Person with camera on misty lake

the Media Room

April 13, 2021

American Rivers today named the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2021, citing the grave threat proposed copper mining poses to clean water and America’s most popular wilderness.

March 26, 2021

Letter from Sen. Smith to federal agencies asks for completion of canceled mineral withdrawal study which could lead to 20 years of protection for America's most visited Wilderness

March 22, 2021

Biden administration is looking at the unlawful reinstatement of the Twin Metals mineral leases.

March 8, 2021

Youth and adult camps surround the Boundary Waters and are directly in the Twin Metals path of pollution; proposed sulfide-ore copper mining will ruin these longstanding educational centers.

March 3, 2021

The Boundary Waters sustains the livelihoods of thousands of Minnesotans and studies show that protecting the Wilderness from copper mining is the better economic choice for the sustainability of the region

March 1, 2021

The Boundary Waters sustains the livelihoods of thousands of Minnesotans and studies show that protecting the Wilderness is the better economic choice for the sustainability of the region

Nov 1, 2023
CBS News

[Video] - Twin Metals Minnesota just got the green light to drill on property next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to learn more about the area’s mineral resources.

Oct 31, 2023
WORT - Madison Community Radio

Yesterday, Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources approved a mining subsidiary’s proposal for exploratory drilling in northeastern Minnesota.

The proposal, submitted by Franconia Minerals LLC, a subsidiary of Twin Metals Minnesota LLC and owned by Chilean mining company Antofagasta PLC, asks for approval to conduct exploratory drilling south of Birch Lake.

Oct 31, 2023
Star Tribune

The mining company will be allowed to sink six holes to explore state minerals near Birch Lake in St. Louis County. 

Oct 31, 2023
MPR News

A mining company blocked by the Biden administration in its efforts to build a massive underground copper-nickel mine near Ely, Minn., on the doorstep of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, now has the go-ahead to explore for minerals in the area owned by the state of Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on Monday approved a plan by Franconia Minerals, a subsidiary of Twin Metals, to drill several exploratory holes. Three are located on the edge of Birch Lake, which flows into the Boundary Waters.

Oct 31, 2023
Duluth News Tribune

Federal action has derailed the copper-nickel mining company's original mine plan on federal mineral leases, but mining activity is still allowed on state leases near the Boundary Waters.

Feb 15, 2023
Minnesota Reformer

OpEd by Zach Spindler-Krage

In June 2022, I sat in the Department of Agriculture and told a story to Dr. Homer Wilkes, the under secretary for natural resources and environment. With a map of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness spread across the table, I pointed to Sawbill Lake.... 

Zach Spindler-Krage is a Minnesotan currently studying political science, history and policy studies at Grinnell College in Iowa. He is a political and environmental activist, having spent time at the state Capitol and in D.C. fighting for Minnesota causes. His previous work can be found in MinnPost and the Post Bulletin.

Feb 6, 2023
Duluth News Tribune

From the column: "It is ... limited by law to a 20-year term. The Minnesota Legislature and U.S. Congress could ... permanently protect the Boundary Waters watershed from copper mining."

Feb 6, 2023
MinnPost

 The Interior Department on Thursday announced a 20-year mining moratorium on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest that bars Twin Metals from constructing a proposed copper, cobalt and nickel mine in the area.

 

Feb 6, 2023
Minnesota reformer

After more than a year of assessment and debate, the U.S. Department of the Interior on Thursday announced the withdrawal of more than 225,000 acres of public lands near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota from federal mine leasing programs. 

 

Feb 6, 2023
The Timberjay

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Thursday that they are withdrawing approximately 225,504 acres of the Superior National Forest from potential mineral leasing for the next 20 years...

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.

Follow and Subscribe to our video channels: YouTube & Vimeo

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