ILLAHEE FOREST STEWARDSHIP PLAN

The Illahee Preserve is approximately 700 acres of public and private land of mostly pristine forest and primary watershed in an otherwise urban setting. For nearly 25 years local residents and county officials have sought to preserve portions of this unique area for future generations. In 2001 Kitsap County acquired from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 352 acres, the major portion of this area. In 2003 a stewardship committee was appointed by the county commissioners to determine the best use of the DNR land. The stewardship committee expanded the vision to include the Illahee creek watershed as integral to the preservation of the area. Plans are to solicit local residents, organizations, schools, businesses, government agencies and Indian tribes to help establish and develop this into a premiere nature preserve and park for the education and enjoyment of this and future generations. The preserve will promote the Native American meaning of the word Illahee as "a place of rest" and will consist of:

The virtually self-contained watershed, primarily in its natural state, which drains into Illahee Creek
The only type II refugia salmon stream in an urban setting in the area, capable of supporting 4 species of the family Salmonidae
Old growth forest and wildlife preserve which contains old growth Douglas-Fir, Western White Pine, and Western Red Cedar
Interpretive walking and hiking trails for all ages primarily in the central and upper reaches of the watershed
Perimeter bicycling routes and trails
Future site-sensitive recreational areas (picnic areas, playgrounds, ball fields, etc.)

With plans for future acquisitions supporting:

A future interpretive center
A future educational salmon hatchery
An existing community golf course
A "highway to sea" trail above Illahee Creek

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II. Introduction

a. Site Description

Illahee Preserve is located in the East Bremerton area of Kitsap County, generally just north of the Bremerton city limits. The Preserve includes 352.42 acres of property owned by Kitsap County (known commonly as Illahee Forest), as well as additional lands adjacent to the forest, including: undeveloped sections of the Illahee Creek riparian corridor; Rolling Hills Golf Course, which lies north of and adjacent to the County land; and, an in-holding of residential lots within the forest. These areas are described in greater detail in the Management Plan Section of this document.

b. Illahee Forest History

In the distant past in what Native Americans called Illahee, "a place to rest," a forest of Douglas-fir, red alder, big leaf maple, and western red cedar grew unfettered. Native Americans came to the place to relax. They walked the land, and trails were formed among the undergrowth of sword fern, salmonberry, and Oregon grape. Then a fire happened, by causes unknown, that opened the canopy about 125 years ago, allowing western white pine and western hemlock to sprout up among the more established species. Time passed and the forest recovered, and the natives returned to rest. Not too long thereafter immigrants came to the land, and homesteads were established. Then a 640 acre piece of this area became the Illahee Trust Land by federal decree. Next came timber companies, and "a place to rest" was "high-graded" in the mid-1920"s. The smaller old growth Douglas-fir went untouched and by 2003, they reached the age of 270 years. Below this stand less fortunate trees were clear cut in the 1930's. A 68 year old stand of red alder grew on that cleared land. Time passed and various efforts were undertaken to clear cut this forest and develop it for commercial and residential purposes. Citizens arose and lamented the possible loss of "a place to rest." They organized and after a twenty-five year campaign, they convinced farsighted government leaders and agencies to designate the land as park and preserve. A record of that struggle was recorded and is captured below. The Illahee Trust Land came into being originally via the Federal Land Ordinance of 1785. The Continental Congress ordered that all new lands acquired by purchase or treaty be surveyed and divided into grid patterns of thirty-six sections of land, each section being 640 acres, or into divisions of six square miles called townships. The Land Ordinance of 1785 went on to degree that: "There shall be reserved the lot No. 16, of every township, for the maintenance of public schools within the said townships." When the colonies formed a union and declared themselves the United States of America in 1789, the Federal Land Ordinance of 1785 continued as the principal land management vehicle. It was over a hundred years later before the State of Washington was created and the land act held, eventually giving the original 640 acres of Illahee Trust Land to the State for school construction purposes. The Commissioner of Lands of the State of Washington was responsible for all Trust Lands. The DNR (the Department of Natural Resources) was created eventually to manage these lands on behalf of the Commissioner of Lands for the benefit of schools. These lands have undergone many passages in the last hundred plus years since the State of Washington was formed. In an issue of Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History, the summer 2001 issue, Linda Byers attests to this journey in an essay titled "Forest Reserves Vs Money for Schools." In this article Ms. Byers summarizes some of the battles that have taken place to keep in tact the Trust Lands for Schools.

