Metropolitan King County Councilmember Dow Constantine and Council Chair Larry Phillips hailed today’s announcement by Senator Patty Murray of an additional $2 million in federal funds for preservation of critical habitat on Maury Island.

“The funds secured by Senator Murray would protect a critical salmon migratory corridor with documented eelgrass beds and a winter feeding ground for our Orca population,” said Constantine. “This site also includes the third largest madrone forest in Washington State which is critical habitat for a number of bird species. Senator Murray is to be commended for her sustained commitment to the Maury Island Conservation Initiative and for obtaining this funding. This appropriation reflects her strong environmental leadership”

Glacier Northwest (formerly Lonestar) has operated a small local mine on the Maury Island site for the last 24 years, mining approximately 10,000 tons of sand and gravel per year. The company, a subsidiary of the multinational corporation Taiheiyo Cement, has proposed to expand that operation to 7.5 million tons per year. The company has also proposed to construct and operate a major barging facility in an area recommended as an aquatic reserve. In 2002 the Cascade Land Conservancy formed a coalition of partners to obtain funds to acquire the site and preserve the sensitive shoreline and the upland madrone forest.

The funds secured by Senator Murray would be utilized to purchase this 300-acre site which includes a mile of irreplaceable shoreline. This appropriation brings the total funding which Senator Murray has secured for this project to $4 million. Senator Murray sought this funding after the Cascade Land Conservancy, King County, and the property owner, Glacier Northwest, visited her in Washington, D.C. and requested her help with funding for the project. King County has set aside more than $6 million in Conservation Futures Funds over the past two years to leverage the federal funds secured by the Senator.

“We are building on King County’s significant investment in Maury Island’s public lands,” said Phillips. “Maury Island Regional Park and the upland purchases all contribute to the health of the shoreline environment, where herring, salmon and great blue herons feed near the beach and orcas pass by. The Vashon-Maury Island community has stepped up to steward these ecosystems, and King County and Senator Murray have come forward with sizable sums to purchase land and aid these efforts, which benefit all of Puget Sound.”