Through advocacy and education, we work to protect the Boundary Waters you love.
www.friends-bwca.org
www.friends-bwca.org
Events
7 past eventsSee All
- From Copenhagen to the BWCAW
Weyerhauser Chapel, Macalester College
Tuesday, December 15 at 7:00pm - "Precious Waters" film premiere
Macalester College (John B. Davis L...
Wednesday, November 11 at 7:00pm - Canoe the Mississippi River wi...
East River Flats to Hidden Falls Pa...
Saturday, September 26 at 9:00am - Non-Ferrous Mining in Minnesot...
University of Minnesota, St. Paul C...
Tuesday, September 15 at 11:00am - Owls of the North Woods
Dodge Nature Center
Thursday, August 20 at 7:00pm - Annual Dinner
Chateau of Medicine Lake
Saturday, April 18 at 5:00pm - Sulfide mining in canoe country
Macalester College, Weyerhauser Chapel
Wednesday, March 4 at 7:00pm
YouTube Box
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Leave No Trace
The video we all get to watch at the ranger station when picking up our Boundary Waters permit.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness It seems like us PolyMet skeptics are the only ones who have actually read the project's Draft EIS. Good letter in today's Ely Timberjay newspaper.
timberjay.com
I urge all northeastern Minnesota residents to review and comment on the recently published draft environmental impact statement for PolyMet’s NorthMet project.
Christopher
I just returned a campaign email that RT Rybak (current Minneapolis mayor who is running for governor) had sent to me. In my reply I asked him to take a stand on the issue. Minnesota is an environmentalist strong hold and the movement is getting bigger as hunters and fishermen have coalesced recently with the clean w...ater amendment.
By the way, does the clean water amendment that just passed have anything that could help us in this fight? And how about the federal clean water Act? Just thinking of new angles to attack this from.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Many of the mineral leases the state of MN plans to auction off would be near some popular recreation lakes outside Duluth. The plans highlight the potential for the Arrowhead region to become a huge new district for sulfide mining.
minnesota.publicradio.org
Jan. 1, 2010 - Mining companies are showing interest in state lands that could contain gold, copper and other metallic mineral deposits.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Happy New Year! As you start dreaming about 2010 Boundary Waters trips, you might enjoy this recent article about hiking the wild Kekekabic Trail through the BWCAW.
www.startribune.com
It was one part inspiration and at least one part Lagavulin
Christopher
I wrote Almanac on TPT channel 2 to try to get them to do a *fair* story on the issue of mining near the BWCA. Others please do so too, and do so with other news outlets. Almanac is a good one that could really be a good forum to speak truth to Franken and Klobuchar though.
[Letter]
Hello, I would like to see a segment... of live debate for the enormously important issue of Sulfide Mining that our new Senator Al Franken and our other Senator Klobuchar, both supposedly "progressive" are both bending over backwards to support. This type of mining have never been done in MN before, is banned in Wisconsin, and everywhere it has been done it has resulted in horrid and irreversible environmental and economic harm. Once the mines start leaching heavy metals and highly acidic water into the watershed that reaches into the BWCA and all the way to Lake Superior, it will never stop. We taxpayers will pay for clean up forever, if we clean it up at all. A really likelihood is that it wouldn't get cleaned up because of tight budgets. But, the point is that any temporary job gains and any *private* profits made would pale in comparison to infinite economic losses suffered due to the inevitable detraction from the $9 billion annual lake-based tourism industry because of no fish, dead fish, polluted fish and dirty polluted lake water. Again, not to mention the perpetual clean up costs. This type of mining has never been done without massive environmental damage, and its banned in Wisconsin for that very reason.
I cannot believe that the crown jewel of MN natural areas in being sacrificed for some political pandering that we support jobs, like Al Franken is doing. Especially when its so disingenuous given the loss in tourism that will result and the loss of revenue to the state because it will have to be diverted to a new superfund site that will result. Not an exageration. There are federal superfund sites existing that require permanent and costly water treatment due to this exact kind of mining. And there have been no technological advances to make the mining cleaner like the industry is trying to claim. Its a flat lie, or subterfuge being used to shoe horn in the mines.
