Gusty Island

The Trust for Public Land recently announced the protection of Gusty Island in Burntside Lake, a deep freshwater fishery, completing a chain of nearly three miles of protected islands. Burntside Lake is also home to Sigurd Olson’s historic retreat, Listening Point, and Gusty Island is part of the pristine viewshed of Listening Point. Sigurd Olson was an important wilderness advocate, one of the primary authors of the Wilderness Act and a founding member and past president of the Wilderness Society. The Listening Point Foundation owns and cares for Listening Point and furthers Sigurd Olson’s legacy of wilderness education. The Trust for Public Land donated Gusty Island to the Listening Point Foundation after first conveying a conservation easement to the Minnesota Land Trust. The island will be used for environmental education and will be accessible to the public, but will remain undeveloped.