BWCA

Native American Caucus Condemns Senate Vote Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban

"Friends of the Boundary Waters says that the Minnesota DNR still has the power to cancel the mineral lease, and they are calling on people to contact the DNR and encourage them to do so."

"Today, the US Senate revoked a 20-year mineral withdrawal protecting 225,378 acres of public lands in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed from toxic mining on 50-49 vote. The move was led by Minnesota Republican Pete Stauber and paves the way to permanent pollution from a proposed sulfide-ore copper-nickel mine that Chilean mining giant Antofagasta has long sought to develop directly upstream of the Boundary Waters through its subsidiary, Twin Metals."

"Today is a dark day for our people and homelands — this battle is far from over.

"For thousands of years, our ancestors navigated these interconnected lakes and rivers. Today, millions come to paddle, fish, hunt, hike, dogsled, and pray. This is one of the most visited wilderness areas in the country. And it belongs to the public — not to foreign mining corporations.

"The science is clear: this watershed is vast, pristine, and interconnected. Sulfide mining threatens both fish and humans with mercury, endangers manoomin and psin — the good berry — wild rice — and risks drinking water for generations. Furthermore, it threatens our economy and jobs, outdoor stewardship, public health, and will have wide-reaching impacts on cultural, spiritual, and subsistence practices for future generations to come. Pollution doesn't stay put-it flows, and it bioaccumulates. It is not a question of if it will pollute irreversibly; it is a question of when.

"Stand with clean water. Stand with workers. Stand with democracy. Stand with Sovereignty. Stand with Minnesotans. If we protect the water, it will protect us. We remain committed to doing everything in our collective power to protect the Boundary Waters, a sacred place, and we will never stop defending our natural relatives."

— Members of the Native American Caucus in the Minnesota Legislature: Senator Mary Kunesh (DFL-New Brighton), Representative Heather Keeler (DFL-Moorhead), Representative Liish Kozlowski (DFL-Duluth), and Representative Shelley Buck (DFL-Maplewood)

Other coverage

• Congress overturns ban on mining near the Boundary Waters
• Scores of Forest Service plans could be upended after Boundary Waters mining vote
• Buzzards Circling The Iron Range
• Minnesota Indigenous lawmaker: Boundary Waters vote an 'assault' on tribal sovereignty
• Senate votes to end ban on mining in Boundary Waters after Sen. Tina Smith's hourslong speech
• Save the Boundary Waters Action Center
• Friends of the the Boundary Waters on Sulfide Mining
• Water Legacy Action Center
• Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters coverage

"Imagine if we had a coalition that protected our northern waters / wild rice / Native communities with the same pride of place and love for our neighbors that we saw during the occupation?"

We can make that happen

Protect Wild Rice

Rise & Repair

"I am reaching out as a constituent to request your support for legislation to protect Wild Rice, our state grain, also known as Manoomin to the Anishinaabe and Psíŋ to our Dakota relatives...

"...the need for increased protections remains..."

Convening Across Watersheds

Sign on

"Minnesota’s clean water is one of our most valuable shared resources—essential to our health, environment, and way of life. Yet four of our state’s most vital and sensitive watersheds—the Mississippi River, St. Croix River, Rainy River (BWCA), and St. Louis River (Lake Superior)—face growing threats from transnational sulfide ore mining companies.

Protecting our water requires shared commitment and informed action. Environmental organizations and Tribal Nations across Minnesota have united around a shared set of principles to guide how we protect our waters now and for generations to come. We stand together in affirmation of these principles."

The Tamarack Water Alliance

Sign WaterLegacy "Whole Truth" Petition

Tamarack Water Alliance is a group of local residents and landowners working together with others from across Minnesota to protect water and community health through education. Specifically, we are concerned about the dangers of sulfide mining that threaten our beloved rivers, lakes and wild rice beds, at the headwaters of the Kettle River and the Mississippi River watershed.

"A proposal by Talon Metals, a foreign owned entity, to build a high sulfide mining operation near Tamarack in Aitkin County threatens the health of our communities. This kind of sulfide mining, especially in water-rich environments, has never been done without severe impacts to water and to the health of those who live downstream. Mining here is also a threat to environmental justice and the long-term economic security of nearby native and rural communities."

There are some very useful informational flyers available on their website.

Water Infrastructure

Water infrastructure considered as Minnesota Legislature enters home stretch of session

"The Minnesota Legislature had its third and final committee deadline on April 17, a milestone for this session that is scheduled to adjourn on May 18. At Freshwater, our attention is now shifting from water policy to water infrastructure funding, including a potential bonding bill that could take shape during these final weeks of the session."

Do States Have a Secret Weapon to Counter Trump's Forest Service and Medicaid Cuts Before the Damage Becomes Permanent?

& will the corporate overlords allow it?

"The federal government announced the destruction of the United States Forest Service via the same process of royal decree that this nation was founded on ending. So much for originalism, right? No floor debate, no public hearing, no vote. Just a piece of paper that ended 121 years of institutional history before most people had finished their coffee.

"The forests are one emergency. The health care system is another. The reconciliation bill that Republicans passed last year and that the president signed into law on July 4, 2025 cut more than a trillion dollars from Medicaid and ACA marketplace coverage.

"So here is what governors in blue states can do right now, using authority they already hold..."