On Jan. 25, the North Kitsap Concerned Citizens (NKCC), a non-profit organization concerned with ensuring that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) complies with the requirements of the Washington State Constitution in the sale or transfer of lands which it manages as trustee, filed a lawsuit in Kitsap County Superior Court against the DNR and Commissioner of Public Lands, Doug Sutherland.

The lawsuit alleges that a proposed transfer of common school trust lands managed by DNR to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe violates the Washington State Constitution and the State Enabling Act which require all such lands be sold at public auction to the highest bidder.

The land in question is a heavily wooded 390-acre parcel located next to the tribal reservation’s southern boundary. It is currently zoned for low-density residential development with an allowable dwelling unit of 1 home per 20 acres. If the transfer occurs, the Tribe is expected to seek to have the land placed in tribal trust, which would exempt it from property taxes, zoning regulations and the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).