On a sunny day last month, Rep. Drew Hansen joined Sen. Christine Rolfes, other public officials and a contingent of the media on a tour of woodlands recently purchased by Kitsap County as the first step toward creation of a public park on nearly 7,000 shoreline acres near Port Gamble.
The way to the realization of the Kitsap Forest & Bay Project was significantly eased by the passage of House Bill 2502 in 2012 – one of the first bills sponsored by Rep. Hansen to win legislative approval and to be signed into law. The measure, co-sponsored by Rep. Sherry Appleton, broadened a tax break for timberland sales to include transactions in Kitsap County. The land for the project, on the western shore of Port Gamble Bay, has long been owned by Pope Resources, a timber company.
Rep. Hansen and other supporters of the project envision it as a magnet for ecotourism and recreation, lying just 30 minutes by ferry from downtown Seattle, and a boon to the Kitsap County economy.
Click here to see a video of Rep. Hansen’s speech on the House floor in favor of his bill. Read newspaper articles about the project here and here (subscription may be required).