Please cover this issue, but please do so fairly and out of concern for our state's wonderful Boundary Waters, arguably our best natural resource that will forever ruined by these mines should they go forward. If you don't or can't cover it in a way that forces Franken and Klobuchar and others who are trying to make this happen then don't cover it at all.
You guys and gals do a good job of asking the tough questions and repeating them when the politicians try to dodge them usually. But, then sometimes you don't do that at all and you let them get away, and a piece of journalism that could help inform the public becomes PR in favor of the industry of politician who should be on the run. You do a great job mostly, but I ask that you don't even cover it if the end result is Franken and others pushing this project somehow looking good and the facts that I have mentioned that unequivocally point to this being a bad thing for the environment AND for the econonmy of MN not being brought up.
Thank you.
Also, as you know, its key to have a balanced list of guests to do the show right. Please have someone from the Friends of the Boundary Waters on the show. This organization predates this controversy and they have a good perspective of the people who love the BWCA and use it. That perspective needs to be included. And so does the scientific environmentalist point of view.
This movie gives you tons of info and sources to pull from or guests to include in the piece www.preciouswaters.org
[end letter]
I did this as I always do things, independently. I did not claim to a representative of Friends of the Boundary Waters. Because I don't want to step on anyones toes, but I do want to get things moving out there as far as this issue getting fair coverage. I am a member of the Friends but I didn't even mention that.
www.preciouswaters.org
This short film takes a hard look at the sulfide mining industry's history of failed predictions and toxic pollution and potential impacts on northeastern Minnesota from new mines.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Happy Holidays from the Friends of the BWCAW! We're going to have a great winter weekend adventure at YMCA Camp Menogyn on the Gunflint in January. Check it out, and we hope you can join us!
www.friends-bwca.org
A fun, affordable weekend January 15-18 -- dogsledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and lots of hot cocoa.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Sen. Al Franken wholly supports and endorses the risky PolyMet mine project. Call his office today and tell him how disappointed you are! (202) 224-5641
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness The pro-mining Duluth News Tribune published a big editorial over the weekend promoting the PolyMet project and ignoring the water pollution the mine would create in the Arrowhead region. Will you consider a letter to the editor to set the record straight? We can help you with facts, specifics or coming up with the let...ter! Please contact us at info@friends-bwca.org if you want to write a letter.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
We’re sitting on the third-largest nickel deposit in the world, with the potential to create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of good-paying permanent positions.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness The Boundary Waters permit lottery is open until Jan. 15. If you want to make sure you get a permit for the 2010 paddling season (especially for popular entry points and busy times), make sure to sign up now!
www.recreation.gov
Great glaciers carved the physical features of what is today known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) by scraping and gouging rock. The glaciers left behind rugged cliffs and crags, canyons, ...
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness As the world debates climate change in Copenhagen, come on out tomorrow night to learn about what it means for our treasured Boundary Waters ecosystem.
A talk by Dr. Lee Frelich about what climate change means for the Boundary Waters.
Location:Weyerhauser Chapel, Macalester College
Time:7:00PM Tuesday, December 15th
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Want to write a letter to the editor? This is an important time to do so. Tell your paper you care about clean water, or that the PolyMet project should weigh environmental impacts, not just jobs, or anything else about sulfide mining that you think is an unacceptable risk. Click the link below for everything you need ...to know about writing a letter, including the address of several important newspapers.
www.preciouswaters.org
Write a letter to your local paper about the film, about the threats sulfide mining poses to our clean water and tax dollars, about the deficiencies in the PolyMet proposal or in our existing mining regulations.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Not only was there no chance for public comment at last night's PolyMet hearing in Blaine, but three Iron Range legislators (two of which are running for Governor) were allowed to go on stage and voice their support for the mine and the jobs it will create. Completely inappropriate for a meeting that was supposed to be about environmental impacts.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
Short-term
mining jobs or clean water for future generations? It's our time to
decide. Come out tonight to the PolyMet public meeting in Blaine!
minnesota.publicradio.org
Last night supporters of the project converged on the first meeting to address on the environmental affects of the controversial plan.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Not very "public" meetings being held for the PolyMet project.
www.startribune.com
What good is a public meeting if the public can't speak publicly?Not good enough for environmental leaders who are protesting the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' plans for handling ...
