Kitsap Natural Resource Asset Management Project

The natural features that make up Kitsap County, including its forests, shoreline, and freshwater systems, are part of the County’s stock of natural assets. Human well-being and health are dependent upon the water treatment, clean air, rainwater management, and overall function of these assets as they yield essential services and economic benefits.

These assets require planning, coordination, monitoring, and supportive fiscal policies and strategies, just as other essential assets such as roadways, buildings, and capital facilities. Governments, such as Kitsap County, have a critical role in ensuring that natural assets are delivering core municipal services by enhancing, maintaining, and restoring natural assets through direct or indirect management of natural assets. 

Natural asset management is an emerging strategy that expands the standard framework for managing infrastructure to include natural assets. This program will help facilitate strategic planning of Kitsap County’s resources by establishing a system to measure and track the condition of assets, compare the condition of assets against the desired condition, and identify strategies to reduce gaps and risks to services.

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Project Goals

1. Design and develop a Natural Resource Asset Management system to assist local governments with fiscal, permitting, and management decisions related to natural resources, and to improve citizen awareness of

​ View a story map that provides insights into the progress Kitsap County has made in developing a Natural Assessment Management Program for three asset types: forests, shorelines and stream.

Kitsap County has worked with the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Suquamish Tribe, and Washington Conservation Action to guide the development of the asset management framework and system. Kitsap County will continue to consult with its partners as the development of the system progresses.  

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Access the meeting materials to stay up to date on the project team’s progress and follow the evolution of the project.

 2024

February 2024​ Goals: Discuss the scoring methods for specific attributes in the pilot watersheds. Share County-wide maps with existing Levels of Service based on updated scoring methods. Identify a list of efforts, programs, and policies that could be leveraged to achieve Desired Levels of Service in the pilot watersheds.  Presentation Slides  Current (LOS) Scoring Methods for Attributes and Updated County Maps Workshop Summary

April 2024 Goals: Review and refine a draft Pilot Watersheds Priority Actions Matrix. Review a draft KNRAMP County-Wide Decision-Making Framework to guide the KNRAMP program in:  -Identifying recommended actions for restoration and preservation in response to the County-wide Level of Service (LOS) status for forests, streams, and marine shorelines.  -Coordinating actions with Kitsap County departments to inform priority setting and investment decisions. -Brief look at the County-wide map with the forests LOS to provide reflections on how a County-Wide Decision-Making Framework would apply to the map. Agenda Meeting Summary Core Team Workshop 2 Attribute Evolutions Presentation

​June 2024​ Goals: Consider a list of scenarios (strategies) for work in each pilot watershed and determine which scenarios to start with.  Workshop Agenda Workshop Summary Core Team Workshop 3 Timelines for scenarios/strategies Scenarios and Discussion for Where to start for the Pilot Watersheds

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 2023

​May 2023​ Goals: Discuss the KNRAMP milestones for 2023 and provide input on key aspects that the upcoming KNRAMP Implementation Plan should address.	​​July 2023 Goals: Discuss the KNRAMP Implementation Plan approach, asset management approaches to natural resources, and options for setting DLOS for pilot watersheds.
​October 2023 Goals: Gather feedback on the KNRAMP Implementation Plan Draft and discuss setting DLOS for pilot projects.	​November 2023 Goals: Discuss the final interim Desired Levels of Service (DLOS) for pilot watersheds, review status of final deliverables, and discuss 2024 anticipated next steps.

 2022

​January 2022 Goals: Work together to apply the level of service framework developed to date to identify gaps and needs in the framework, and begin to identify strategies and actions for achieving the desired level of service.	​​April 2022 Goals: Discuss and refine possible level of service targets for marine shorelines; hear an update on the comprehensive plan and discuss opportunities.
​May 2022 Goals: Discuss the next steps and implementation goals for the Natural Resource Asset Management program in the short-term (i.e., 6 months, 1-2 years), and review the level of service targets for streams.	August 2022 Goals: Identify and discuss anticipated threats to natural assets, revisit desired levels of service, and check in on program implementation.
November 2022 Goals: Reflect on project successes and challenges and identify lessons learned. Review and provide feedback on ideas for future funding proposals. Share updates, including grant wrap up progress and plans for ongoing/interim work and continuity.	​

 2021

​January 2021 Goals: 1. The Core Team to become reacquainted with the project 2. Review the project's success and challenges of the project in 2020. 3. Plan for 2021	​​March 2021 Goal: Develop a shared understanding and agreement on key structural elements of the Kitsap County Natural Resource Asset Management program and provide feedback on current efforts and work moving forward.
​May 2021 Goal: Share, discuss, and collaboratively refine the preliminary level of services (LOS) for marine shorelines assets.	​June 2021 Goal: Share, discuss, and collaboratively refine the preliminary level of services (LOS) for riparian assets.
​July 2021 Goal: Share, discuss, and collaboratively refine the preliminary level of services (LOS) for forest assets.	​September 2021 Goal: Share and discuss the final level of services (LOS) for shoreline, riparian and forest assets.
​November 2021 Goal: Discuss examples of desired levels of service and collaboratively develop a preliminary framework for desired levels of service.	​

 2020

​January 2020 Goals:  1. Refresh understanding of project goals. 2. Outline the plan of work and roles for year two for the Suquamish Tribe, Port Gamble S'Klallum Tribe, Kitsap County, and Washington Environmental Council.  3. Explore pilot defining levels of service concepts for establishing riparian vegetation asset. 4. Finalize Public Engagement Plan 5. Introduce funding tool work.

 2019

​January 2019 Goal: Discuss potential options for developing a Natural Resources Asset Management Program for Kitsap County, including desired levels of ecosystem services.

​April 2019 Goals: 1. Continue refinements of the Kitsap County Natural Resources Asset Management Plan (KNRAMP). 2. Finalize the ecosystem services that the program should prioritize for this initial phase, along with desired levels of services and ways to evaluate ecosystem services and make appropriate interventions. 3. Discuss funding paper and get feedback on approach. 4. Discuss parties ongoing roles in the KNRAMP development and implementation.

​June 2019 Goals: 1. Review current progress in developing the framework for the Kitsap County Natural Resources Asset Management Plan. 2. Discuss how year one accomplishments and deliverables will help further develop the KNRAMP moving forward and ensure alignment with the broader NTA effort.  3. Discuss parties' ongoing roles in the KNRAMP development and implementation.

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 2018

​February 2018 Goals: 1. Develop a shared understanding and common vision for implementation of a Natural Resource Asset Management Program in Kitsap County. 2. Explore the ecosystem services that the program should prioritize and scale. Identify preferred levels of service.