Friday Afternoon Club: A Walk in the (Banner) Park
May 14th, 2010 by Chris HenryI can’t believe I’ve lived in South Kitsap since 1979 but never set foot in Banner Forest Heritage Park until yesterday.
I spent about two hours tromping around the park for a story to run tomorrow. In short the Kitsap County Parks and Recreation department has recently fielded a flurry of complaints symptomatic of tension between mountain bikers and other park users, especially horseback riders.
The flap has prompted parks officials to revisit the Banner Forest Management Plan (find it here Banner Forest Management Plan), drawn up in 2002. They will do an inventory of trails to make sure wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas aren’t being degraded, and to ensure that man-made jumps and other obstacles don’t pose too big of a liability to the county.
The county is also looking for additional members for its Banner stewardship committee. The committee will meet at 7 p.m. June 7 at the South Kitsap Fire & Rescue station at 300 Tremont Street. The public is welcome.
Parks director Jim Dunwiddie hopes better communication with park users will foster improved relations among disgruntled users, and he hopes more people will volunteer to help keep the park safe and clean.
“It’s better to point a rake or shovel at the ground than point fingers at each other,” Dunwiddie said. “We’re going to pass out the words to ‘Kumbaya,’ too.”
On my walk in the park, I saw a number of people enjoying a variety of activities: biking, horseback riding, jogging, hiking and a couple little kids throwing rocks into the bushes. With 635 acres, it would seem like there’s plenty of room for everyone. There’s also the possibility of getting lost. So if you decide to visit Banner Forest this weekend, you may want to bring along this handy map (below) that was on the Kitsap County Parks and Recreation department website.
If you live in a different area of the county, you can find a park near you on the website.
Happy trails to you until we meet again.
Banner Map 0510
Tags: Banner Forest Heritage Park, Kitsap County Parks and Recreation
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
May 15th, 2010 at 7:49 am
See a photo gallery of a day in Banner Forest here:
http://www.kitsapsun.com/photos/galleries/2010/may/14/banner-forest/
Chris Henry, reporter
May 15th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
How much room is there for a recumbent trike, Chris?
Did you see any recumbent trike riders?
May 17th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Sharon – There is a dirt service road (a little rocky in places and with a few inclines), but plenty wide enough, I would imagine, for a recumbent trike. Some of the trails may accommodate your mode of transportation, as well, but watch out for muddy spots you may not be able to navigate around. Some of the side trails are very narrow and twisty, not at all suitable I would imagine. The map shows the service road.
If you check it out, let me know how it goes.
Chris Henry, reporter