Island Near NE Tip of Minnesota Returned to Chippewa Band

GRAND PORTAGE --  An island off the northeast tip of Minnesota back with an American Indian tribe.

The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and The Nature Conservancy said Tuesday that Susie Island was returned to the tribe.

The 142-acre island is the largest of 13 small, rocky islands in Lake Superior near Canada. The band owns most of the other islands in the Susie Island chain.

Grand Portage Chairman Norman Deschampe says the band appreciates the role The Nature Conservancy played in restoring the island to tribal ownership.

The Nature Conservancy and the band agreed Susie Island should be maintained in its natural state. The Bureau of Indian Affairs agreed to place the island in trust on the band's behalf.

Much of the island is covered by 1 to 3 feet of moss.