Hi there,

My name is David Doniger, and I’m the Senior Strategic Director of the Climate & Clean Energy Program in Washington D.C. at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) - a strategic national partner organization to the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters.

The Boundary Waters Wilderness is close to my heart. My wife’s grandparents, immigrants from Finland, settled in Ely, Minnesota, more than a century ago. Her grandfather worked in the iron ore mine until he was nearly killed in a cave-in, and then he homesteaded a place on the north side of Shagawa Lake, across from Ely—a long rowboat trip to town—building a cabin, planting and harvesting hay and potatoes, and sending all seven of their kids to school across the lake.

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My family and I go up there nearly every summer to this day. Like millions of others who enjoy America’s most visited wilderness, we’ve canoed in the BWCA and experienced its quiet, profound beauty. There are black bears, wolves, beavers, eagles, mink, moose, and more, both within the BWCA and in the surrounding region, including on my family’s land.
This Wilderness could continue to exist as a pristine boreal habitat for generations if we choose to protect it. But we must make that choice.
Opening a sulfide-ore copper mine on the BWCA’s edge, within the same watershed, is an unacceptable threat to both the natural beauty and integrity of this ecosystem and the viability of the town’s new economy. The mine wouldn’t employ many people and fewer local people. And if the mining advocates’ lofty assurances don’t quite work out, the mine could pollute the Boundary Waters permanently and irreparably.
The BWCA saved Ely. The iron ore mine played out and closed long ago, and a recreation-based economy now sustains the town and the surrounding region. A sulfide-ore copper mine in the Wilderness watershed would ruin all of this.
Thankfully, the Biden administration is moving towards putting things right again, before the damage can be done so we can save this treasured place for all of us, forever. But your support is absolutely critical, and we will continue to do everything in our power to get the fight for this wild and beautiful place across the finish line.
Join me in making a matched year-end gift in honor of this spectacular natural wonder while we still have a chance.

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For the Wilderness,
David Doniger,
Senior Strategic Director of the Climate & Clean Energy Program, Natural Resources Defense Council
P.S. Today, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect this unique boreal Wilderness. Make a matched donation today.

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