This spring, President Trump signed H.J. Res. 140 into law, wiping out protections for some 225,000 acres of public land surrounding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and opening them to copper-sulfide mining.
Those hard-won protections were backed by years of science and by hundreds of thousands of Americans who spoke up for this place. Congress erased them by a single vote.
But something else happened, too.
The attack on the Boundary Waters galvanized people across Minnesota and the country. Phones rang in Washington. Letters poured into St. Paul. People who never called a legislator showed up, spoke up, and gave.
The hunger to stand up and do something for the Boundary Waters has never been greater.
That energy is building momentum for something bigger than any one law or one administration: permanent protection for the Boundary Waters.
That’s what your gift on Give to the Max Day will do.
H.J. Res. 140 overturned the 20-year mining moratorium on federal lands near the Boundary Waters. It also bars future administrations from restoring those same protections.
But the Chilean-owned Twin Metals Minnesota still needs permits.
And the state of Minnesota still has powerful tools to protect its clean water.
A toxic copper-sulfide mine near the BWCA would generate millions of tons of toxic waste, the chemical equivalent of battery acid. That pollution would inevitably flow into the Boundary Waters and contaminate some of the cleanest water on earth.
Foreign mining conglomerates and their political allies are counting on us to give up. We won’t.
Your Give to the Max Day donation powers a strategy built for this moment:
In 1976, ordinary people came together and built the grassroots movement that made the Boundary Waters the protected wilderness it is today. For 50 years, Friends of the Boundary Waters has brought people together to protect one of America’s most-visited wilderness areas.
We’ve faced setbacks before, and every time, we came back stronger. Fifty years of victories have prepared us for this moment.
Every year, our No Boundaries education program connects more than 3,500 students to the Boundary Waters. In 2026, our Thomas Flint Wilderness Canoe Trip scholarships gave over 200 young people an opportunity for a life-changing experience in the wilderness.
These students are the next generation of Boundary Waters stewards. Your gift helps make sure more young people have the opportunity to become part of that legacy.
Your gift today gives us the resources to:
Win permanent protection for the Boundary Waters
Defend the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior in state and federal courts
Mobilize grassroots action across Minnesota and beyond
Connect thousands of young people to the wilderness
Study strategies to help people and the wilderness adapt to climate change in northeastern Minnesota
Sigurd Olson said the work of protecting the Boundary Waters is never finished. Every generation is called to defend this watery wilderness.
This is our generation’s call. This is our moment.
We are fighting for cold, clean water in more than 1,000 lakes. For walleye and loons. For red and white pines, birch, and cedar. For moose, black bears, lynx, and otters.
Most of all, we are fighting for how we connect with the natural world, and with each other.
Give today on Give to the Max Day. This is our moment to protect the Boundary Waters for this and future generations.
Organization name
Friends Of The Boundary Waters Wilderness
other names
Boundary Waters, BWCA, Boundary Waters Canoe Area, BWCAW
Tax id (EIN)
36-3414821
Categories
Education , Environment , Community
Address
2550 University Ave W Suite 180S