Person with camera on misty lake

the Media Room

April 1, 2022

Chief regulatory officer dismisses the risk of sulfide-ore copper mining to the wilderness comparing it to driving without a seat belt

March 22, 2022

(Ely, MN)--After major actions by the Biden and Walz administrations, the effort to permanently protect the Boundary Waters continues. Last fall the Biden administration announced it was restarting a canceled study on the impacts of sulfide-ore copper mining on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (Boundary Waters or Wilderness) that could lead to a 20-year moratorium on copper mining in the Wilderness watershed. 

February 15, 2022

Decision comes after Twin Metals lost two federal mineral leases key to its operation; includes concerns about toxic tailings storage next to Birch Lake

January 31, 2022

This weekend the Star Tribune published an editorial about the Biden administration's decision to cancel the improperly renewed mineral leases of Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta's Twin Metals at the edge of Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA).

January 26, 2022

Administration finds leases unlawfully renewed; allows for science-based decision on where risky mining is appropriate.

January 20, 2022

The number of comments submitted by Save the Boundary Waters and its partners eclipses the 181,000 comment mark from 2017. 

December 27, 2021

Decision today upholds a lower court ruling affirming Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness' standing to challenge state's nonferrous mining rules for risky mining near the Boundary Waters.

Jan 26, 2023
Bring Me the News
The Biden administration on Thursday issued a 20-year moratorium on mining in a 225,504-acre area of land near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) order will close roughly 350 square miles of the Superior National Forest and the Rainy River Watershed near Ely to mineral and geothermal leasing for 20 years — the longest amount of time it can issue the moratorium without congressional approval....
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.

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 The Campaign 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

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