The overall tourism economy, measured at $850 million a year and supporting some 18,000 jobs, would be drastically, if not fatally, impacted should the waters become poisoned. With the Boundary Waters and Superior National Forest as a magnet, vibrant local economies have developed in Ely, Grand Marais, and other communities around the Boundary Waters wilderness. Likewise, the edge of the iconic Boundary Waters wilderness will be turned into an industrial mining complex at the head of these irreplaceable and interconnected rivers and lakes. Similar mines throughout America generate hundreds of millions of gallons of acid mine drainage and will require active water treatment for thousands of years to avoid complete destruction of streams and groundwater. As a result, the entire Boundary Waters region was named to the 2013 American Rivers Most Endangered Rivers® list. When this waste rock interacts with water and air, sulfuric acid and toxic metals will be released into the South Kawishiwi within two miles of the Boundary Waters. Approximately 99 percent of the rock extracted in the proposed mine will be waste. If copper-nickel mining proposals by Twin Metals Minnesota and others on adjacent unprotected public lands are permitted, the clean water of the Boundary Waters is likely to be irreparably harmed by acid mine drainage containing sulfates and heavy metals.Īccording to the EPA, hardrock mining produces more releases of toxic materials than any other industry. Sulfide-ore copper mining has never been allowed in Minnesota, yet there is currently a proposal underway to permit this notoriously dirty style of mining along the South Kawishiwi River, which flows into the Boundary Waters. The abundance of lakes, rivers, trails and campsites provide countless route options and the freedom to explore expansive solitude unlike anything found elsewhere in America. The area was set aside in 1926 to preserve the primitive character, allowing modern day visitors to canoe, portage and camp in the spirit of the French Voyageurs from 200 years past. side is mirrored by Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park and is bordered on the west by Voyageurs National Park. The BWCAW itself sits in the northern third of the Superior National Forest, extending nearly 150 miles along the Canadian border west of Lake Superior. The gentle hills-pocked with craggy cliffs and canyons, towering rock formations, dramatic shorelines, sandy beaches, and several thousand lakes and streams, were left behind by glaciers. The Boundary Waters provide critical habitat for wildlife including lynx, moose, bear, deer, walleye, bass, trout, pike, grouse, and waterfowl, making the region an ideal place for hiking, paddling, fishing, camping, and hunting. Visitors can connect with the wilderness on some 1,200 miles of canoe and kayak routes (and about 95 percent of them do), more than 230 miles of overnight hiking trails, and 2,000 primitive campsites. If so, then you know how unique and valuable this unspoiled natural landscape of rivers, lakes, and forests is to anyone who appreciates rugged outdoor recreation, wildlife, and the sort of experiences only available for discovery in such vast, remote spaces. Or maybe you’re already one of the 250,000 annual visitors that make the Boundary Waters the most popular wilderness area in America. If you are a canoeist, a touring kayaker, or aspire to become either, odds are you’ve considered the 1.1 million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness a part of your personal bucket list for a while now. Now consider the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. Boundary Waters: Northern Light The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness within the Superior National ForestĬonsider the bucket list.