The Illahee Forest of Kitsap County has also undergone many changes since its original status as 640 acres of land. Over the years about 240 acres of it was sold for commercial or residential uses, the proceeds going to school construction. An additional 40 acres was leased to the Rolling Hills Golf course. That lease expires in 2026. The remaining 360 acres contains a salmon stream and is heavily forested. A major feature is a stand of 34.4 acres of old growth fir trees. They have been here since 1732. These trees were fifty-three years old when the Ordinance of 1785 was passed by the Continental Congress. These trees were one hundred and fifty-seven years old when the State of Washington was formed. And these trees will be there for a long time to come for the future generations of Kitsapers. The Illahee Forest should become the Central Park of Kitsap County. Try to imagine Kitsap County without the Illahee Forest one hundred years from now when population, housing, and commerce have increased enormously.

The first efforts to protect the remaining acres of the Illahee Forest started in 1978 and lasted into 1981. The DNR announced in late 1978 that the Illahee Trust Lands were going to be logged and that the land would be developed into 1200 housing units, including town houses and several six to eight story elevator apartment buildings. This announcement was the spark that ignited citizen activists to come to the rescue of the Illahee Forest. Pat and Margaret Carey of the Sheridan Neighborhood Association immediately called for citizen attendance at DNR hearings on the disposal of the Trust Lands. Citizens from various neighborhoods began writing letters to the editor of the Bremerton Sun, decrying the push to log the forest and to build such high-density housing. Citizens crowded into the DNR hearings asking for alternatives to logging and development. The Bremerton Area Council of Neighborhoods under the leadership of President Glenn Vockrodt demanded that an Environmental Impact Statement be filed on the DNR's development proposal. The council also noted that increased population required increased open space and parks, and that the forest should be set aside for educational use by school districts in the county. Hearings were held in January 1979 at Esquire Hills Elementary School.

Practically all of 1979 saw encounters between the DNR and citizens' groups. The Bremerton Sun reported on the many meetings that were held during that year. The DNR, charged with developing income for the schools from the land holdings, didn't give up their charge easily. The DNR hired a consulting firm in May of 1979 to propose plans for the development of the Illahee Trust Land and to deal with the Environmental Impact issues and citizens groups. Pat and Margaret Carey of the Sheridan Neighborhood Association took action through their organization:

They wrote letters to the Kitsap County Commissioners, asking the County to purchase the land for park use.
They wrote letters to the consulting firm, hired by the DNR.
They invited State Legislators to visit the Illahee Trust Land for guided tours of the property.
Pat Carey spoke before the Bremerton City Council, asking them to become involved in the fate of the Illahee Trust Lands.
They wrote letters to Bert Cole, the then Public Commissioner of Lands for the State of Washington.
Pat Carey wrote a letter to Joe Murphy, the then Chairman of the Washington State Democratic Party, asking for assistance in turning the Trust Lands into Park.

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The Bremerton Council of Neighborhoods enlisted the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, PSNS, Local # 631 to write to Bert Cole. They did so, asking for alternatives to logging and development. A citizens group led a movement to create a Central Kitsap Parks District.

These actions went on non-stop throughout the summer and fall of 1979. Pat and Margaret Carey were veterans at preserving public lands for open space and park use. They had led the way in getting Blake Island so designated earlier. Many other citizens attended meetings, wrote letters to editors, and participated in leading tours of the Illahee Trust Land. The DNR had the charge of creating revenue from the land, but activists were aware that the original tract of land had been 640 acres. The acres sold from the original 640 acres had provided significant funds already for school construction. Other developments continued during this first time period from late 1978 to summer of 1981. A market survey from a DNR consultant reported that between 1350 and 1670 housing units could be built on the 360 acres of Illahee Trust Land. This was an increase from the earlier 1200 units proposed. The report contained three scenarios. Single family lots plus 330 apartment units and townhouses. The second proposal was for 800 townhouse units, 300 small lots for houses and 100 units in an elevator apartment building. The third proposal was for 600 units in a 25 story high rise and 600 more units in garden apartments and townhouses. Needless to say this last option caused a furor in the neighborhoods surrounding the Trust Land.

