The Island County Historical Society is looking for a space to temporarily house part of its collection.

The Historical Society has until the end of the month to move its artifacts out of Camp Casey, the historic property that Seattle Pacific University is selling to the YMCA of Snohomish County after 70 years of ownership.

According to Executive Director Dalva Church, the Historical Society’s collection has long outgrown the museum located at 908 Northwest Alexander Street in Coupeville. In 2015, the storage space on the first floor of the museum was emptied to make room for the Native people exhibit, requiring the society to keep part of its collection somewhere else.

For the past few years, that place has been a building in Camp Casey, which the society rented for $400 a month, Church said. Before that, the artifacts that weren’t exhibited were stored at the South Whidbey School District’s former administration building.

In October, the YMCA announced its plans to purchase the property and take over operations on Jan. 1. The nonprofit will continue to run Camp Casey as a center for retreats, conferences, camp programs and educational opportunities. According to Church, the society needs to vacate because of the YMCA’s plans to make use of all the buildings on the $12.7 million property.

While she understands the YMCA’s decision, the society has less than a month to find a new storage space. Last week, plans to move to another location fell through due to insurance issues on the property owner’s part, Church said, leaving the society in urgent need of a space that could store about 1,500 square feet of artifacts — which currently include an organ, the bellows from Whidbey’s last blacksmith, and relics from the island’s Indigenous inhabitants and European pioneer families.

With a monthly budget of $500, the society is in a time crunch to find a secure space that is between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet with outlets that a humidifier or a dehumidifier can be plugged into, as antiques can’t stay in environments that are too humid or dry, she said.

Because of the lack of outlets, large storage containers are not a feasible option. However, a pole barn with a cement floor or an unused office space would be good, she said.

The closer to the museum, the better. As exhibits rotate periodically, frequent and long trips may increase the chances of damaging the artifacts, Church said.

Church said the museum would need the space for at least a year, which should give the society enough time to find affordable property to build a storage space on.

At the same time, the board is in need of new members as the terms of half its members are coming to an end at the end of the year.

“We’re kind of feeling a little bit of a pinch at this moment in time,” she said.

While the minimum number of seats to fill is four, Church hopes to bring the board to full capacity, so welcoming six new members would be ideal.

While unpaid, the position is fun and rewarding, Church said. The board oversees every aspect of the museum’s business, and has the final say in decisions.

Anyone with community connections or business, financial, nonprofit, fundraising or leadership skills is welcome to apply, no history expertise required, Church said.

The board will vote at the end of January, so Church recommends applying in December.

Prospective candidates from Whidbey and Camano or anyone who wishes to offer a space for storage can contact Church at ed-ichs@whidbey.net, call the museum at 360-678-3310, or visit the museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

“In the climate and times that we live in, I think that it’s really important to preserve and learn from our history,” Church said.