What are the Massachusetts "squatters laws". There is an island on a
lake that I live by and I havent seen anyone there ever but I know
somebody owns it. It doesnt have any buildings on it and it is fairly
small. Is there any way to claim this land?

Lakes are typically owned by the state or in some instances by power
companies. You might ceck with the tax assessor's office to see who
owns it and if if can even BE claimed. That would be my first
suggestion.

tutuzdad-ga

You can perhaps squat on this island for several years, and then
obtain ownership. This seems unethical to me, as it deprives the
present owner. Most states have removed such laws, but you may be
correct that it is still possible to do this in Massachusetts. Likely
it will be very inconvenient and perhaps costly to meet the conditions
of the old squatters law, and the owner could have you arrested for
trespassing hours before you completed the requirements.  Neil

Perhaps you are right. I was just looking at different possibilities
and heard about squatting from somewhere. Thank you

The legal process you are referring to is called "adverse possession".
You would need to find out what the law is in Massachusetts regarding
this, as far as how long you have to occupy the land before making a
claim, whether or not you have to pay the taxes, and any other
requirements.

You should also follow tutuzdad's advice to find out who owns the land
in question, because adverse possession cannot be used against the
government. So if the island is owned by the government, you could
live there forever but would never gain the right to own it.