RELEASE: Kids from across Minnesota spent the day at the MN Capitol sharing their stories and love for the Boundary Waters with lawmakers
(Ely, MN) — Kids for the Boundary Waters hosted a lobby day at the Minnesota Capitol yesterday to advocate for the permanent protection of the Boundary Waters. Youth advocates from all areas of the state gathered at the Minnesota Capitol and called upon their elected officials to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from the dangerous threat of proposed sulfide-ore copper mining.
Kids for the Boundary Waters is run by young people who love the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and want to protect it permanently from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining. They believe that it’s important for kids to know how to effectively communicate with decision-makers — that their voices matter greatly, because they are going to inherit the planet.
“Kids will inherit our state’s crown jewel—the Boundary Waters—that’s why it is our duty to protect it,” said Elsie Falconer, President of Kids for the Boundary Waters. “It is important for kids to know how to communicate with decision-makers because we are going to be the future leaders in our communities advocating for what is right. We have an important stake in protecting America’s wilderness for ourselves and the generations that come after. When kids speak up, adults listen.”
- H.F. 3458 / S.F. 3434 - “The 4 Features bill” which provides an opportunity for the State Legislature to strengthen Minnesota's environmental laws to protect a highly sensitive watershed
- H.F. 329 / S.F. 167 - The Boundary Waters Permanent Protection bill
Kids for the Boundary Waters is a youth-founded and led program that engages and trains participants to advocate for issues that matter to them through hands-on advocacy for Boundary Waters protection. This passionate group empowers young people to become unconquerable advocates for the wilderness, the planet, and issues they care deeply about.
Since 2018, Kids for the Boundary Waters has: organized multiple large-group “fly-ins” to Washington D.C. where over 300 kids have led meetings face-to-face with officials, trained and empowered hundreds of young people, from elementary to college-aged, in advocacy and leadership skills to stand up and protect America’s outdoors, weighed in with decision makers in home districts, initiated letter-writing campaigns, given presentations at schools and in their communities, and published letters in local newspapers to educate more people about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the importance of taking action to protect it from sulfide-ore copper mining.