Copied and pasted from the Kitsap Sun:

The peaceful path across North Kitsap
By Susie L. Oh
November 9, 2004

Hansville residents Sid Knutson, Maureen Vis and Maryellen McCaffree hatched
an ambitious plan in 1991. Their goal was to create a nature preserve
stretching across the tip of the Kitsap Peninsula from Puget Sound to Hood
Canal to preserve open space and protect wildlife.

The determined group reaped the rewards of hard work and community support
when the county purchased 175 acres adjacent to Buck Lake in Hansville
several years later. Some pieces are still missing, but the Hansville
Greenway is well on its way to linking the Sound with the Canal.

The trail has been open since 1996, but it's a little-known treasure, even
to some Hansville residents.

Despite the misty wet weather, Bobbie Jones of Kingston took her first tour
of the greenway Monday afternoon with sister Anita Geyer, a visitor from
Southern California.

Geyer and Jones were quite taken with the trail and especially its soothing
ambiance.

"When you come from Southern California, there's a noise in the quiet,"
Geyer said. "The quiet speaks to you."

Knutson said that greenways were becoming popular around the country in the
early '90s. The community also was spurred on by rumors of development along
Buck Lake.

"I'm sure there was luck involved in this," said Knutson, who credits good
timing and available state and county grants with making their vision a
reality.

Although Vis died and McCaffree and her husband moved, the greenway is not
without dedicated volunteers, who maintain the trail, build viewing
platforms and give tours.

Knutson said the greenway is unique because of its diversity. It boasts two
beaver ponds, abundant wildlife, forests, meadows and 4 miles of a trail
that wanders across broad meadows and winds through misty tree-lined
avenues.

Knutson is proud that no public funds were used for the trail, other than to
purchase the property. The land cost $1.4 million with about $700,000 coming
from state grants and the rest from Kitsap County.

The county hopes to add to the greenway with the purchase of a 3-acre
waterfront resort in downtown Hansville and 200 acres south of Buck Lake
County Park. The two pieces would allow volunteers to build up to 5 miles
more of trail and provide access to the beaches of the Sound and the Canal,
completing the bridge across the peninsula.

The county has applied for more than $2 million in grants for both
properties. A local match would be expected and the Hansville Greenway
Committee wants to raise community awareness of the preserve for possible
future fund-raising.

Knutson estimates that the community has raised $60,000 over the years for
the greenway, as well as putting in more than 10,000 volunteer hours. About
15 to 20 regular volunteers spend about 40 hours a month maintaining the
trail.

Knutson said cloudy weather is the best time to see it, when the fog hangs
thick, a leafy carpet absorbs sound and the hush is interrupted only by an
occasional woodpecker.

"It's mystical," he said. "I can't imagine another community of this size
having anything like this."

Reach reporter Susie L. Oh (360) 792-9205 or at soh at kitsapsun.com

Getting There

>From Bremerton, take Highway 3 north to Highway 305. Turn left at Bond Road,
left at Hansville Road and make another left at Buck Road going toward Buck
Lake and the Hansville Community Center. Park at Buck Lake County Park.

To get to the trail head, walk across the ball field at Buck Lake Park to
the kiosk at the southwest corner of the field.

To volunteer, donate or for information about the trail, call Sid Knutson at
(360) 638-2869 or Ken Shawcroft at (360) 638-2495.