partnership Tag

02 May Successful Campaign Unites Community to Protect 38 Acres of Grand Forest East

News Mac Davenport

May 2, 2025 BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA – The Bainbridge Island Land Trust, together with its partners— the Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District and the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation—announces the success of the collaborative campaign to protect the 38-acre parcel at Grand Forest East. Launched on short notice and under an urgent timeline, the campaign received an extraordinary outpouring of generosity and support. Announced only two months ago with a goal to raise over $2.2 million, the campaign faced a tight timeline after the announcement by the Bainbridge Island School District to surplus the 38- acre property in February. The success of this campaign was vital to ensure the property could be purchased by the Park District, which will preserve the land for recreation and conservation. The parcel has been managed as part of the Grand Forest parkland for more than 30 years, even though it was owned by the School District as a possible school site. The community responded swiftly with contributions from hundreds of supporters, including a transformational gift by a private conservation fund established by an Island family, allowing this campaign to reach its ambitious goal in a short timeframe. The success ensures that the property will remain preserved as a public park for future generations, securing its place in the heart of the Island’s natural landscape. “We are incredibly grateful to the Bainbridge Island community for its overwhelming support for the Stand for the Grand Forest campaign,” said Cullen Brady, Executive Director of the Bainbridge Island Land Trust. “This collaboration has been a wonderful example of how we can come together to protect the Island’s most cherished places. This campaign demonstrated the strength and unity of this community by ensuring this land remains in public ownership.” The property, which is part of the…

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21 Feb Bainbridge Island Land Trust, with the support of the Parks & Trails Foundation, launches campaign to protect 39 acres as public park at Grand Forest East

News Mac Davenport BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA – The Bainbridge Island Land Trust with the support of the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation have launched a campaign to raise funds to protect 39 acres at Grand Forest East, allowing purchase by the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District.   The Park District on February 21, 2025, announced its intent to purchase the property, contingent on a successful fundraising campaign. With negotiations now underway, the fundraising campaign, Stand for the Grand Forest, is expected to be over $2 million, said Cullen Brady, Executive Director, Bainbridge Island Land Trust.  The Board of the Bainbridge Island School District voted to surplus the 39-acre property. “This is an urgent campaign,” Brady said. “The School District’s January 9, 2025, action to surplus and sell this property, among their first order of business in the new year, started the clock ticking. We need the community to join us in protecting the Grand Forest as we know and enjoy it.”  The parcel is adjacent to Grand Forest East and has long been maintained as part of the Island’s park, trail, and nature preserve networks. Partners hope to complete the fundraising campaign and purchase by the Park District this spring. “Acquiring this property and formally protecting it for conservation and recreation has been a longtime goal of the Park District, and this is an opportunity to realize that goal,” said Dan Hamlin, Executive Director of the Park & Recreation District. “We can’t make this purchase without the community’s help, so we’re thrilled that the Land Trust and Parks & Trails Foundation are partnering on this fundraising campaign.”   The property holds significant conservation value for forest, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience. This campaign is associated with the Land Trust’s ongoing acquisition movement, dedicated to conserving the Island’s most cherished natural habitats. The Land...
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A person walking two dogs on a trail in the Grand Forest East, surrounded by towering conifer trees.

07 Jan Bainbridge Island Land Trust and Parks & Trails Foundation to work with community to protect the 39-acre parcel in Grand Forest system  

News Mac Davenport January 10, 2025 | Bainbridge Island, WA The Bainbridge Island Land Trust and the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation acknowledge the recent announcement by the Bainbridge Island School District (BISD) that it plans to surplus, or sell, its 39-acre property that functions as part of Grand Forest East parkland. The Grand Forest nature complex is a treasured Bainbridge Island landscape, known for its interconnected trail network, intact forest core and vital natural habitats.  Recognizing the conservation and recreational value of this land, our organizations are united in our commitment to protect it permanently, ensuring that it remains undeveloped and accessible to the community for future generations. On January 9, the School Board voted to surplus the 39-acre parcel. The Land Trust and Parks & Trails Foundation will work closely with the Bainbridge Island community, local leaders, and other stakeholders as we explore ways to safeguard this valuable resource. We encourage everyone to join us in helping to conserve one of the Island’s most beloved natural and recreational spaces. A Brief History on the Grand Forest and this 39-acre parcel This parcel and the surrounding lands, known today as the Grand Forest, were originally managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to generate revenue for public education through timber harvests or land sales. In the late 1980s, plans by the State to sell the land prompted local activism. The “Committee to Save the DNR Forest” joined the Bainbridge Island Land Trust and Park District to fundraise through a bond levy, successfully protecting the first 240 acres of the Grand Forest, including the original Grand Forest West, North, and East (southern tract) parcels. At the same time, this 39-acre parcel was acquired by the Bainbridge Island School District (BISD) to serve as a potential school site based on projected population growth. As growth slowed...
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