the Media Room

Today, a powerful coalition of conservation groups will gather at the Minnesota State Capitol to rally in defense of America’s public lands—especially Minnesota’s crown jewel —the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Advocates, outdoor enthusiasts, and public lands supporters will unite to send a clear message: public lands deserve lasting protection.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Late last night, the House Natural Resources Committee passed its Congressional budget reconciliation bill, which is being called the most “anti-environment bill in American history.” It includes dangerous provisions that include reinstating sulfide-ore copper mining leases next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, gutting the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and limiting judicial review throughout. 

(ELY, MN) – Governor Walz spoke with Outdoors Editor Andrew Putz on Saturday during the Minnesota Star Tribune’s 'Strib Unbound: Outdoor Adventure For All' public event at Theo Wirth Park in Minneapolis. The Governor said that there should be a higher bar for approving copper-nickel mines near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness compared with other areas. He raised concerns about whether technology is advanced enough to produce the metals without polluting water.

Senator Smith’s landmark bill marks nearly fifty years since the U.S. Senate last introduced legislation to protect the Boundary Waters, paving the way for enduring and irrevocable protection of this embattled Wilderness once and for all. 

Late Thursday afternoon, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,” which puts America’s public lands, including protected, special places such as the Boundary Waters, at imminent risk of development from mining. The Order fast-tracks domestic mining on federal lands, ordering that the primary use of any federal lands with mineral deposits should be mining.

“Under the guise of national security, the Trump Administration has taken its next step toward dismantling vital protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and its watershed. By taking the extreme step of weaponizing Cold War-era powers to prioritize mining on all public lands – which includes federally designated Wilderness Areas, national forests, national parks, wildlife refuges, and more – the administration has thoroughly demonstrated its commitment to sacrificing America’s public lands for corporate gain,” said Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters.

“The Boundary Waters is America’s most visited – and our most threatened – Wilderness. The countdown to an all-but-certain and unprecedented revocation of Biden’s historic mining ban in the Boundary Waters watershed has begun. The robust record of science, law, public opinion, and economics is clear – copper mining does not belong on the doorstep of one of America’s most iconic landscapes. Rep. McCollum’s Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act is crucial and common sense legislation to secure these lasting protections. This bill ensures that this beloved and long-protected place remains intact while upholding Northeastern Minnesota’s economic vitality and way of life,” said Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters