Save the Birch Lake Lunker

Hi there. My name's Burt the Birch Lake Lunker. I swim around in the waters of Birch Lake and up towards the Kawishiwi River. I love living in the weedy shallows and small creeks that flow from the hills nearby. You may have tried to catch me over the years, but no one ever has, though I have stolen a few "lucky lures" here and there.

I do enjoy our game of you trying to catch me and me always getting away, but something bad's about to happen. Up in one of my creeks, I've noticed these Twin Metals rigs searching around for a place to put a mine. If they get their way, they will be drilling there soon, and, before I can flip a tail fin, that mining runoff will come rushing down into my home! Word on the water is these mines do one thing and one thing only: they pollute. Everywhere in the world, they pollute! Gila Trout in Arizona, Salmon in British Columbia, and Catfish in Zambia all belly up when the mine next door polluted their rivers, and now they want to do the same to ours! As a Northern Pike, I'll be one of the first to go as a small creek brings the pollutants to Birch Lake and off into the Boundary Waters beyond.

If you enjoy fishing in some of the cleanest waters in the world, then the decision is really quite simple. You can't have both. Do you want a copper-nickel mine or a fish-filled river? That's the question.

The Trump administration is moving to reverse federal protections and fast-track toxic sulfide mining at the headwaters of the wilderness. This summer, the administration announced plans to lift the 20-year mining ban and reinstate expired mineral leases for Chilean mining giant Antofagasta's Twin Metals Minnesota project.

But with you, we’ll be ready. For 50 years, Friends of the Boundary Waters has brought people together to safeguard one of America's most cherished wilderness areas. No matter the threat, this legacy has prepared us for the fight ahead.

This is the moment we've been preparing for. Your gift makes it possible to defend the homes of the Birch Lake Lunker and all the wildlife that live here. The Boundary Waters is an irreplaceable heritage, not a bargaining chip for foreign mining conglomerates. With your help, we can continue to protect it for all time!