More than 2,000 feet of shoreline, 33 acres of forest and wetlands, and 26 acres of beach and tidelands on South Whidbey will be protected thanks to, in part, a $1 million federal grant awarded this month.

The property was a high priority for the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, which has long wanted to protect and restore the old Waterman Mill property along Possession Sound, according to Pat Powell, executive director for the Land Trust.

Eroding cliffs on the property, prone to major and minor landslides, may have posed a safety issue if developed, Powell said. “The bluff will be allowed to erode naturally.”

“You want that.”

Abutting land already owned by the Land Trust, the property will then connect, except for a small private property, to more than 10,000 feet of public tidelands, reaching all the way to Sandy Point near Langley, according to a Land Trust press release.

The largely vegetative shoreline is filled with natural ecosystems that can help keep the bluff as stable as possible, Powell said. A county road, now used as a walking and biking trail, will be retained for that purpose.

The property is not purchased yet but will be around the summer, according to Powell.

Other project highlights include noxious weed removal and interpretive signs outlining shoreline process and its history as the historic Waterman Mill.

Debra Waterman, one of the landowners, recalled that “wood chips from our family’s sawmill in Langley were trucked to the property and funneled down the bluffs to barges” that took the chips to the mainland, according to the news release.

“No longer in operation, the property now provides rich habitat for wildlife and a place for public enjoyment,” the news release said.

Danielle Ridout, land protection specialist, said the property earned national attention as one of only 25 properties to receive the highly competitive grant nationally.