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

Nov 23, 2025
The Minnesota Star Tribune

The state has held on to the BWCA land for decades, hoping to trade with the Feds for timberland.

Nov 20, 2025
R & J Broadcasting

Save the Boundary Waters says a new exploratory drilling proposal near Birch Lake could open the door to a future copper mine. Executive Director Ingrid Lyons explains the situation.

Nov 6, 2025
Quetico Superior Wilderness News

Minnesota cinematographer Alex Horner is using his camera to tell a story that may soon change forever. His latest project focuses on the fragile watersheds near the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine, just miles from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Nov 6, 2025
Quetico Superior Wilderness News

A new bill could permanently alter how the Boundary Waters’ border with Canada is patrolled. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah recently introduced the Border Lands Conservation Act, which would allow the federal government to expand border patrol operations using tactical infrastructure and surveillance systems. Wilderness advocates argue that the bill would undo protections established by the Wilderness Act, and they vow to fight it.

Nov 6, 2025
The Timberjay

Senate bill to amend 1964 Wilderness Act backed by Rep. Stauber

Nov 3, 2025
The Minnesota Star Tribune

Democrats are pushing back on the effort by Republicans in Congress, saying it would overwrite protections for Minnesota’s wilderness area along the Canadian border.

Oct 4, 2025
The Hill

The Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management announced in mid-September it plans to again permit oil and gas drilling in federal wilderness areas that the Biden administration put off limits. It’s a change consistent with the White House “drill, baby, drill” mantra — and one that’s not illogical in a world reliant on Vladimir Putin’s fossil fuels. The Biden White House may well have overreached in its elusive quest for a carbon-free future. 

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

Bios for Press Use

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