Sulfide mining

A new form of mining is being proposed in northern Minnesota’s lake country, and it is very different than the state’s traditional iron mining. Extracting ores from sulfide ores would threaten the region’s lakes, rivers and streams with toxic acid mine drainage, which has caused enormous environmental disasters elsewhere in the country, and left taxpayers to pay for clean-up costs. Read more…

Roadless areas

The BWCAW got its start as a roadless area. Today, designated roadless areas in the Superior National Forest are some of our last wild places and deserve to be permanently protected. These areas provide valuable opportunities for backcountry recreation outside the BWCAW, as well as providing habitat for animals like the Canada lynx and moose. Most of the 90,000 acres of roadless areas in the Superior directly adjoin the BWCAW and serve as important buffers for noise, pollution and non-native invasive species. Read more…

Non-native invasive species

Invasive species threaten almost every part of the Boundary Waters’ ecosystem, from the food chain which supports the prized fishing lakes, to the iconic boreal forest tree species, such as White pine and jackpine. Read more…

Air pollution

The air quality of the BWCAW is seriously degraded by emissions of NOx, SOx and other pollutants. This means very real reductions in visibility, and threatens one of the essential qualities that brings visitors to the Boundary Waters: the clean, clear air. Read more…

Climate change

A warming climate has broad implications for the Boundary Waters region. Rising temperatures mean higher mortality rates for moose, more invasive species, and less of the boreal forest that BWCAW visitors love: jackpine and white pine could be replaced by birch, maple and other vegetation more typical in warmer regions. Read more…

Logging

Done right, logging can help rejuvenate forests, as well as provide necessary building supplies and jobs. But logging can also have serious negative impacts on the BWCAW, destroying valuable forestlands, causing noise pollution, contaminating waterways, building roads in previously roadless areas, and spreading invasive species. Read more…