Person with camera on misty lake

the Media Room

RELEASE: BREAKING: Win for the Boundary Waters. Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness wins lawsuit against Twin Metals 

September 6, 2023

(Ely, MN)-- Today, Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW), the lead organization in the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, ten area businesses, and four conservation groups prevailed in the lawsuit in which the groups and businesses had intervened on the side of the United States government. Antofagasta’s subsidiaries Twin Metals Minnesota and Franconia filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in August 2022. The lawsuit sought to force the renewal of federal mineral leases next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which had been illegally renewed during the Trump Administration. 

*ICYMI* The Timberjay: NMW lays out strategy for BWCAW protection

July 31, 2023

Executive director Ingrid Lyons of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters and national chair Becky Rom presented to a packed audience at the weekly Ely gathering “Tuesday Group,” where they outlined Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness’ strategy to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permanently. Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW) is the lead organization of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters.

ICYMI: Fact check: No, the mineral withdrawal won't affect taconite mining

July 24, 2023

Local Northeastern Minnesota newspaper sets the story straight: the Biden administration’s 20-year mineral withdrawal banning mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters does not impact taconite mining, despite Rep. Stauber’s inaccurate pontifications on the matter.

RELEASE: Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness files a request for a contested case hearing as part of its lawsuit challenging the State’s outdated non-ferrous mine siting rules

June 29, 2023

(ELY, MN) -- Today, Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness filed a request for a contested case procedure challenging the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order on Remand as part of a first-of-its-kind lawsuit seeking to amend Minnesota’s outdated non-ferrous mine siting rules. 

RELEASE: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources finds current State rules inadequate to protect the Boundary Waters and will move to amend the state's sulfide-ore copper mining rules accordingly

May 31, 2023

Becky Rom testified on behalf of protecting the Boundary Waters in a hearing today on Rep. Stauber’s fast-tracked legislation to reverse historic Boundary Waters protections.

May 11, 2023

A hearing for Rep. Stauber’s two bills attacking the Boundary Waters’ 20-year ban on mining in its headwaters was held today. Becky Rom, National Chair of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, was the only witness who testified on behalf of protecting the Boundary Waters. 

MEMO: The facts: dispelling Anti-Boundary Waters critical minerals fiction

April 24, 2023

Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Receives Rare International Wilderness Quiet Park Award

March 20, 2023

The Boundary Waters' pristine soundscape and lack of industrial noise intrusions propels it into a class of its own: as one of only a handful of the world's quietest places. This level of quiet is rare even in America’s most remote wild places.

The Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters’ Becky Rom at White House event today

March 2, 2023

(Ely, MN) -- Today, March 1, National Chair Becky Rom of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters joined distinguished community leaders and elected officials from across Minnesota in Washington, D.C., for the “Communities in Action: Building a Better Minnesota” event at the White House.

Anti-wilderness extremists continue to threaten the Boundary Waters 

February 27, 2023

Bill to restore key leases for Twin Metals mine gains momentum in U.S. House

Jun 4, 2026
The Minnesota Star Tribune

Boundary Waters Update May, 2026— Protections Put In Place In 2023 Revoked by U.S Congress & President Trump

Jun 1, 2026
Will Dilg Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America

In Response: Yes, Minnesota minerals should stay close to home — in the ground

May 14, 2026
Duluth News Tribune

From the column: "We shouldn’t risk our well-established clean-water economy for this type of mining just to benefit a foreign-owned company that has not shown an ability to mine safely."

Podcast: How the ban on mining in the BWCAW got reversed

May 8, 2026
Essential Minnesota

A vote in late April opened the Boundary Waters watershed to copper nickel mining – again. Two reporters describe the family behind the mining proposal, how they worked with lawmakers to reverse a federal ban on mining in the “crown jewel” of Minnesota and what will happen next.

Company behind proposed mine near the Boundary Waters has history of conflict with locals in Chile

May 3, 2026
The Minnesota Star Tribune

Antofagasta aims to develop a copper mine in northern Minnesota. Its other mines have faced backlash from residents and Chilean regulators, leading to fines and payouts.

Why mining in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters matters to Wisconsin

Apr 30, 2026
Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin lawmakers in both chambers of Congress voted on a bill overturning a 20-year mining ban in the area surrounding the Boundary Waters — Republicans voted to overturn the ban, and Democrats to sustain it

Twin Metals spent big on lobbying to reverse mining ban near Boundary Waters

Apr 29, 2026
The Minnesota Star Tribune

A newly formed D.C. firm with ties to President Trump took in hundreds of thousands of dollars in the last year to help Twin Metals Minnesota.

Commentary: Drawing a line for America’s public lands

Apr 28, 2026
Outdoor News

Trump ends ban on mining near the Boundary Waters

Apr 28, 2026
MPR News

Immaculate Wilderness, Uncertain Future: Paddling the Boundary Waters

Apr 27, 2026
The New York Times

A proposed copper mine in northern Minnesota has become a battleground for politicians and environmentalists — and a pressing reason to explore the waterways.

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.

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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

Images for Press Use

Arial view of the South Kawishiwi River
Arial view of the South Kawishiwi River
Arial view of the South Kawishiwi River
Arial view of the South Kawishiwi River proposed mine site location
two people sitting at campsite
Photo Credit: Save the Boundary Waters
A man stands on a rock that juts out onto a frozen lake
Credit: Dave Freeman
Two people canoe away from shore on a lake
Credit: Save the Boundary Waters
The northern lights shine in blue, green, and purple over a Boundary Waters lake
Credit: Alex Falconer
The northern lights shine in blue, green, and purple over a Boundary Waters lake
Credit: Alex Falconer
A person with a canoe paddle and lifejacket stands near a canoe on a lake shore, ready to set out for a day of paddling
Credit: Save the Boundary Waters
A canoe paddles out toward the middle of a lake in the Boundary Waters
Credit: Alex Falconer
Young people sit in an aluminum canoe in the Boundary Waters during a clear, sunny day
Credit: Dudley Edmondson
A person on a shore lifts their canoe out of a lake in the Boundary Waters
Credit: Dave Freeman
Through an opening in the trees, two people are photographed canoeing on a Boundary Waters lake right before sunrise
Credit: Nate Ptacek
Two people canoe on a glassy Boundary Waters lake, which reflects the clouds and sunset on the horizon
Credit: Steve Piragis
Two people canoe on a glassy Boundary Waters lake, which reflects the clouds and sunset on the horizon
Credit: Steve Piragis
An image of a Boundary Waters shoreline, showing the pine trees lining the lake
Credit: Steve Piragis
The northern lights peek over the horizon during a winter night in the Boundary Waters
Credit: Alex Falconer
An image of a Boundary Waters lake right before sunrise, as the sun just begins to break through the clouds on the horizon
Credit: Dave Freeman
Two people smile as they steer a red canoe in the Boundary Waters
Credit: Dudley Edmondson

Bios for Press Use

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