The Daily - August 12,2021 - 53

the Superior National Forest. As of
now, the bill has 45 co-sponsors.
From a business and economic
Setting Boundaries
The Conservation Alliance breakfast
amplified the message of a few of Northern
Minnesota's Wilderness champions.
By Amelia Arvesen
FOR JUST A MOMENT, EVERYONE at
the Conservation Alliance breakfast
was transported to the serenity
of the Boundary Waters Canoe
Area Wilderness via a video clip.
Fog hung low over the rippling waters
as the sunrise turned the sky
pink and gold, and a white-throated
sparrow serenaded the crowd
with its sweet song.
This precious ecosystem in
Northern Minnesota is at risk of
an international mining company's
plans to build a sulfide-ore copper
mine, which would expose the
area and the people who live and
recreate there to sulphuric acid and
mine drainage. It would never be
the same again.
" Sulfuric copper mining has never
been done in Minnesota before,
primarily because of the inherent
risk to water, " said Alex Falconer,
government affairs director for the
Campaign to Save the Boundary
Waters, which received a $75,000
multiyear grant from the Conservation
Alliance.
This May, Falconer, along with
professional runner Clare Gallagher,
connected the iconic Kekekabic
and Border Route trails for a 110mile
traverse through the woods
of the Boundary Waters to draw
attention to the campaign. During
the 38 hours of running, Falconer
stopped to talk with people
paddling and camping to share the
news about the proposed mine.
" It was the coolest campaign I
think I'll ever see in my entire life, "
Gallagher said. " He would say,
'Please contact your representatives
and let's save this place,' and he
would be on his merry way. "
Awareness is growing, but there's
still work to do. On Earth Day this
year, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum
(DFL-Minnesota) introduced the
Boundary Waters Wilderness
Protection and Pollution Prevention
Act (HR 2794) to permanently
ban the extractive industry from
perspective, preserving the area
makes sense: It supports 17,000
jobs, gives $913 million to the local
economy, and draws 115,000 annual
visitors. Falconer said the mine
would actually cost the area 4,490
jobs and more than $100 million in
annual income.
Another fierce conservation
advocate is Joseph Goldstein, a
college student and founder of
Kids for the Boundary Waters. He
visited for the first time when he
was 6 years old, and after he was
diagnosed with high-risk leukemia
at 13, he often thought about his
favorite place while going through
chemotherapy. That's when he
started talking to lawmakers about
preserving the land of lakes.
" I started thinking about how
important it is for kids to know
how to effectively communicate
with our lawmakers, " Goldstein
said. " Our voices matter a lot
because we're going to inherit
whatever mess they leave to us. "
But there doesn't have to be a mess
in the Boundary Waters. Without
a mine, there could still be fresh
drinking water, loons and wolves, a
whole sky of stars, old-growth trees
for miles, and a guaranteed place to
find solitude and stillness.
To join the effort, text Save BWCA
to 40649. A link will direct you
to a letter-writing tool so you can
send a message to your representatives
asking them to support
HR 2794.
Yesterday's
virtual Conservation
Alliance
Breakfast
OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2021 /
53
LAUREN DANILEK
The Daily - August 12,2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Daily - August 12,2021
