King County’s decades-long effort to safeguard critical stretches of Vashon’s shoreline got a boost last week, when the state announced it was awarding the county $1.15 million to remove bulkheads, install native plants and take other steps to restore shoreline habitat on the island.

The funds from the State Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program will enable the county to remove 400 feet of bulkhead just north of the Lost Lake Preserve on the southern end of Vashon. Another project will take place near Piner Point on Maury Island.

The county matched the state grant with $575,000 of county funds from the park levy and Conservation Futures, said Greg Rabourn, Vashon Maury Island Steward for the county’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

The funds w

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