The Whidbey Camano Land Trust announced that, in less than two years, it has fully paid off a scenic Keystone Preserve property on Central Whidbey.

The preserve, which was purchased for $9.1 million in April 2022, is one of the largest acquisitions in the Land Trust’s 40-year history. Paying off the property will enable the Land Trust to move forward with ambitious plans for the 216-acre forest and farm preserve with two-thirds of a mile of shoreline along Admiralty Inlet.

“No matter how you look at it, buying Keystone Preserve was a huge leap of faith for the Land Trust.” Executive Director Ryan Elting said. “It is one of the biggest and most important projects we have ever undertaken. Now that it’s fully paid off, we can put all our efforts into getting this spectacular place open to the public.”

When the Land Trust learned that the preserve had gone up for sale, it worked to secure bridge loans from a nonprofit lending organization as well as a local resident and conservation hero. The organization also added most of its own reserves to pay the purchase price. Originally, it was thought that paying off the loans and replenishing the reserves would take several years.

The Land Trust team, however, was able to secure enough grant funding to pay off the loans and replenish its reserves by the end of 2023. The funding came from the U.S. Navy, the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington Department of Commerce and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

“We are so grateful to all who originally funded the purchase and then helped pay it off so quickly and for recognizing the importance of Keystone Preserve and protecting it as a public resource,” Elting added.

The Land Trust is now ramping up its plans to restore forested areas, create trails and public access points, and partner with the Organic Farm School to sustainably manage the preserve’s farmland. Initial public access is expected sometime in 2025.

By partnering with willing landowners and the broader community, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust works to preserve, protect and expand healthy, diverse and connected natural areas, public parks and family farms.