Person with camera on misty lake

the Media Room

September 29, 2025

Washington Post correspondent Jake Spring published an illuminating long-form piece tracing the history of efforts to protect the Boundary Waters watershed while spotlighting a vital shift: the rising energy and commitment of a new generation of advocates. As the Trump administration pushes for a sulfide-ore copper mine on the edge of the Wilderness, these emerging leaders are stepping forward to defend the Boundary Waters against one of the greatest threats in its history.

September 26, 2025

Despite stricter permitting and monitoring since 1990, the record shows a consistent pattern: hardrock mining continues to result in long-term, often irreversible downstream water quality degradation across the U.S., even after a mine has closed.

June 3, 2025

Today, U.S. Senator Mike Lee confirmed that he intends to put back into the Reconciliation Bill the major public lands sell off provision that was stripped out of the House version of the bill, HR 1, or the “Big Beautiful Bill,” just two weeks ago.

May 8, 2025

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.

May 7, 2025

(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. 

April 28, 2025

(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.

April 9, 2025

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. 

Sep 22, 2025
The Center for American Progress

The federal Admin is selling out 88 MILLION acres of national public lands to corporations, based on @amprog’s analysis, which is wildly out of step with what the public wants. Through a sweeping executive order, the White House has directed agencies to make mining the No. 1 priority wherever legally possible. That means mining would take precedence over clean water, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and even long-standing protections for special places.

This dangerous shift opens the door to rolling back safeguards for iconic landscapes—including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness—and selling out our nation’s most treasured lands to the highest bidder.

Aug 8, 2025
The Chicago Tribune

As a former U.S. senator and lifelong Wisconsinite, I believe deeply in our responsibility to protect special places. Today, that responsibility includes standing up for one of the most beloved — and politically underestimated — wild places in America: the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota.

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