I ask you to support and work to pass legislation that would permanently protect Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park from the threat of copper mining. Specifically, I ask you to co-sponsor the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection Act (S.1366 and its counterpart H.R.588) to preserve the most visited Wilderness in the country and a beloved national treasure.
The bill permanently withdraws 225,504 acres of federal land and waters within the Superior National Forest from the federal mining portfolio, banning risky sulfide-ore copper mining in the headwaters of the Wilderness, Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park, and Voyageurs National Park.
At a time when this irreplaceable landscape is under increasing threat, Congressional leadership is crucial and needed to ensure the Boundary Waters Wilderness is protected for all who cherish and depend upon it.
The Boundary Waters is not just a place; it is a symbol of the very best of what America’s public lands have to offer - natural beauty, economic stability, recreation, expansive habitat, accessibility, clean air and water, and much more. With this legislation, Senator Smith, Representative Betty McCollum, and other co-sponsors are following in the footsteps of the many leaders before who fought for the future of this Wilderness.
Be a champion for America’s public lands and canoe country by supporting legislation to safeguard the headwaters of the Boundary Waters, Voyageurs National Park, and Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park.