Counter proposals circulated in the coming months. The DNR suggested that Bremerton annex the Illahee Trust Land. The owner of the Rolling Hills Golf course supported that annexation. Bert Cole proposed that the Kitsap County Commissioners consider purchasing the Trust Land. At a public meeting on January 16, 1980, Pat Carey asked Rep. Norm Dicks to seek federal funds to purchase the Trust Land for use as Park. Rep. Dicks promised to look into it.

The League of Women voters of Kitsap County supported the idea of the County's purchase of the Trust Land for park purposes. Pat Carey attended the Bremerton Parks and Recreation Committee meeting at Sheridan Village Community Building. The committee agreed to support the purchase of ITL for park purposes. Citizens signed petitions to get the county to purchase the ITL for park purposes. Citizens also circulated petitions for signatures to place a measure on the November ballot to buy the land through a bond issue. The petitions didn't get the necessary 4500 signatures. On April 9, Pat Carey wrote to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission for a spot on their agenda for their April 1980 meeting in Bremerton. And so the process continued, for this was a serious grass roots Citizen's effort. Finally the DNR withdrew its proposals, but the suggestion by Pat Carey and Bert Cole that Kitsap County purchase the Trust Land was the first sign of the ultimate resolution to the issue. The political will, however, was not there during the ensuing seven years.

Because of the lack of resolution to this issue during this interim period, on February 18, 1987 a newspaper article appeared announcing the DNR's renewed intention to log the trees and sell the land of the Illahee Trust Land within 6 months for development purposes. On March 26, 1987 a new group entered the dispute. The Illahee Trust Land Committee was formed to oppose logging and development of the ITL. This group was formed largely of citizens who lived just south of the Trust Land. Members of this group and many other citizens wrote letters to the editor opposing the sale of the land. Olav and Cynthia Brakstad led the charge with incisive letters throughout the period.

Ken Martin wrote a series of columns for the Bremerton Sun that asked penetrating questions regarding the issues of development and preservation. A succession of leaders headed this committee including Steve Davies, Brooks Synder, Orville White, and Steve Rodgers. This period of confrontation lasted from 1987-1989.

The first action of the Illahee Trust Land Committee was to request a 2-year moratorium on the proposed logging of the Illahee Trust Land. The request was sent to Brian Boyle, the new commissioner of Public Lands. The Illahee Trust Land Committee sent a letter to the Dept. of Fisheries concerning the Illahee Trust Land salmon stream. Letters were written to local State Representatives. An effort was made by the committee to get a Parks and Recreation District on the ballot once again. Three other earlier participants in the struggle to save the Illahee Trust land for park purposes came back into the fray. The Sheridan Neighborhood Assoc., the Bremerton Area Council of Neighborhoods, and the League of Women voters organized meetings, passed around petitions, and wrote letters to Brian Boyle, the County Commissioners, and other political representatives. Prominent figures in this joint effort were Pat and Margaret Carey. These groups were digging in for another long campaign to save the forest.

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Another direction that the Illahee Trust Land Committee took was to involve various environmental groups. David Hecker had a hand in this effort. He contacted the local Chapter of the Audubon Society to do a survey of the bird life in the Illahee Trust Land. They agreed to include the Trust Land in their survey but because of migratory patterns of birds this would take at least nine months. He recruited Margaret Ashworth, a faculty member at Olympic College, to do a survey of the plant life in the Trust Land. She did so and produced a fivepage listing of plants on the western two-thirds of the Trust Land. He contacted the Nature Conservancy to see if they wouldnÕt examine the Trust Land to see if it could find reason to purchase the property for preservation. He attended several regional meetings of The Nature Conservancy and wrote letters to State and National leaders of the organization. The Nature Conservancy investigated and made the decision not to purchase the land, but it succeeded in getting the Washington Natural Heritage Program to do a survey of the property.

