The County took possession of the land Thursday morning, including the keys to the property gate.

‘Here, as 2011 dawns, we celebrate victory for Puget Sound in a struggle waged since the late 1990s. When, as a freshman state legislator, I learned from citizen activist Sharon Nelson of the threat to Maury Island, neither of us could have imagined the twists and turns, the setbacks and the breakthroughs, on the long journey to this moment,” said King County Executive, Dow Constantine. The property includes 250 acres of open space, including forests, and habitat that supports endangered species in Puget Sound such as Chinook salmon, Orca whales and bull trout.

When combined with the adjacent Maury Island Marine Park, the two sites will represent the largest public holding of protected marine shoreline in all of Puget Sound. The land is paid for through the use of King County Conservation Futures Funds, which by state law can only be used to purchase open space or resource lands.

The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks will now work to with the community to improve the property for public open space, while restoring the ecological habitat for wildlife.

The mile of shoreline that is part of the purchase is the longest undeveloped stretch of shore in King County, and will be a critical part of the region’s wildlife habitat for fish, birds and Puget Sound marine life, the county said.