Ely, MN--This week the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters' 100 Days of Action to Save the Boundary Waters looks at the youth and adult camps that would be put at risk by proposed sulfide-ore copper mining on edge of the Wilderness. More than a half dozen YMCA, Boy and Girl Scouts, and adult camps are located around the Boundary Waters, with many directly in the path of pollution from a Twin Metals mine.
"Boundary Waters youth trips are rites of passage for generations of Minnesota families," said Tom Landwehr, Executive Director of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, "and the adult camps around the Wilderness provide world-class Wilderness programming helping veterans and others heal from traumatic experiences and continue to grow their confidence and character. All of this is threatened by proposed sulfide-ore copper mining at the doorstep of the Boundary Waters."
Recent polling shows that nearly 70% of Minnesotans favor permanently protecting the Boundary Waters from sulfide-ore copper mining, and in 2017 over 180,000 people urged the federal government to withdraw the watershed of the Boundary Waters from the federal mining program.
This week the campaign will be highlighting videos and testimonials from Kids for the Boundary Waters, celebrating the youth and camps on the Wilderness edge, and sharing a letter from area camps supporting Betty McCollum's Boundary Waters permanent protection legislation.
Quick facts on kids and camps near the Boundary Waters.
- The Boundary Waters bring families together. Minnesota parents in particular have come to rely on visits to the Boundary Waters Wilderness as an opportunity to bond with their children, away from the distractions of daily life. (Mpls St Paul Magazine)
- The Boundary Waters is home to more than ten youth camps. Generations of Minnesota families have sent their kids and grandkids to life-defining experiences in and near the Boundary Waters. The Twin Cities YMCA operates three youth camps and two family camps in the Wilderness area. (Save the Boundary Waters)
- Children of all ages can appreciate the Boundary Waters experience. Families with children as young as 2 years old have enjoyed hiking and camping in the Boundary Waters Wilderness. (Budding Homestead)
- The Boundary Waters is uniquely accessible to people of all ability levels. People with disabilities are often unable to access Wilderness activities, but the Boundary Waters is one of the places where people of all abilities can visit and enjoy. (Wilderness Inquiry)
- The Boundary Waters is home to the Northern Tier High Adventure Boy Scout Base, one of only five of High Adventure Boy Scout Bases, operating on the edge of the Wilderness since 1923. It is also the home of Voyageur Outward Bound School, operating next to the Wilderness since 1964, and the Girl Scout’s Northern Lakes Canoe Base. (Northern Tier)
- Camp Kooch-i-ching, operating on Rainy Lake since the 1920’s, is also on the path of pollution.
100 days to Save the Boundary Waters, a multi-week campaign to demonstrate to policymakers the overwhelming support to permanently protect the Boundary Waters Wilderness from the threat of sulfide-ore copper mining. The campaign consists of press events, videos, supporter actions, and more featuring voices from Minnesota and across the country of people that depend on the Boundary Waters for their livelihood, recreation, and clean water.