Kitsap Sun, Oct. 19, 2011

By Christopher Dunagan

PORT GAMBLE — The effort to protect 7,000 acres of forestland in North Kitsap moved into a new phase Wednesday, when Olympic Property Group and Cascade Land Conservancy announced that they had worked out an option agreement for sale of the property.

The detailed agreement gives Cascade Land Conservancy 18 months to come up with a down payment or other financing needed to purchase some or all of the 7,000 acres, according to Michelle Connor, executive vice president for Cascade Land Conservancy. The price of the land would be based on an appraisal at the time of the sale.

Market conditions for timberland fluctuate too rapidly to provide a price estimate, said Jon Rose of Olympic Property Group, a subsidiary of Pope Resources. But Rose expressed confidence that the cost would be less than $70 million for all the land and timber — including nearly two miles of undeveloped waterfront on Port Gamble Bay.

"This is an extraordinary project," said CLC President Gene Duvernoy during a kickoff celebration Wednesday in Port Gamble. "This is probably the most important project we can accomplish to save Puget Sound."

The Wednesday event was attended by about 100 people from nearly 20 "partner" organizations.

The large tracts of forestland contain ecologically important streams, wetlands and forest habitat, according to Duvernoy. The property contains areas for open space and public use, including key trail sections identified by North Kitsap Trails Association. The tidelands could become a "community shellfish farm" with the help of Puget Sound Restoration Fund and local tribes.

Duvernoy said it was tough to work out the agreement, but the real difficulty will be raising money from state, federal and private sources. That's one reason why CLC's senior leader, Michelle Connor, was put in charge, he said.

"Anytime we have a real thorny project, we hand it to Michelle to make it happen," he said.

"This option agreement is a reason to celebrate," Duvernoy added, "but now we need to get serious. Now, we can look at all the financing and funding possibilities. Until today, we were unable to do that."

David Nunes, president of Pope Resources, said the company's 8,000 acres in North Kitsap is some of the first property acquired by the parent company, Pope & Talbot, in the 1800s. These acres are among the most productive timberlands the company owns, he said.

But mills able to buy the timber are farther away today than ever before, residential development is encroaching into the area, and the company has chosen to divest itself of the North Kitsap property in favor of other areas. The question, Nunes said, is how the company can protect its assets while creating an ongoing value for the community and the region.

Nunes credited Jon Rose with a "tireless effort" to work with the community in an effort to leave a "magnificent legacy" for future generations.

Early ideas included allowing the company increased development in and around Port Gamble in exchange for public ownership of the 7,000 acres. But community members — including the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe — questioned the environmental costs of that development, so county commissioners chose to pursue a direct purchase with the help of Cascade Land Conservancy.

Nunes said Pope Resources has worked with Cascade on smaller ventures in South Kitsap and King County and is in the midst of a 5,000-acre project in Southwest Washington.

"We have a lot of faith in CLC as an organization," he said. "We are going to put all of our energies into this to make it happen."

County Commissioner Rob Gelder took on the project, now called Great Kitsap Forest & Bay Project, after the resignation of former Commissioner Steve Bauer. Gelder said he was honored to work in partnership with Pope Resources, Cascade Land Conservancy, the Port Gamble S'Klallam and Suquamish tribes, as well as others.

"When you think about it," Gelder said, "this is more than a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's a once-in-a-history kind of opportunity. This is going to span beyond our generation and generations to come. It will be for all time."

Besides the ecological values of the property, he said, the recreational values could draw people from all over Puget Sound to enjoy the forests, trails and waterfront, eat in local restaurants and stay in local bed-and-breakfasts.