705 acres of undeveloped forest in North Kitsap known as Eglon Forest will be transferred from the Department of Natural Resources to Kitsap County at no cost in efforts to add the land to the parks system.

Through the legislature, DNR designated the land as part of the Trust Land Transfer program and Kitsap acquired it for long-term open space habitat and recreation purposes. The addition of the land means Kitsap parks now cover over 11,400 acres.

“It has some really fantastic topography to it” and “already has a trail network on the property,” parks director Alex Wisniewski said at the county commissioner meeting Oct. 14.

Kitsap has been interested in acquiring the land for over a decade, documents state. In 2022, the Kitsap Environmental Coalition and community members provided site tours of the land with state representatives to garner support. Eglon Forest was also ranked No. 1 among DNR’s TLF projects proposed to the legislature for funding.

Now that the county commissioners have approved the transfer, next steps include: change gate locks; install park rules and other signage at trailhead and access locations; partner with Kingston Parks, Trails and Open Space Committee to support ongoing trail maintenance the group already performs; and evaluate forest for needed restoration work.