Dear Boundary Waters Supporter:

As we write this, we are all enduring very challenging times with respect to a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been touched by a new reality. Priorities for all of us must be the health and well-being of ourselves, our families and our communities. This said, our fight does not stop. While our staff are working remotely, we stand united in our actions to protect the Boundary Waters. Let’s look back at the year we had in 2019.

This was a critical year for us to strengthen and grow our effort in the face of a looming threat to our cherished Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The threat, which had seemed distant to some, became very real when Antofagasta’s Twin Metals Minnesota submitted its mine plan of operations on December 18, 2019. We had spent a long time in preparation for that moment and are prepared to take the challenge to the next level.

As you’ll see in the pages of this annual report, we have been working hard on many fronts – from lawsuits and collecting science, to working at both the state and federal capitols, to raising critical operational funds, and to expanding our outreach to supporters and to the media. We are gratified with the successes and the support we were able to achieve.  

It is your help that allows us to continue to lead this fight. Without your support and this work, Antofagasta would have a clear path to forcing this mine on Minnesota. We remain the lead organization working with Congress, working at the state capitol, and working through the administrative processes to stop this unconscionable project. And we will not stop until this project is terminated and the Boundary Waters is permanently protected.

We know that 2020 is going to be a critical and pivotal year. With the mine plan now submitted to the state and federal agencies, the project will begin threading its way through the environmental review and permitting processes. The historical importance of iron mining in Minnesota has helped create a permitting process that is affirmatively biased to facilitate the development of other mines, including sulfide-ore copper mines. We need to participate aggressively in the environmental review process – and that means paying for unique scientific experts. We will be pushing Rep. McCollum’s bill – HR5598 – to protect the Boundary Waters and hopefully gaining a companion bill in the U.S. Senate. We need to get our state elected leaders to reflect the wishes of the 70% of Minnesotans who oppose copper mining near the Boundary Waters, so we will be pounding the marble at the St. Paul capitol. We will continue with our legal challenges in the US Courts. And we will be reaching new audiences in new ways – like a self-produced documentary on the threat to the Boundary Waters and another WildWaters music concert. It will be a big year, indeed.

In this time of social distancing, wilderness has never been more important. We remain dedicated to the growth and prosperity of Northeastern Minnesota, strong and vibrant communities with enviable entrepreneurial and job opportunity, and the wilderness edge lifestyle and sustainable local economies that underlie these qualities and attract people of all ages and from all walks of life to this special place. We understand everyone’s lives have been upended by the public health crisis we’re now confronting, but whether it’s making donations, advocating online, sharing information on social media, or more, our advocacy is more important than ever. We’ll continue to keep you closely apprised of opportunities to make a difference.

So, thank you for your confidence and support in 2019! You are giving a voice to the Boundary Waters in this critical time. We are David battling Goliath, but we will not quit until we win.  Collectively, we WILL protect the most popular Wilderness in America.

Jon Nelson and Jeff Soderstrom 

Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness Board Co-chairs