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VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — It seems hard to believe that ownership of an island that’s been in the middle of the Missouri River for perhaps 200 years remained as one big unsolved problem.

Yet for decades, Goat Island has been that proverbial child caught in the middle of a custody battle between parents.

But in this case, it was two states and a federal agency that reached an amicable solution, cutting through miles of red tape to finally provide Goat Island with some certainty for its future and a chance for its full potential to be realized.

“When we got the word this impasse had been resolved, you probably heard a yell from my office in Yankton to Sioux City,” said Rick Clark, superintendent of the Missouri National Recreational River in Yankton, South Dakota.

This month, Nebraska, South Dakota and the National Park Service announced that the island would be managed by the National Park Service as part of the Missouri National Recreational River.

“It’s really a crown jewel on this section of the Missouri River. It’s highly attractive for canoeists and kayakers making their way down the river,” Clark said of the island.