Kitsap Environmental Coalition

09/01/2026

Learn more about Board opportunities available with Friends of Miller Bay - FOMB!

Board Opportunities!
Have a little extra time? Want to make a positive impact? Help protect one of North Kitsap's most important watersheds with an award-winning local nonprofit.

Friends of Miller Bay (FOMB) is seeking new board members to further our goal to preserve natural habitat in the Miller Bay watershed. For over 35 years we’ve worked to protect more than 450 acres of land, restored salmon runs, and are currently working to restore native Olympia Oysters. Most recently we were honored with the 2026 Kitsap County Earth Day Award.

Board members serve two-year terms that include monthly Zoom meetings and quarterly in-person sessions. Outside of meetings, you can tailor your involvement to fit your interests, skills, and schedule.

If you love North Kitsap and want to help protect the forests, wildlife, and open spaces that make it special, email info@friendsofmillerbay to express your interest.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3R9LV6I

08/11/2026

Looking for ways to help those impacted by the fires in eastern Washington? Here's a list of resources and aid: https://bit.ly/3RNpTXX

08/08/2026

You can build a habitat in your backyard!

Food + Water + Shelter + Space to raise young = Wildlife habitat!

One of the biggest ways you can support wildlife is creating habitat. Small to large, every habitat is beneficial. Even a container garden with native plants adds habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds!

Here’s your recipe:

• Food: Plant native plants – these provide food like berries, nuts, seeds, greens, and flower nectar throughout the year.
• Water: Wildlife gets much of the water they need when they eat plants. Adding a birdbath or insect puddle can help too.
• Shelter: Wildlife live and shelter in many spaces! Plant native plants of all heights, create a brush pile, leave a snag, add a birdhouse.
• Space to raise young: Plant a variety of native plants – different heights, deciduous, evergreen, and some that die back in the winter. Add a nest box or bat house.

Next: Certify your habitat with Habitat at Home and get a free sign!

Your certification sign shows your space supports wildlife and helps inspire others. You’ll receive a free welcome packet with a sign, stewardship tips, wildlife ID info, a native pollinator pack, and other goodies. Your participation also helps us understand where wildlife habitat is growing!

Apply online. Tell us about your habitat, share a few photos, and hit submit! Visit https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/habitat-at-home to learn more.

Photo by WDFW.

08/06/2026

This looks interesting.

Few modern industrial practices are as ecologically destructive as clearcut logging. It’s no wonder then why many have come to embrace forest thinning as a more sustainable alternative. But this apparent compromise poses serious threats of its own. In Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save ...

07/25/2026

Make your voice heard! Complete the Rural Lands Analysis survey by Friday, July 31 to help shape the future of rural land use in Kitsap County. Speak up about issues that are important to you!

Please! Everyone- take five to ten minutes of any day this week to participate in the Rural Lands Analysis survey. We desperately want to hear from you! Anyone can chime in, but we'd love to hear from the farmers here in Kitsap County. Please share, spread the word, talk about this at your favorite weekly gathering- anything! This small survey has huge ramifications for Kitsap County Planning in the next few years. 🆘⚠ (https://www.kitsap.gov/dcd/Pages/Rural_Lands_Analysis.aspx)

The purpose of the Rural Lands Analysis project is to evaluate existing rural land use patterns, policies, and regulatory frameworks in unincorporated Kitsap County and to provide a clear analytical foundation for future rural planning decisions. The project will support recommendations for informed program and policy development, potential future updates to the Rural and Resource Lands Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan and the identification of future targeted code improvements.

This effort is informed by prior rural planning initiatives, including the Year of the Rural, but is a distinct project focused on analysis, documentation, and implementation support rather than a comprehensive plan update on its own.

Within the Rural Lands Analysis, the Salmon Recovery in Local Planning Project will identify strategies in local salmon recovery plans that intersect with land-use planning and policy implementation in Kitsap County. By linking the goals of salmon recovery to the County’s long-range planning framework, this effort will strengthen alignment among ecological health, rural character, and community resilience.

Again, the survey link is: (https://www.kitsap.gov/dcd/Pages/Rural_Lands_Analysis.aspx)

07/01/2026

This information provided as a community service and does not imply endorsement.

Andy Hitchings posted to Poulsbo for All

URGENT FOR POULSBO RESIDENTS: STOP THE PINNACLE AT LIBERTY BAY HAZARD! ⚠️

We are calling on the Poulsbo Planning Commission and the Planning & Economic Development Department to NOT rubber stamp this development. All environmental, safety, and engineering concerns must be fully and independently addressed before this project is allowed to proceed. A review of the project entities' regional history reveals a consistent pattern of bypassing robust infrastructure standards and taking short-cuts on environmental protections until the public demands accountability.
The public comment window closes July 1st, ahead of the critical Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, July 7th at 6:00 PM. We must act now to protect our neighborhood.
If you are submitting formal comments to the city, please copy and paste the technical documentation below and email it to plan&[email protected] and [email protected].
🚨 DOCUMENTED CIVIL DESIGN VIOLATIONS & SAFETY THREATS

