Island may be given to tribe

The owner of an island in the Pocomoke Sound said he wants to turn it over to an Indian tribe and "have it be a resource that brings people to Somerset County."

Carl Ifert, who owns the 65-acre Fair Island near Shelltown, asked County Commissioners on Tuesday for consent to give the land to the Delaware Tribe.

"We ask for your blessing," Ifert said. "We want it to be a joint venture."

Ifert said he was interested in giving the island to the Delaware Tribe because it has an Indian burial site. He also would be able to take a tax deduction because the tribe is a nonprofit organization.

Although several members of the Delaware Tribe visited Fair Island this week, they were still in preliminary talks with Ifert, Assistant Chief Wayne Stull told the commissioners. The Oklahoma-based tribe is not interested in building a casino, but it might look into a marina, destination hotel or upscale houses.

Any agreement with Ifert or plans to develop the land would first have to be approved by the tribal council, Stull said.

County Commissioners told Ifert he was free to give Fair Island to anyone he wanted, but warned environmental regulations and zoning restrictions could stall development plans.

"I don't think your problem's going to be with us -- it's with the state," Commissioner Rex Simpkins told him.

The entire island is zoned by the county as a conservation area and most of it is in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, said County Administrator Sam Boston.

The island has no roads, public water and sewer or other services. It is separated from the mainland by a canal dug during the 1930s.

Ifert said he planned to hire a local attorney to handle any further matters related to turning the island over to the tribe.