Private Beach Meadow in Gustavus protected for public access

A private beach in Gustavus known as the Beach Meadows is now protected by a conservation easement the owners signed with the Southeast Alaska Land Trust, or SEALT.

Bailey Williams is an outreach and development specialist at SEALT. She said the temporary easement will protect the land for up to five years.

“We are using that time to secure funding for the permanent conservation easement,” Williams said.

She estimates that will cost several million dollars, but an appraisal hasn’t been completed yet. 

The easement covers 187 acres of coastal meadow that rose out of the ocean in the last century or so as melting glaciers shed weight from the land. Williams said it’s important habitat for migratory birds, moose, wolves, bears and other animals, and a great place to forage for berries and seaweed.

The land is owned by the DeBoer family, which started a homestead there in the 1950s. The family did not respond to a request for comment.

Mike Taylor is a Gustavus city council member and chair of the Conservation Lands Advisory Committee. He said the current owner has continued his family’s legacy of providing public access.

“He has kept it open, though, and encouraged people to enjoy hiking and picnicking, skiing, birding, berry picking and so forth on it, as his father and grandfather had,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he wanted to formalize that arrangement.

“With their spectacular views of Icy Strait and the Fairweather Range behind, the property could, in the future, be a prime target for development,” he said.

He said this is the first step toward ensuring that doesn’t happen and the land remains accessible to everyone in the community.