Protections will Keep Pristine Wilderness Untouched for 20 Years
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Backcountry Hunters & Anglers commends the decision to advance long-term protections for the Rainy River watershed and the pristine waters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a crown jewel of public lands and waters in northeast Minnesota and America’s most visited wilderness area.
An administrative mineral withdrawal secured jointly through the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service would establish a moratorium on mineral extraction in the region. In 2016, the Obama administration took steps to withdraw portions of the watershed from new minerals development. In 2018, the Trump administration canceled the Forest Service’s withdrawal application and the associated environmental review after three public meetings had already been conducted, more than 90,000 public comments collected, and environmental analyses undertaken.
Today’s decision is an important milestone following the environmental analysis of the Boundary Waters and the potential effects of copper-nickel mining in this pristine watershed reinitiated by the Biden Administration in 2021. The results of that analysis showed major risks from mineral extraction. The administration’s withdrawal proposal would prohibit the development of any mineral leases on approximately 225,504 acres of Superior National Forest lands within the watershed of the Boundary Waters for up to 20 years.
“Across the country, the significance of the historic decision by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to implement 20-year protections for the Boundary Waters is being celebrated. Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters would like to express our deepest gratitude to this Administration for its leadership in protecting the BWCA from sulfide-ore copper mining,” said Lukas Leaf, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters executive director.