This State funded program had money to purchase property for conservation. Rex Crawford, a plant ecologist who worked for the Washington Natural Heritage Program, did the survey and wrote the report which was completed by October 13, 1987. Since the old growth had been selectively harvested in the 1920's, the property didnÕt fit the criteria for conservation under the Natural Heritage Program. The report did, however, contain the following words: "This does not, however, lessen the value of the forest as a native environment in an increasingly urbanized landscape. As urbanization continues, these G-high graded old-growth stands will become more valuable as representatives of natural diversity. Since the stand is less than a mile from Illahee State Park and next to a golf course, the local community could gain by acquiring it as a natural park or an open space site. If recreation is the designated use for the site, the Douglas-Fir stand should be minimally developed."

There was another lull in the DNR effort to develop the Illahee Trust Land, but by 1996 it started another campaign to sell the property. A new group of citizens rose to meet this challenge from the DNR. The Illahee Community Club, led by Audrey Boyer and friends, assumed the stewardship of action to protect the Illahee Forest. This group met at Audrey Boyer's home in the village of Illahee. By then the political leadership was in place to make the dream that citizens had held for nearly twenty-five years come true. Audrey Boyer, Irwin and Judith Krigsman, and others attended meetings of the Kitsap County Commissioners, urging them to find a way to preserve the Illahee Forest for future generations, emphasizing the CountyÕs need for picnic areas, parks, and hiking trails. The DNR countered with a proposal to the County Commissioners to rezone the land from forest to an urban designation. This action would have driven the value of the land to higher and higher levels, making it impossible to purchase as recreational and preservation property.

The Washington State Legislature came to the rescue. In 2001 under the leadership of Frank Chopp, Speaker of the House, and with the support of Jennifer Belcher, the then Commissioner of Public lands, the legislature created a Trust Land Transfer Program. Under this program Kitsap County, via the leadership of Charlotte Garrido, Chris Endresen, and Tim Botkin, purchased the Illahee Trust Land for $3,000,000.00, using conservation futures, a portion of property tax funds. The trees on the property, valued at $2,000,000.00, were purchased by the State, the trees transferred to Kitsap County and the funds deposited to the State's School Trust Fund. Debbie Van Buren administered the Trust land Transfer for the DNR.

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With the Illahee Forest finally free from development purposes, the next phase of the process to create a park and preserve started. Under the leadership of Irwin and Judith Krigsman, Jim Trainer, and Rick Fackler, planner for the Kitsap county Parks Department, citizens met to consider options for the forest. Meetings were held at the Log Cabin on property owned by the Krigmans.

County Commissioner Patti Lent joined the group and suggested that the group apply for Stewardship Committee Status. They did so, and on February 24, 2003, thirteen citizens (members of the Jim Aho family, Audrey Boyer, Cynthia Brakstad, David Hecker, Cynthia Holben, Irwin and Judith Krigsman, Hugh Morris, Frank Richmond, Cathy Stensen, and Jim Trainer) were appointed by Kitsap County. Their charge was to work with Kitsap County's Park Department to develop a master plan for uses and management of the property. Before that major goal could be approached, a few preliminary measures had to be undertaken.

The first order of business was to remove debris and many abandoned auto and pick-up bodies. Commissioner Lent found the funds and Dori Leckner, staff member of the Kitsap County Parks, arranged for the removal of trash and vehicle frames. The second order of business was to secure the park from squatters, motorized vehicles, paint-ball and wood cutting activities as well as vandalism. These objectives were accomplished through many avenues and involved law enforcement agencies. Another concern was the health of the property itself. Laura Boyle arranged for a visit by Steve Arno, a University of Montana forester who also happened to be her brother and former Kitsap County resident.

