Land Gift to Metro Park & Recreation District Creates a New ‘8 Acre Woods’ Park near Rolling Bay; Dedication on Thursday

We love our Bainbridge parks and open space. Indeed, very few communities our size have the number of parks and trails that our little rock has acquired over the years. From the Grand Forest to Battle Point Park to Fort Ward, and any number in between, we have hundreds of acres dedicated to hiking, walking and mountain biking, to say nothing of wonderful acreage for reflection and repose.  And the gifts keep on coming.

A new eight-acre wooded parcel near Rolling Bay has been set aside as a new neighborhood park.

To be known as “8 Acre Woods,” the park property has been gifted by a conservation-minded donor to the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District via the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation. An open house and dedication will be held at the park at 2 p.m. on Thursday Dec. 12.

“8 Acre Woods” is located at the corner of Manitou Beach Drive and Mountain View Road at Skiff Point. It shares a property line with the Fieldstone Assisted Living Community of Bainbridge, a senior living and memory care center.

The property owner is a longtime supporter of the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation and was aware of the organization’s effort to bring opportunities to the areas of the Island underserved by parks and trails, parks officials noted.

Informal walking trails on the property will be improved, and other passive-park amenities like benches and a kiosk will be added in the future. The Park District will conduct habitat restoration to weed out ivy and other invasives from the firs and broadleaf trees that cover the property.

“It’s a lovely property, offering nearby access for a quiet walk in the woods and connection with nature,” said Mary Meier, executive director of the Parks Foundation. “The owner has allowed neighbors to enjoy the property for years, and this generous gift will make it a park in perpetuity.”

“This marks the third community donation to our Park District in recent years, showcasing the incredible philanthropy of our Island,” added Dan Hamlin, Executive Director of the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District. “It reflects the spirit of our residents, who are committed to sharing their resources for the greater good. Our partnership with the Parks & Trails Foundation has made this collective spirit possible.”

The Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation has secured over 30 acres of new public parkland over the past decade. Most recently, the Foundation helped double the size of Strawberry Hill Park to 39 acres by purchasing two neighboring parcels.

Learn more at: www.biparksfoundation.org, and www.biparks.org.

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