Person with camera on misty lake

the Media Room

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

January 31, 2022

This weekend the Star Tribune published an editorial about the Biden administration's decision to cancel the improperly renewed mineral leases of Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta's Twin Metals at the edge of Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA).

January 26, 2022

Administration finds leases unlawfully renewed; allows for science-based decision on where risky mining is appropriate.

January 20, 2022

The number of comments submitted by Save the Boundary Waters and its partners eclipses the 181,000 comment mark from 2017. 

December 27, 2021

Decision today upholds a lower court ruling affirming Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness' standing to challenge state's nonferrous mining rules for risky mining near the Boundary Waters.

October 20, 2021

U.S. Forest Service requests mineral withdrawal of federal public lands in the Rainy River Drainage Basin to complete process abruptly cancelled by the Trump administration.

October 18, 2021

Today the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters released a report detailing how Chilean mining giant Antofagasta is "greenwashing" its risky Twin Metals mining project next to Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

September 20, 2021

Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness’s groundbreaking lawsuit triggers an important review of the risks to the Boundary Waters posed by sulfide-ore copper mining in the Rainy River Headwaters.

Feb 6, 2023
The Washington Post
Timothy Puko | 1/26/23 The move comes as the administration faces a string of tough decisions on federal conservation for spots in Alaska and Nevada
Jan 31, 2023
MinnPost
Saying the steps the Biden administration took to bar mining in the Superior National Forest are not permanent, Rep. Betty McCollum on Tuesday reintroduced a bill that would offer permanent protections...
Jan 30, 2023
Mankato Free Press
After many years of efforts to protect the area next to the BWCA, the Biden administration last week moved to protect federal land in the Superior National Forest from mining.
Jan 28, 2023
Star Tribune Editorial Board
Anyone who's ever marveled at Yellowstone's mysterious geysers or stood in awe before other parks' magnificent vistas owes a debt to previous generations. These moments are possible because those who came before recognized that there were special places that needed to remain unspoiled despite the need for timber, minerals and other resources to power a young, industrializing nation...  
Jan 26, 2023
MPR News
The U.S. Department of the Interior issued a 20-year mining moratorium Thursday on 225,000 acres of federal land near the Boundary Waters, dealing a further blow to the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely, Minn. and other potential mines for copper, nickel and precious metals within the watershed of the canoe wilderness area.
Jan 26, 2023
Bloomberg Law
The Interior Department withdrew more than 225,000 acres of federal lands from mineral and geothermal leasing in Minnesota for the next 20 years to protect a beloved wilderness area...
Jan 26, 2023
Bring Me the News
The Biden administration on Thursday issued a 20-year moratorium on mining in a 225,504-acre area of land near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) order will close roughly 350 square miles of the Superior National Forest and the Rainy River Watershed near Ely to mineral and geothermal leasing for 20 years — the longest amount of time it can issue the moratorium without congressional approval....
Jan 26, 2023
Wall Street Journal
The decision to block mining will protect the most-visited wilderness area in the U.S. The Biden administration moved Thursday to block mining upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota for 20 years, opting to protect a pristine wilderness over allowing production of minerals that could help fuel a potentially cleaner future.  
Jan 26, 2023
AP News/Star Tribune
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Biden administration moved Thursday to protect northeastern Minnesota’s pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from future mining, dealing a potentially fatal blow to a copper-nickel project...
Jan 26, 2023
Huffington Post
 The Biden administration imposed a 20-year ban on new mineral development across 225,000 acres of national forest land adjacent to Minnesota’s iconic Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness...  

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 The Campaign 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

The Campaign to Save The Boundary Waters welcomes media inquiries; email Libby@savetheboundarywaters.org