8/14/03 - Bremerton Sun
New vision for protecting Hood Canal watershed
A new partnership of public and private officials see the need to maintain forests near Hood Canal
Christopher Dunagan, Sun Staff
One group's mission to save Hood Canal salmon by preserving streamside habitats has inspired a much grander design for protecting natural resources.

The buzzword has become "watersheds," and the central idea is to maintain Hood Canal forests for timber production.
After all, trees removed from a "working forest" will grow back; trees removed for development are gone forever.
An unusual gathering of 25 public and private officials climbed aboard a boat in Seabeck this week and took off toward the south. As the boat skimmed across the water, the passengers observed long stretches of undeveloped shoreline, tree-covered slopes and natural beaches piled with driftwood.

Houses were few and far between.
"When you step out and take a look at this area, you see some of the best lowland forests left in the Puget Sound region," said Doug McClelland of the state Department of Natural Resources.

Large connected wetlands still grow naturally, he noted, while unbroken forest stands provide food and shelter for a vast multitude of species. There's even plenty of room for human recreation.

"Pressure (for development) is coming to this area," McClelland warned. "The question will be: Can it stay in forestry?"

Grand vision
McClelland has been a key player in the Mountains to Sound Greenway project, an effort to create a 100-mile-long forest corridor along Interstate 90 through the Cascade Mountains.

His vision for Hood Canal is nothing less than protecting forest habitats, particularly the area that includes Seabeck, Holly, Dewatto and Tahuya -- including Tahuya State Forest.

"Out of this group will come the tools to figure this out," he added.
Among those on the boat were U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair; Kitsap County Commissioners Jan Angel and Patty Lent; Mason County Commissioners Wes Johnson and Jayni Kamin; Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland; and Larry Peck, assistant director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"I'm amazed at the incredible partnership here," McClelland said. "This trip does not provide a solution, but it provides an opportunity."

Ted Labbe, a biologist with the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, told the group that salmon point the way to saving the "last best places" in Western Washington.

"Fish are telling us that this is one big connected landscape," he said. "It is not just Kitsap and Mason counties. It is the Hood Canal landscape."

A decade ago, a group of Kitsap County visionaries decided that the best way to protect salmon while avoiding flak from property owners was simply to buy the habitat bordering important salmon streams.

Using state and federal grants, the Hood Canal Salmon Sanctuary so far has purchased 60 parcels of land -- 725 acres -- along Stavis and Big Beef creeks. The price tag: $6.4 million.

The loose-knit organization, which was sanctioned by the Kitsap County commissioners, came to realize that protecting pieces of land along the streams was not enough -- not if the upland forests are chopped up for development and natural streamflows are disrupted.

Sensitive areas
Hood Canal Salmon Sanctuary has taken a new name: Hood Canal Alliance. The next step, said executive director Jerry Zumdieck, is to crystallize the partnership of government agencies, nonprofit groups and property owners.

Also along on the boat ride were representatives of Great Peninsula Conservancy, Cascade Land Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy and Hood Canal Environmental Council.

Noticeably missing were the major landowners, including Manke Timber Co. and Pope Resources.
"We've got to talk to the major landowners and see what they're preparing to do," said Dicks, who makes his home on Hood Canal. "They know as well as anyone about these sensitive areas. I'm willing to work on this and use whatever tools we've got."

One of the growing concerns involves depleted oxygen levels in the waters of Hood Canal -- a problem likely to be exacerbated by more homes on septic systems. Thus, solving the low-oxygen problem becomes connected to maintaining forests.

Kitsap County planning director Kamuron Gurol said the environmental concerns merit a "strong, focused approach."
"A lot of potential programs and policies must be brought together for a common vision," Gurol said. "Landowners have a lot of investments tied up in these lands, and they have expectations."

Buy, zone or credit?
Some lands could be purchased outright, as with sections added to the state's Kitsap Forest near Stavis Bay. Other lands could be preserved for forestry by buying up just the development rights.

Gurol and his planning staff have proposed new zoning for Kitsap's Interim Rural Forest areas -- nearly a quarter of the county's entire land mass.

The proposed zoning, under review by the county planning commission, would allow four times as many homes as current zoning, provided development is clustered on less than 25 percent of the property.

Gurol also is working on a proposal to allow development rights to be transferred from rural forest lands to urban growth areas, but details have not been worked out.

County Commissioner Angel said new homes in forest areas can be built to higher standards to protect the environment. One approach, known as "low-impact development," reduces runoff from a site by infiltrating water into the ground when necessary.

Angel gives credit to forestland owners for wanting to do the right thing.
"They are extremely knowledgeable, and I want to find out what their concerns are," she said. "What they have been saying is, 'Give us the flexibility to keep our lands in forestry.' "

Reach Christopher Dunagan at (360) 792-9207 or at cdunagan@thesunlink.com.
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Canal strategies
Hood Canal Alliance, a group that grew out of Hood Canal Salmon Sanctuary, proposes the following strategies for Hood Canal:

* Retain the region's working forests through public and private programs.
* Maintain the region's key habitats, including the ongoing purchase of property.
* Provide recreational and educational opportunities for the public.
* Help with good land stewardship, including one-to-one assistance to landowners.
* Educate citizen stewards.
* Raise awareness of the Hood Canal Alliance and its programs.
* Manage public and private funds efficiently and ethically through a board that includes community leaders.

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Larry Altose, Public Information
Wash. Dept. of Ecology, NW Region
425-649-7009