Commissioner Walters and GPC Executive Director Daniel visit Dickerson Falls

Kitsap County Commissioner Katie Walters and Great Peninsula Conservancy Executive Director Nate Daniel toured the tree farm last week, as GPC seeks to acquire a majority of the property. Both enjoyed the opportunity to see Dickerson Falls flowing within its stream banks after last week’s heavy rains.

The salmon have returned to Chico Creek!

Interested in learning more? Come experience Kitsap Salmon tours this Saturday, November 1st. Click here for more details.

Effort to preserve tree farm acreage west of Bremerton lands Forest Service grant

David Nelson for the Kitsap Sun
September 4, 2025

A forest conservation project in Kitsap County was one of just eight nationwide selected for a recent round of U.S. Forest Service grants, moving ahead a process aimed at preserving public access, forestry and habitat on timber land east of Green Mountain.

The Great Peninsula Conservancy will receive $600,000 toward an ongoing effort to establish what is formally known as a community forest, similar to GPC's 202-acrea Newberry Forest, outside Silverdale, and a 467-acre parcel known as The Divide, in North Kitsap. The community forest model sets aside timber land for public activities, like trails, while also preserving some forestry and selective logging, done with community input and planning.

The potential Green Mountain East Community Forest, as the project is referred to in an announcement issued August 25 by the U.S. Forest Service, could potentially include up to 350 acres of private forestland just west of Bremerton, known as the Ueland Tree Farm. Still operating as a working forest, some of the trails on Ueland property are open for non-motorized public use, including a popular one from Lebers Lane, just off Northlake Way, to the Dickerson Falls, along Dickerson Creek. Both GPC and Ueland confirmed that the Dickerson Creek watershed and surrounding area is of high interest to protect through the conservation process.

"These forestlands adjacent to the City of Bremerton and its Urban Growth Area are well-suited for the community forest model, which will help to preserve critical habitat and wildlife corridors, protect the existing trail system for continued public recreation, and engage local community members and partners in forest management planning," Monica Montgomery, conservations projects manager for Great Peninsula Conservancy, said in an email.

Montgomery and a representative from Ueland confirmed that the two are in negotiations about the community forest concept, though any formal agreement or purchase is likely years away. GPC has been awarded at least two Washington state Recreation and Conservation Office grants, in addition to the recent U.S. Forest Service award, though the organization continues to apply for additional grants and do other fundraising to complete the acquisition.

"The idea is to conserve the tree farm long-term for the community," Mark Mauren, chief operating officer for Ueland Tree Farm, said in an interview with the Kitsap Sun.
Mauren said that Craig Ueland, who purchased the 1,700-acre tree farm in 2004, wants to preserve the capacity of a working tree farm into the future while also conserving as much of the land as possible for appropriate public use.

A 440-acre portion of Ueland Tree Farm land that is included in the Bremerton Urban Growth Area, where residential development is intended to materialize, is in the planning stages for future development, Mauren said.

"They're going to protect what needs to be protected," Mauren said, speaking about GPC's understanding of high-value habitat and watershed areas.

The Divide in North Kitsap was formally acquired for $6.4 million as a community forest earlier in 2025, with about $5 million in state and county funding, as well as a $600,000 U.S. Forest Service Community Forest Program grant. The Divide straddles the Grovers Creek and Gamble Creek watersheds, and is adjacent to the Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park, creating a 5,000-acre wildlife corridor north of Poulsbo. Tours, planning meetings and surveys have gone on during 2025 to gather community input on stewardship and conservation plans.

Newberry Woods Community Forest was acquired in 2022 for $3.5 million, which included a partnership with the Navy, and is located just north of the county's Newberry Hill Heritage Park.

The eight projects funded in this round of competitive Community Forest Grants by the Forest Service were spread across the country, and the Kitsap grant was one of just four at the $600,000 amount, along with projects in Mississippi, New Hampshire and Ohio. The total amount in the program's 2025 cycle was $3.1 million.

“The Green Mountain East Community Forest represents the power of partnerships to meet both conservation and community needs,” said Jacque Buchanan, regional forester for the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Region. “By conserving these working forests, we’re ensuring they continue to support local jobs, provide timber, and offer generations of Washingtonians a place to hike, explore, and connect with nature.”

