The Friends of Miller Bay nonprofit has successfully raised funds to purchase a small old-growth forest above Miller Bay near Indianola.

The organization raised $160,000, which came from 135 donors, many of whom contributed multiple times during the campaign, FMB member Sheri Flynn said.

FMB partnered with the Great Peninsula Conservancy and Kitsap County parks to preserve two acres of forest nestled alongside the 77-acre Indianola Forest Preserve, a news release states.

The forest hosts some of the oldest trees remaining around Miller Bay, located northwest of Indianola and northeast of Poulsbo. Estimated to be up to 200 years old, they could live to 500 years or more, if not encroached upon, per the release. They tower above their younger adjacent cousins on the steep slope above the east side of Miller Bay. At this point the trees are growing at a prodigious rate, soaking up carbon dioxide to create new habitat for wildlife, the release adds.

“A single one of these trees does more work photosynthetically than 10,000 seedlings,” said Paul Dorn, a biologist and president of FMB.

The “Forest Above the Bay” is part of the green “gateway to Indianola” and is enjoyed by many Indianola and Miller Bay residents, the release states. The acquisition will permanently protect the forest with the same conservation easement enjoyed by the Indianola Forest Preserve.

FMB raised the funds, while GPC managed the real estate purchase and oversaw the conservation easement and transfer of ownership to Kitsap County. The transfer was accepted by Kitsap County commissioners last month.

“This was a huge accomplishment for the small Friends of Miller Bay organization and demonstrates a positive inter-agency collaboration that benefits all citizens of Kitsap County,” the release concludes.