He joined a hike through the western half of the Illahee Forest. He pointed out significant features of the forest, especially the healthy stands of western white pine, and located trouble spots where potential forest fire hazard existed. He advised immediate action to curb extreme erosion that exists at the forest's boundary with the golf course. Finally the Illahee Stewardship Committee started on its master plan for the Illahee Forest. A. Ann Lovell joined the Committee and arranged for the use of a meeting room at the Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship property. Other meetings were held at the Kitsap Regional Library on Sylvan Way.

They met frequently and considered a wide range of possible uses for the forest. Preservation, education, and recreation topped the discussions. It was decided to designate the parts of the forest as old growth preserve, greenbelt, active use area, and trail area. Committees were formed to work on each area with timelines established for results. Comprehensive plans for each area were written and discussed by the Stewardship Committee as a whole that resulted in concrete plans for each section of the forest. Two-year priorities were proposed to fulfill the plans as laid out.

Long-range plans for acquisitions to extend the forest were also a part of the master plan deliberations. A parcel of land in the center of the forest that had originally been homestead land and subsequently developed as a small housing project was determined to be the first priority in acquisitions. Its eventual purchase would allow the building of an Environmental Education Center. A second purchase would be lands held along the Illahee Creek outside the present boundaries of the forest. Securing these properties and establishing a conservation easement would allow several future developments: a forest to sea trail, salmon habitat preservation, and possibly a salmon hatchery. The final purchase would be acquisition of the Rolling Hills Golf Course. Nearly half of it is now leased from the county, a lease that expires in 2026. With control of the entire tract the county would develop both active and passive recreational facilities on the land, thus extending the forest as preserve and park.

Thus concludes the history of the Illahee Trust Land and Forest up to midsummer, 2003. During that time Kitsap County Commissioners adopted the master plan as formulated by the Stewardship Committee and Kitsap Park Staff.

This action brought to conclusion a long process over a twenty-five year period. Citizen activists, various conservation societies, federal and state government agencies, Kitsap County Commissioners, and a number of plant and forest specialists acted in a democratic process to secure a park and preserve for present and future generations of Kitsap County residents.

So more time will pass. If enlightened government officials and vigilant citizens work together to carry out the master plan, generation upon generation of youth, adults, and seniors will enjoy "a place to rest." The stand of Douglas-fir will mark its 300th birthday and the stand of red alder will attain centennial status. Swordfern and salmonberry will continue to flourish. By and by the time may come when this place will become known as the "Central Park" of Kitsap County.

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c. Statement of Intent

To establish and develop a premiere nature preserve and park for the education and enjoyment of this and future generations.
To preserve to the greatest extent possible the natural character of Illahee forest lands and the Illahee creek watershed, including vegetation and wildlife habitat.
To provide limited appropriate active and passive recreational opportunities while maintaining sensitivity to the natural character of the sites.
To solicit the support and help of local residents, organizations, schools, businesses, government agencies, and Native American tribes to work together to carry out the vision and plans for the preserve.
To promote the Native American meaning of the word Illahee as a "place of rest."

III. Resource Inventory

Material provided by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) provided the basis for most of what is written in this section of the Stewardship Plan. The DNR has extensively examined this site in the recent past, and we have been given reports written by hydrologists, wildlife biologists, botanists and foresters. Additional information provided by Dr. Christopher May addressing salmon habitat values of the stream has also been consolidated and reformatted with the DNR material to create this Resource Inventory.

a. Geomorphology, Soils and Hydrology

Eleven thousand years ago, at the end of the most recent episode of continental glaciation in North America, there was a sheet of ice more than a mile thick over Kitsap County. That ice sheet was littered with rocks, gravel, sand and silt that it had scoured and collected in its travels from the north and from the mountains surrounding the Puget Trough. As the glacier melted, the earth has been relieved of the weight of that ice, and has been rising relative to sea level. That "rebound" phenomenon is responsible for the steep ravines with unstable slopes within which many of the streams of Kitsap County, including Illahee Creek, are entrenched. The earth is rising at a rate with which the streams are yet unable to reach equilibrium. Given time, erosion by the streams and gravity will result in valleys with much gentler slopes, but not for thousands of years.

