Juvenile offenders working with volunteers on a community-based alternative project rather than doing their time in a dentention facility

What do a thriving automobile business; civic groups and juvenile offenders have in common? Well, recently it has been for the common purpose of giving back to nature, adding a little glam to a historic old farmhouse and teaching civic pride in the process.

The Dogfish Creek-Liberty Bay estuary has been the site of several park property acquisitions, bridge culvert replacement, planned restoration projects and private property owner easements.

The Liberty Bay Auto Center sits on a significant portion of this estuarine shoreline in Poulsbo. Over the years the owners of the properties, Sandy and Dean Church, have improved stormwater conditions and weathered the changing political climate of owning waterfront property.

When approached by the Lemolo Citizen Club/Liberty Bay Foundation to restore their shoreline utilizing native plants, they were wholly receptive. Sandy Church poured over extensive literature and received one-on-one instruction on the subject through the Nearshore Habitat Enhancement DOE/EPA grant project. He then opted to utilize the native plant design by James Gerlach Landscape Architects and pay for the complete invasive plant abatement and revegetation plan himself, even though the offer of funding through the grant was offered.

He also donated to the project to help further the work along the remainder of connecting shoreline property along the head of the bay. This is a genuine example of a business/property owner, once knowing what needs to be done, taking it upon themselves to do it right. Church said, “I don’t see this as a temporary fix. When I put these firs, cedars and shore pines in here I envision a time where they grow and provide areas of shade for the fish and wildlife. This is a place of beauty for all to enjoy.”

Butting up to the two new park properties and the auto center lays the property of Bill Austin and various business tenants. An icon of Poulsbo lore, British-born Austin has been spearheading the long-awaited development of the Nelson Park property and preservation of its historic old farmhouse. There has been no shortage of spirit and good old-fashioned hard work put into the restoration and fundraising efforts, including a giant bratwurst barbecue by Central Market. But resurrecting the Bight of Poulsbo non-profit organization and reviving the Mudstock event to take place August 23-25 to benefit the park while rallying civic-minded groups won’t be easy.
In come the services of an unlikely work crew who have been involved in restoration of other Kitsap County environmental projects as part of an alternative justice program.

The Community Alternatives to Detention Project was initially funded by a grant for a three-year period. The goal of the program was to move lower risk offenders out of detention and into less expensive community based alternatives. The program is committed to finding quality community projects for juvenile offenders. The focus is balanced between the needs of the community and the needs of the youth and families they serve.

Michael Braunz, Case Monitor and Work Crew Supervisor of the Kitsap County Juvenile Dept. said, “It is always nice having the youth in this program work directly with community volunteers and leaders. We are always looking to get the word out about the program. Thank-you for your support and having the kids involved in the nearshore project and Nelson Park.”

The Work Crews have spent many days working on the Gorst Creek Restoration Project, Clear Creek Trail, Native Plant Salvage Nursery, Kitsap County Parks, Illahee and Manchester State Parks. The educational component to the Work Crew involved the Speak-out program with Cedar Creek Correctional Facility, Life Skills Building, and the Youth conference. All of these activities have proven to have a direct benefit to at risk youth and resulted in lower recidivism overall.

The program goal was to serve 100 to 120 youth a year; it surpassed the expectation by serving over 1,200. Over the course of these three years the program saved 15,845 detention bed days, an average of 14 beds a day. The savings for the final year of the program alone amounted to $350,000.

The grant money expired July 1999, however the County has continued to fund it through other sources as the savings have far outweighed the costs of running the program. The overall cost has decreased, more youth have participated in the program and more detention bed days were saved in 2001 than in any previous year. As of July 18, over 2,248 youth have participated and the total Detention bed days saved is 20,423.

More importantly, this program has provided 33,176 hours of service to the community. The youth learn valuable lessons from the civic groups, businesses and community members they work alongside and our environment is enriched by them. They are able to actually repay the community, thus instilling a sense of pride in the work and themselves.

Commented a former participant; “I think that being on the work crew makes kids realize that we need to think and care about others and our world...”

Expect to see these kids continue to be involved in environmental restoration projects. Join them in showing what good volunteerism does for our ecosystem and social system here in Kitsap County.