The civil drawings in "Pinnacle Plan.pdf" reveal severe design shortcuts that put local families at immediate risk:
Crystalia Court "Blind Hump" Hazard: The developer intends to use NE Crystalia Court as an "All Phase Stabilized Construction Entrance". The proposed road hits an abrupt grade break, shifting sharply from a 4° to 5° upgrade (+7% to +9%) to a steep downgrade exceeding -5° (-9% to -12%).
Direct Violation of Road Standards: Kitsap County Road Standards Section 3.1 mandates a fully engineered vertical curve for any grade change over 1%. This layout creates an illegal, abrupt 16% to 21% grade break with zero physical room inside the confined cul-de-sac to build a legal safety curve.
Illegal Stopping Sight Distance (SSD): This artificial crest completely violates AASHTO municipal line-of-sight safety minimums. It creates a permanent, severe blind spot for heavy industrial machinery and residential vehicles exactly where our children live and play.
Severe Safety Risks to Local Residents: Forcing high-volume heavy industrial vehicle traffic directly into a small residential cul-de-sac environment poses an immediate, severe physical threat to multiple families with small children who live and play there daily.
🔍 CORPORATE RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY & RULE-SKIRTING

Admitted Watershed Vulnerabilities: In their official Stormwater Report, engineering firm ESM Consulting admits the project's runoff flows into an already highly endangered ecosystem: “Liberty Bay (Category 5 - 303d, Dissolved Oxygen)”—the state’s most severe water-impairment ranking.
Shifting Ground Disclaimers: In their June 17, 2026 Geotechnical Addendum, the developer explicitly states: “Variations may exist between the soil and groundwater conditions reported and those actually underlying the site... and may not be evident before construction begins.” They admit they don't fully understand the ground stability, yet want to punch a steep, hazardous road through our neighborhood.
Regional Pattern of Infrastructure Exploitation: Across King and Pierce Counties, these same development entities have historically faced major community and administrative pushback for attempting to minimize structural, environmental, and drainage risks in their initial paperwork to maximize profit margins.
💡 A SAFER, COMPLIANT ALTERNATIVE EXISTS

Highway 305 Frontage: This project features an extensive southern border directly fronting State Highway 305.
Zero Stream Impact: Review of the site hydrology confirms a temporary construction entrance can easily be built off the Highway 305 frontage without crossing Stream A or encroaching upon its protected fish-bearing wetland buffers. This completely isolates industrial traffic from neighborhood cul-de-sacs, maintains safe road slopes, protects the ecosystem, and completely respects local fish habitat regulations.
✊ HOLD THEM PERSONALLY LIABLE

By placing these specific grading and safety hazards into the public record today, the City, the Planning Department, and individual engineers are now on official notice. Any individual who signs off on these flawed plans strips away their standard immunity shields and can be held personally liable for a reckless disregard of public safety.
📧 TAKE ACTION: Copy this information and email your formal objections to plan&[email protected] and [email protected] before the July 1st deadline. Demand they force the developer to route construction traffic through the unpopulated Highway 305 frontage.
📅 SHOW UP: Speak up at the public meeting on Tuesday, July 7th at 6:00 PM. We only get 3 minutes each—bring these technical points and make them count!
🔗 Public Record Sources & Technical References:
City of Poulsbo Pinnacle Project Portal
Kitsap County Road Standards, Section 3.1 & City of Poulsbo Street Standards, Section 2: Mandates engineered vertical curves for algebraic grade changes in excess of 1.0%.
AASHTO "Green Book", Section 3.4.2: Establishes mandatory line-of-sight safety minimums for stopping sight distance (SSD) over crests.

06/30/2026

Click below and scroll down for the link to a YouTube video of candidate forum held June 28.

Join the June KEC Presents featuring a panel discussion with candidates running for Washington's 23rd Legislative District. | Dr. Ed Frodel is our featured artist.

06/09/2026

Check out this upcoming open house hosted by Kitsap County Community Development! It is important that Kitsap residents show up and speak out for preserving natural habitats.

05/31/2026

KEC signs onto letter to Gov. Ferguson, urging protection of remaining legacy forests from logging. May 30, 2026

The letter, authored by Indivisible Tacoma, emphasizes public support, conflicts of interest, and policy failures.

Main Concerns
Legacy forests (over 140 years old) are being clearcut, threatening ecological and climate resilience.
Public support for forest protection is widespread, including petitions, rallies, and conservation efforts.
The Board of Natural Resources (BNR) is biased toward logging, with members benefiting financially or professionally from timber sales.
DNR staff are incentivized to log because their salaries depend on timber revenue, creating systemic conflicts.
The governor’s appointee consistently votes to sell forests, disregarding scientific and public input.
Existing policies, like the Sustainable Harvest FEIS, are not followed; no comprehensive Forest Management Plans exist.
Current harvest targets can be met without logging legacy forests, yet they are still sold.
Protecting 77,000 acres of complex forests, including 20,800 acres planned for logging, is crucial.
Logging undermines climate goals, increases disaster costs, and fails to meet conservation targets for old growth.
The letter calls for diversifying BNR membership, revising DNR’s mission, and creating alternative funding for counties and schools.

Recommended Actions
Urge DNR to adhere to its policies and develop proper Forest Land Plans.
Ensure the conservation of high-value forests and revise maps to prioritize protection.
Appoint diverse, non-industry representatives to BNR.
Work with legislature to fund public needs without relying on logging revenue.
Protect remaining legacy forests immediately to prevent irreversible loss.

Read full letter: https://www.kitsapenvironmentalcoalition.org/kec-signs-letter-to-protect-legacy-forests

04/20/2026

Mark your calendar! 🐛📚🤓

Join us on May 13 to learn more about a new nature and environment book club!

Great Peninsula Conservancy Kitsap Environmental Coalition