Ueland Tree Farm Partnership with Great Peninsula Conservancy

Ueland Tree Farm (UTF) has a long history of collaborating with both environmental groups and neighboring landowners.

Mark Mauren or I have at various times served on the board/advisory committees or as a key donor/partner for groups such as Forterra, Great Peninsula Conservancy, Kitsap County Park District, Keta Legacy Foundation, Peninsula Metropolitan Park District, and Pierce Conservation District.

We are very pleased to partner with and continue to support Great Peninsula Conservancy’s (GPC) initiative to create Green Mountain Community Forest, which would help:

• Protect and preserve critical habitat and wildlife corridors
• Protect the existing UTF trail system and collaborate with neighbors to provide connected recreational opportunities
• Engage community members and partners in the community forest planning process

We recently sent the following letter to the National Park Service in support of GPC’s initiative. If you would like to support or learn more about GPC, here is a link to their website:

Great Peninsula Conservancy

Great Peninsula Conservancy Letter

Dickerson Falls

Lebers Lane Trailhead to Dickerson Falls. Follow along on the journey. Enjoy!

Remembering Doug Braget

 

With heavy hearts, we remember our dear friend, Doug Braget. He passed away on June 20th, 2023 after a battle with COPD due to COVID. He was a family man, a hard worker, and dedicated to his community. We met Doug when he started cutting firewood on Ueland Tree Farm in 2012. Since then, he became an unofficial warden, diligently helping keep the tree farm and its 80,000+ yearly visitors safe. He and his faithful dog, Holly, would spend time in the office with us to chat and grab candy whenever he felt his blood sugar running low. We loved hearing about the ball games he would watch his grandkids play; he would regularly tell us how much he enjoyed spending time with his family. He will be missed at Ueland Tree Farm/Kitsap Quarry, but his memory and how he affected each of us lives on. Thank you, and Rest in Peace, Doug Braget. 

Chico Creek Culvert Replacement/Fish Passage Project

Hi Folks,

As you may be aware, the DOT Chico Creek Fish Barrier project is underway. The
project started in March 2021 and is expected to be largely complete by the end of this
year. The current phase (tentatively scheduled for March-July) requires moving large
quantities of fill material that is covering the soon-to-be-removed Highway 3 culvert.
 

This has resulted in higher than normal truck traffic on Kitsap Lake Rd, Northlake Way
and Werner Rd.

  
Here is additional information about the project:

• Chico Creek is one of the most productive Salmon streams in Kitsap County.

• One of the major fish barriers on Chico Creek is the Highway 3 Chico Creek culvert.

• The primary objective of the project (and also a legal requirement) is to remove the Chico Creek culvert and restore the stream channel so salmon can more freely migrate upstream.

• Clean fill is being hauled to the closest permitted fill site, which is Kitsap Quarry.

• Currently, most loaded trucks should take Hwy 3 to Werner Road en route to Kitsap Quarry. Most empty trucks will return via Kitsap Lake Rd to Northlake and back to the project site.

• This traffic pattern may change again as the project moves from removing clean fill from the southbound lanes to the northbound lanes.

• As is typical of major construction projects, the number of trucks will vary from day to day and week to week.

If you have questions regarding the project, please contact Amy Amos (DOT Project
manager) at  amelia.amos@wsdot.wa.gov
 

SR 3, Chico Creek and Tributary -
Remove Fish Barriers Project

Contract summary
The purpose of this project is to replace existing fish barrier crossings for Chico Creek
and an Unnamed Tributary to Chico Creek with fish passable structures. The barriers
are located at SR 3 MP 40.96, SR 3 southbound off-ramp to Chico Way, SR 3
southbound on-ramp, and an SR 3 maintenance access road. The project shall include,
but is not limited to, the following:

• Design and construction of fish passable water crossing structures, including allassociated stream restoration. 
• Providing design documentation in support of the environmental review (SEPA/NEPA) process in which WSDOT is the lead entity.
• Acquiring environmental permits as an authorized agent of WSDOT.
• Other elements include (but are not limited to) embankment, grading, paving, storm drainage, signage, illumination, erosion control, and planting.