As the continental glacier melted over Kitsap County, the material carried by the ice was deposited like a blanket over the landscape. That material, mostly an unsorted mixture of clay silts, sand and rocks of varying sizes formed a layer called till over the underlying rock formations. The till, having a clay matrix, is a hard, impermeable layer, resistant to infiltration of water. This is the material upon which the soils of Illahee Preserve are and have been accumulating since the last glaciers melted. The soils of the forest that lay over that till are relatively coarse and porous.

Rainwater that makes its way to the ground and is in excess of what the soil can absorb filters down through the soil to the impermeable till layer. It then flows laterally until it emerges in springs or stream channels. Clearing of vegetation or disturbance of the soil can alter this hydrologic process. Development of impermeable surfaces such as roads, driveways and building roofs reduces the amount of precipitation infiltrating into the soil. That water enters the surface water features - by pipe or over the hard surfaces, rather than by the slower route through the soil. This water also carries more pollutants directly into the streams, as they are not filtered out by the soils. When there is a storm with heavy rainfall, land that has been cleared or developed with impermeable surfaces contributes that stormwater to the stream more quickly than if it were filtering through the soil. That increased water flows with greater energy, scouring the stream bottom and banks, causing both erosion of the banks, and increased sedimentation downstream, when the water slows and no longer has the energy to carry the sediments.

Over one third of the Illahee Creek watershed has been developed for residential use or roads, particularly that part north of McWilliams Road. Calculations by Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) hydrologists estimate that that development increases the volume of water in the stream by more than fifty percent during a storm of a size that occurs once every two years. The impact of development on the volume of water in the stream is less for larger storms, but even a storm of a magnitude that would statistically occur once in one hundred years would have twenty-five percent more water flowing during the storm as a result of the roads and residences developed in the watershed. While very little of that development is within Illahee Preserve, the impacts to that portion of the creek that traverses the forest are evident. There are landslides occurring on the steep hillsides along the creek through the forest, where the raging storm water undercuts the banks. Tons of sediment generated by this erosion have been deposited downstream near Illahee Road, where the stream gradient levels. These sediments cover gravel streambeds, degrading their habitat value for fish. Another significant storm water problem is where storm water collected by Rolling Hills Golf Course is discharged directly into the northwest part of the forest. The volume of water flowing from two pipes is causing severe erosion (and subsequent downstream deposition) problems in that part of the forest.

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b. Vegetation

Most of the 352.42-acre Illahee Preserve property acquired by Kitsap County from DNR is forested with vegetation typical of this region - a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees including douglas fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, red alder, maple and madrona. Logging has occurred over the entire site at different times in the past one hundred fifty years, but not within the last thirty years. Understory plants include salal, evergreen huckleberry, oregon grape and sword fern in varying densities and combinations throughout the site.

A list of the plants found in the forest is attached as Appendix II. The cleared areas that are the exceptions to this are areas for which leases or easements were granted by the DNR prior to County acquisition of the property. The largest of these areas is approximately thirty-three of the forty acres leased for Rolling Hills Golf Course, which has been developed as most of seven holes of the golf course. This area is mostly highly maintained exotic grass fairways and greens, with a few native conifers left between the fairways. Other areas within the forest that are cleared include two small areas leased to North Perry Water District for a water tower and a well, a power line corridor and road rights-of-way through and next to the property.

Illahee Preserve includes four distinct timber types, all of which are mid-seral temperate forest. The northwestern-most portion of the forest (near the intersection of McWilliams Road and Wheaton Way) is composed of mostly red alder mixed with red cedar and maple. This area was logged in the 1930's, and again in the 1970's. Much of this area has wet soils.

The remainder of the property west of the incised Illahee Creek stream corridor is forested with fifty-year-old douglas fir, western hemlock, red cedar, madrone and some white pine tree stands. This area was partially logged in the late 1970's.There is evidence of blister rust on some of the white pine trees.