Seven years ago the people of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa regained nearly 11 acres of land. Members of the band are developing ideas on how to restore the lakeshore land along the tip of Wisconsin Point.

Thomas Howes, the Natural Resources Program Manager with Fond du Lac says he has heard from people on the reservation on how to restore the land on Wisconsin Point.

“The idea is that this will continue to be open to the public. It’s what people are used to, it’s just that much easier to manage. It’s in less than desirable shape. Whether that’s invasive species or it’s not as forested as maybe it was historically,” Howes said. “Maybe it needs some prescribed fire. Maybe we want to abandon some rogue trails, so those are the kinds of things that I’ve heard. We’re all sharing this space anyway. It’s not about the ownership of the land so much as it is the caretaking of it.”

City of Superior leaders will also be collaborating with FDL members for the restoration of the 10.9 acres of land along the tip of Wisconsin Point. Deanna Erickson the Director of the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve says the Fond du Lac Band recently secured a third of a million dollars for their upcoming Wisconsin Point restoration project.

“It’s almost $349,000. So we’ll be planning over two years. It will include a cultural survey, which helps convey the cultural importance,” Erickson said. “An archaeological survey that tells us what areas might be sensitive or that we need to stay away from and a community engagement planning process. This is a beautiful and important place that I think we all value. It’s high time that it is cared for.”

Whether it’s removing invasive plants, to fixing trails or redirecting points of interests it’s dependent on what folks from Fond du Lac want. Although the choices made could coincide with the rest of the City of Superior’s Wisconsin Point management plan.