After meetings in Port Ludlow in January and Chimacum in April, May and June, the community group that’s seeking to connect Jefferson County to statewide and nationwide non-motorized trail systems finally has a name.

When the East Jefferson Trail Connection meets from 9-11 a.m. on Thursday, July 11, at the Finnriver Farm and Cidery, the group is set to be joined by members of the Jefferson County Department of Community Development.

County personnel are slated to provide a presentation on the county’s comprehensive plan, so that the East Jefferson Trail Connection can work to include its preferred trail connections in the plan, according to Merrily Mount.

“Joel Peterson, associate planner with the county, is scheduled to be there, so this will be a working meeting,” Mount said.

Mount was already active in the Peninsula Trails Coalition, as well as Jefferson County’s Larry Scott Trail, when she and others began forming what became the East Jefferson Trail Connection, out of meetings of the Puget Sound to Pacific Collaborative.

The East Jefferson Trail Connection aims to connect a stretch of the Olympic Discovery Trail, extending to the Hood Canal Bridge to the east, from roughly around Discovery Bay to the west.

The group has also been soliciting input to propose a name for the Jefferson County section of trail, which the Peninsula Trails Coalition could provide to the Board of County Commissioners.

Mount noted the East Jefferson Trail Connection is working with County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour in coordinating with Jefferson County Public Works. The group has formed committees to work on the county comp plan for 2025, as well as to evaluate trail routes and address grants to fund trail recommendations.

Mount explained that the East Jefferson Trail Connection’s goals include connecting the communities of Port Ludlow and Quilcene to the larger state and national trails systems, which is why the group has been working with the North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Quilcene and Brinnon Connections group.

“Folks like Linda Herzog and Todd Miller have already been very active in discussing the comp plan,” Mount said. “There’s a lot going on in South County.”

Mount would also welcome the trail connections taking advantage of county-owned parcels of property, as well as the city of Port Townsend’s plans to acquire other parcels of property, to include access to sites such as Anderson Lake State Park, H.J. Carroll Park and the local schools in Chimacum, especially if a new aquatic facility is installed in Port Hadlock.

However, Mount emphasized that turning any plans or proposals for possible trail connections into reality requires getting in on the comp plan conversation as soon as possible, so that they can be incorporated into the county’s plans going forward.

“Having trails available has a positive effect on people’s health and well-being,” Mount said. “They help build communities, and bring in tourism dollars.”

The East Jefferson Trail Connection meets at 9 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month at Finnriver, for those interested in taking part.