The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, located in Northeast Minnesota, is a national treasure but is once again threatened by Congressional action to permit industrial mining activities. At one million acres with over one thousand lakes and a thousand miles of canoe routes, the Boundary Waters provides incredible outdoor recreation opportunities for thousands of Americans. In 1978, Congress approved protections for this region, formally preserving the Boundary Waters pristine habitats and placing restrictions on industrial activities. Today, the US Congress is working to allow industrial copper mining adjacent to the essentially untouched wilderness to industrial mining activities.
The looming withdrawal of protections for the Boundary Waters came through a Congressional Review Act resolution promoted by a Republican from Minnesota, Representative Pete Stauber. The House of Representatives approved the measure 214-208, largely along party lines. This Resolution now heads to the Senate, where outcomes are less clear. The Senate’s 60-vote threshold remains a major threshold for any piece of legislation, and last summer the Senate rejected a public lands sell-off effort after intense public criticism.
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“Hunters and anglers are uniquely positioned to help determine what happens next—not just for the Boundary Waters, but for the future of conservation in America. We know the value of public lands, public access, and the outdoor economy. Now is the time for Congress to prove that commitment in a meaningful way. Wrote BHA President and CEO, Ryan Callahan and MeatEater’s Steve Rinella.
“We urge all Members of Congress—including Montana’s delegation—to oppose HJR 140 and its wrongheaded goal of dismantling Boundary Waters protections.Some places are worth fighting for. And just like Theodore Roosevelt and the conservation-minded leaders who came after him, we believe the Boundary Waters is one of them.”
Sign this BHA Action Alert to stand up for the Boundary Waters and keeping our remaining wild public lands wild.
Cover image courtesy ExploreMinnesota.
First, I’m against this bill…
Second, I am 100% in support of keeping the Boundary Waters pristine…
…but this article is a distortion. The bill involves property adjacent to the BWCA, no tin the BWCA, and the protection for this property is only about three years old.
I am not in favor of removing those protections, but not giving people all the facts is, IMO, an error that does our efforts to protect the BWCA no good. At least the post from Patagonia acknowledges that the property is near the BWCA.
I hope people understand the facts – all of them – then contact their representatives to stop this thing in Congress.
Once again, I am here to comment about politics. The vote was on party lines. The Republican Party is the enemy of our environment, our public access to recreation, and the habitat of the fish we want to catch. Nothing more, nothing less.
Call a spade a spade, and make it a priority to defeat Republicans wherever and whenever possible. They vote as a bloc, and they are spineless cowards who obey their cult leader.
People who try to make every discussion about politics – particularly discussions about fishing, and conservation – have agendas that have nothing to do with either.
Trying to make conservation about politics is destructive to the the discussion, and risks alienating about half of our potential support, regardless of which “side” the arguments are made from.
Your comment – full of invective, name calling, and insults – is the very worst kind of attempt to make everything about your political viewpoint and only serves to bring more division anger to a subject that should not tolerate it in any way, shape or form.
You are precisely the reason why I post comments like that. You and your kind have been gaslighting American sportsmen and recreationists for years while you support people who degrade our environment and threaten our access. You’ve done a good job bullshitting people with your agenda while the wealthy get fat off the politicians they’ve bought. Enough is enough. And it’s tough shit if you don’t like it. Our trout streams will be bass streams because of your agenda to burn more coal and your orange cult hero is deliberately killing wind and solar projects. There’s no damn snow in the west this year! You don’t think there’s a cause and effect with the people you vote for, who withdraw from international climate treaties? Like I said, I’m tired of the whining about politics. Too bad. Time to call a spade a spade.
Really?
What – and be absolutely, 100%, factually precise with your your reply – have I specifically, as an individual, been “…gaslighting American sportsmen and recreationists for years while you support people who degrade our environment and threaten our access.”
Provide specific examples with days, dates and times.
…when you can’t, come back and admit you lied.
My only agenda is conservation and habitat, and doing everything I can to stop people like you from blowing up every possible discussion with political advocacy for whichever brand of short sighted, self-involves political advocacy you push.
You won’t have the guts, decency, or humility to admit you’re wrong, or to apologize…and I don’t need you to…exposing you for the fraud you are is enough.
How’s that for calling a spade a spade?
Tell you what. I’ll educate you. Ted Williams, one of our greatest conservationists and outdoor writers, has exactly the same approach as I do.
If anybody is a fraud, and a gutless apologist for fraudsters, it’s you.
Read this. Learn something.
By the way, jerks like you wrote letters every month to Fly Rod and Reel magazine telling them they were canceling their subscriptions because their butts were hurt by Ted Williams, their regular conservation columnist.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2015/12/01/writer-ted-williams-talks-obama-the-nra-feral-cats-and-sportsmen-versus-environmentalists/
Love the name calling and invective. Proof you have nothing to back up any of the outrageous lies you’ve cluttered this space with.
Prove your claim, or admit you lied.
This should be easy, if the absurd claims you made are real.
…and no, no one like me every wrote a letter to Fly Rod and Reel magazine, or any other publication, telling them they were canceling their subscriptions because their butts were hurt by Ted Williams, their regular conservation columnist.
That’s another lie. That seems to be what you are good at.
Your arrogant, mindless, reflexive stereotyping is just helping you dig a deeper hole every time you bash your keyboard…
Tell me you’re a Republican without telling me you’re a Republican. Hahahahaha!
…and another lie.
Tell us you’re a political advocate masquerading as a conservation advocate without telling us you’re a political advocate masquerading as a conservation advocate.
You are the problem.
Period.
People like you have caused more problems and done more harm to the cause of conservation and habitat than can be measured.
Inciting division and anger, driving away support and dollars…the damage you do is incalculable.