Person with camera on misty lake

the Media Room

January 14, 2021

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (MN-04), State Reps. Kelly Morrison and Jim Davnie, State Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, and small business owner Steve Piragis joined the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters for a zoom press conference outlining the path to permanent protection for Minnesota's Boundary Waters Wilderness.

November 19, 2020

Lawyers for Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW), the lead organization in the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, signed an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that establishes a process for addressing review and possible revision of state mining rules. The agreement sets the stage for the DNR to reconsider its 27-year-old copper-nickel mining rules to determine if they are adequate to protect the Boundary Waters from copper-nickel mining pollution in the Rainy River Watershed.

November 10, 2020

Recently released data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that hard rock metal mining (of which sulfide-ore copper mining is a part) is again the largest emitter of toxic releases, and that mines held up by Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta's Twin Metals as examples they will follow are some of the most toxic.

August 27, 2020

Emails from staffers show improper influence on the lease renewal process that led to sweetheart terms for Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta

Jan 26, 2023
Wall Street Journal

The decision to block mining will protect the most-visited wilderness area in the U.S.

The Biden administration moved Thursday to block mining upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota for 20 years, opting to protect a pristine wilderness over allowing production of minerals that could help fuel a potentially cleaner future.

 

Jan 26, 2023
AP News/Star Tribune

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Biden administration moved Thursday to protect northeastern Minnesota’s pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from future mining, dealing a potentially fatal blow to a copper-nickel project...

Jan 26, 2023
Huffington Post

 The Biden administration imposed a 20-year ban on new mineral development across 225,000 acres of national forest land adjacent to Minnesota’s iconic Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness...

 

Jan 26, 2023
New York Times

Lisa Friedman | 1/26/23

A 20-year moratorium on new mining activity for more than 225,000 acres of federal land in Minnesota could deal a fatal blow to a proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday said it will establish a 20-year moratorium on mining upstream from Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a vast preserve of lakes and woods that has been at the center of a fierce dispute over a proposed copper and nickel mine......

 

 

Jan 26, 2023
E&E News

Heather Richards | 1/26/23

But environmental groups celebrated the Interior Department's move to ban mining in the pristine area of northern Minnesota, calling the region a "national treasure" that must be protected...

 

Jan 26, 2023
E&E News

Hannah Northey, Heather Richards | 01/26/2023 01:59 PM EST

The Biden administration took final actions Thursday to protect waterways in pristine northeastern Minnesota, likely halting a proposed copper mine there, a move that inflamed Republican lawmakers who want to see domestic development of minerals critical for electric vehicle batteries and clean tech.... 

 

Jan 14, 2023
Quetico-Superior News

Bills introduced this week in the Minnesota Legislature seek to permanently prohibit copper-nickel mining on state-owned land in areas that drain toward the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Versions in both houses were authored by Sen. Kelly Morrison and Rep. Sandra Feist, respectively.

Nov 20, 2022
Star Tribune Editorial Board

Lame-duck Congress should safeguard northern Minnesota's watery wilderness from copper mining. 

Nov 16, 2022
JACQUELINE KEHOE, REI

Advocates have been fighting to keep mining away from the Boundary Waters, and now the wilderness might have its best chance for protection yet—with your help.

Aug 30, 2022
Pioneer Press

Becky Rom comments on the well-considered decision by the Biden Administration to protect the Boundary Waters, along with its legal precedent and public support.

VIDEOS & WEBINARS

(Scroll down for webinars)

Short video celebrating the life of Former Vice President Walter Mondale, who fought fervently to protect Minnesota’s Boundary Waters from toxic mining. 

Watch the entire "Boundary Waters Traverse" film! On May 22, 2021 Alex Falconer ran over 110 miles in 38 hrs 15 mins and 3 seconds, through the heart of the Boundary Waters completing the first known attempt to trail run the "Boundary Waters Traverse”.

Patagonia's feature-length film - Public Trust. The film focuses on the Boundary Waters and other high-profile, threatened public lands across the United States.

In Deep Water: A Fight to Save the Boundary Waters, we produced a mini-documentary to educate new audiences on the threat of sulfide-ore copper mining on the edge of the Boundary Waters.

Kids for the Boundary Waters is an organization run by youth with the goal of building a community of young wilderness advocates.

KEEN Story Camp was an event that included a public open-mic session on the edge of the Wilderness, where attendees canoed the lakes during the day and told stories around the fire at night.

A stunning short film that follows Dave and Amy Freeman's year spent in the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Bear Witness shares Dave and Amy's experiences in all seasons and how the Freemans dedicated themselves to this expedition in an effort to raise awareness about the threats to the Boundary Waters from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining. 

A stunning short film that follows Dave and Amy Freeman's year spent in the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Bear Witness shares Dave and Amy's experiences in all seasons and how the Freemans dedicated themselves to this expedition in an effort to raise awareness about the threats to the Boundary Waters from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining. 

Covering 2,000 miles and crossing nine states, authors and National Geographic Adventurers of the Year Amy and Dave Freeman are biking from Ely, Minnesota, to Washington D.C. this spring to promote their new book, A Year in the Wilderness, and continue their efforts to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one of our country’s most precious and expansive Wilderness areas.

A short documentary film centered around protecting the Boundary Waters. The film's focus is on the people who help spread appreciation for the land and carry on, in their own individual ways, the legacy of Sigurd Olson, a writer and conservationist who was responsible for the area's National Forest designation in 1978.

Follow and Subscribe to our video channels: YouTube & Vimeo

WEBINARS

Lease Cancelation Webinar - 1/27/22

Save the Boundary Waters Press Conference: Lease Cancelation - 1/26/2022

Issue 101 and the Path to Permanent Protection for the Boundary Waters - 9/3/2021

Fishing Webinar 5/5/2021

Saving the Boundary Waters: Stories About Runners and Kids Working to Protect America’s Most Visited Wilderness - June 2021

Bios for Press Use

Save The Boundary Waters welcomes media inquiries; email Libby@savetheboundarywaters.org