John,

There's no place quite like the Boundary Waters, the remote wilderness area in northern Minnesota. Tens of thousands of people come every year to enjoy the pristine waters and quiet atmosphere.

As a mining company proposes digging a copper mine upstream of the Boundary Waters, our national network is raising awareness of what could be lost if -- or when -- that mine's pollution reached the wilderness.1

You could spend a lifetime exploring the Boundary Waters' more than 1,100 interconnected lakes, the fingerprints of glaciers that retreated northward thousands of years ago. You can't use motors on most of these, so it's a wonderful opportunity to canoe in the peaceful silence, interrupted only by loons and other sounds of nature.2

The lakes enjoy some of the clearest and most pristine waters in the United States, but the proposed mine would risk exposing those waters to toxic mining waste and runoff.

The Boundary Waters are home to several endangered species, including the gray wolf, Canada lynx and northern long-eared bat.3 The wilderness is located on the very southern tip of the continent-spanning boreal forest, which extends all the way up to northern Canada.

Some of the animals that call the Boundary Waters home, such as the gray wolf, struggle to survive elsewhere in the United States because of hunting and trapping. These animals depend on the Boundary Waters for a safe place to roam free.

The Boundary Waters are one of the few places in the United States where you can see the stars undimmed by light pollution.4 If you're lucky, you might even see the mystical aurora borealis.

Mining would bring lights and noise near the wilderness area. If that were to happen, the night sky would grow dimmer and everyone, human and wildlife alike, would risk losing that connection to the night sky we all hold dear.

Trading away clean water, abundant wildlife and a star-filled sky in exchange for more cold metals dug up from the ground is a fool's bargain.

The Boundary Waters should be a place for future generations to appreciate and share with wildlife. With your support, we're working to ensure that the Boundary Waters remain wild.

Thank you,

Lisa Frank
Executive Director

P.S. Want to power our efforts to protect the Boundary Waters? Donate today.

1. "What makes the Boundary Waters so special?," Katelynn Rolfes, Environment Minnesota, March 18, 2025.
2. "What makes the Boundary Waters so special?," Katelynn Rolfes, Environment Minnesota, March 18, 2025.
3. "What makes the Boundary Waters so special?," Katelynn Rolfes, Environment Minnesota, March 18, 2025.
4. "What makes the Boundary Waters so special?," Katelynn Rolfes, Environment Minnesota, March 18, 2025.

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