Whidbey Island beach access advocates are celebrating this week following the announcement that the beach at Glendale will be reserved for public use.

Whidbey Camano Land Trust announced that it is within $240,000 of raising the $1.5 million needed to secure the necessary properties and easements, and a bridge loan will be used to close the purchase of the properties by the Sept. 30 deadline.

“I was ecstatic to hear we have another beach access on the South end,” said Mindy Thompson, whose family has lived a half-mile from the Glendale beach for 40 years. “This is what Whidbey Island is all about.”

Two state grant applications for the Glendale Beach Project scored No. 1 and No. 2 in their respective statewide funding competitions, according to Ryan Etling, who assumed his role as conservation director in April.

This means that there is an extremely high likelihood the funding will be approved by the Legislature, said Etling. In addition, the Land Trust continues to receive donations, including a total of $61,000 last week alone.

“It’s been going really well,” he said. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever worked on before.”

The plan is for the Land Trust to own and manage the properties and for Island County to acquire a conservation easement that removes all development rights and ensures permanent public beach access. This ownership model mirrors the 654-acre Trillium Community Forest located just north of Freeland.

The Land Trust will work with the state Department of Natural Resources to complete the shoreline restoration work, which will include the removal of dozens of old creosote-treated pilings that are believed to be leaching toxins onto the beach and into Puget Sound, Etling said.

The Glendale beach access should be open to the public next summer or late fall after improvements are made and demolition of on-site structures is completed.

After being restored to its natural state, the 420-foot beach will be available for non-motorized activities such as swimming, fishing and kayaking.

Restrictions on the grant funding have left the organization with no choice but to demolish the over-water structures, like the boat launch.

Thompson, who with her husband Mike has been an active proponent of the project, said that while they are disappointed that the boat launch will be removed, they are willing to let that go in exchange for saving the beach for the public.