50 Years Strong: Boundary Waters Gala with Deb Haaland

October 15, 2025 People

Thank you to everyone who joined us for an unforgettable evening celebrating 50 years of protecting the Boundary Waters Wilderness. We are deeply grateful to our community of paddlers, wilderness advocates, sponsors, and all who love this sacred place. Special thanks to the Indigenous communities whose ancestral connections to these lands and waters remind us that our work is part of a much longer story of stewardship. Your presence and commitment inspire us to continue this essential work for the next fifty years and beyond.

Together, we honored the extraordinary founders who saw a wilderness in danger fifty years ago and chose to act, creating the organization that led to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978. We also celebrated a historic victory for these waters, welcoming former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, whose decisive action protected over 225,000 acres at the edge of the Boundary Waters from mining threats. As the first Native American Cabinet secretary, Secretary Haaland’s leadership embodies the values our founders championed—that some places are too sacred to sell, too vital to lose, and too beautiful to abandon. The trail ahead is long, but together, we paddle onward.

Celebrating friends of the Boundary waters Founders

In 1976, a group of dedicated citizens came together, united by their deep love for the Boundary Waters. From their determination grew a movement that led to the passage of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978—a legacy that continues to guide our work 50 years later. Tonight, we celebrate these founders as the recipients of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness’ Conservation Award, honoring their remarkable impact in preserving the wild lands of the canoe country of northeastern Minnesota.

Donations from tonight’s Gala will support Friends’ award-winning programs, from advocacy initiatives that protect clean water to our educational program, No Boundaries to the Boundary Waters. Your generosity ensures that the wilderness we celebrate tonight will remain protected for this and future generations.

We extend heartfelt gratitude to all our guests—donors, sponsors, Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, partner organizations, and more— whose commitment to safeguarding the Boundary Waters and connecting students to the outdoors strengthens our resolve. Together, we will protect the Boundary Waters for future generations!