ‘trails’ designed to be consistent with wildlife habitat protection. In our larger parks the expense of achieving these goals can be prohibitive. Personnel, equipment, supplies, etc. can be costly. For the ten-year period 2013-2023, talented, energetic, committed citizens with pertinent skills and environmental passion have done almost all of the work of maintenance of North Kitsap Heritage Park (NKHP). Formerly referred to as park “Stewards”, a term implying special expertise, […]
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Speak Up for Heritage Parks!
Posted on May 13, 2025The Parks Department is proposing significant changes in the way it manages Heritage Parks. They now emphasize active recreation and sports at the expense of natural recreation, such as walking, hiking, observing native plants and wildlife, and quiet enjoyment.
Kitsap’s Heritage Parks preserve habitats with diverse flora and fauna. This plan jeopardizes natural habitats and wildlife corridors.
In the county’s survey, residents overwhelmingly value Kitsap’s rural look and feel and support policies that protect rural spaces and scenic areas. The proposed plan goes in the opposite direction.
If you agree that the proposed plan should be changed to preserve Kitsap’s natural habitat, you must make your opinion known to the Park’s Planner and the Planning Commission, NOW! […]