Easement Restricts Pipe Island Development on Lake Huron In yet another collaborative effort with the Michigan Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Little Traverse Conservancy has accepted a conservation easement on a 13.3-acre island in Chippewa County, just off the shore of Detour Village. The island, known as Pipe Island, was donated to TNC as a tradeland. Tradelands are properties which are donated to non-profit groups and, at the request of the landowner, are sold to produce income for the organization. The same effect would result from the landowner selling the land and donating the money from the sale. Although Pipe Island was donated solely as a tradeland, TNC felt that the property should be protected from additional development in the future. The island has a home, a dock, and cabins at its southerly end, but the northern two thirds of the island are completely undeveloped. TNC asked the Little Traverse Conservancy for help in permanently restricting the property by accepting a conservation easement on the land prior to the sale to a private buyer. The Conservancy readily agreed to help protect more than 1/3 of a mile of shoreline on this island located in the St. Mary’s River.