For information contact: Dow Constantine, 206 296-1008

The Metropolitan King County Council has unanimously approved an agreement to purchase property as part of the Shinglemill Creek watershed on Vashon Island. The land will be dedicated to water quality and salmon preservation efforts.

Shinglemill Creek is a small salmon-bearing stream on the northwest part of the island that flows directly into Puget Sound. The Creek and adjoining woodlands have retained high levels of habitat values for fisheries and wildlife. The 28.75-acre wooded site acquisition is a critical wetland to Shinglemill Creek located between Fern Cove and South Bank Road on Vashon Island.

The $350,000 purchase is made possible by King County’s Conservation Futures Levy Fund. The Conservation Futures program requires that a match be provided by project sponsors. The value of the match must be at least equal to the Conservation Futures allocation. To date, project organizers have collected land and money totaling $380,000 for this project. For the overall watershed preservation effort, local organizers have collected approximately $2 million in cash and land.

“I never cease to be amazed at the resourcefulness, generosity, and community dedication demonstrated by Islanders,” said the agreement’s sponsor, Councilmember Dow Constantine. “This watershed is one of the few unobstructed cutthroat and coho salmon bearing streams in King County. Moving this project forward ensures this critical habitat will be protected.”

In 1989, King County created a Conservation Futures Levy Fund to assure the retention of high quality open space lands for now and in the future. The Conservation Futures Fund is supported by a countywide property tax of $0.625 per $1,000 of assessed value. The annual allocation is based on the recommendation of a citizen oversight committee. King County government and incorporated city governments are the primary applicants for these funds, but citizen groups and individual citizens can apply after demonstrating that a local jurisdiction is committed to helping acquire the open space.

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