The Mi’kmaq Nation, based in Presque Isle, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed a historic agreement Wednesday that grants the two organizations mutual access to their respective abutting lands at the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.

Co-stewardship agreements are a rarity in the eastern United States, said Shannon Hill, the tribe’s environmental health director.

The agreement signed Wednesday codifies what has long been a positive relationship between the two neighbors. It started after a forest ranger contacted the tribe several years ago to tell them that he had found brown ash within the refuge.

The tree species, imperiled by an invasive beetle, is traditionally used by Mi’kmaq basketmakers.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is building a trail connecting tribal land to the refuge, replete with signs in the Mi’kmaq language, Hill said in a March interview.

“They have been very supportive of the tribe,” Hill said.

The agreement expands access for recreation in the region, as well as opportunities for tribal members to harvest brown ash and other culturally important plants.

“I think it’s really an excellent opportunity to solidify our really important partnership with the Mi’kmaq Nation. And we don’t have a lot of these similar type co-stewardship agreements in the country,” acting FWS Northeast Regional Director Sharon Marino told WAGM TV.