A tribal government that comprises six northern Minnesota Ojibwe bands has come out in support of Rep. Betty McCollum’s bill to block mining on federal lands that drain toward the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe sent a letter to Congress on January 31 that marked a significant new step for Native American interests in the region.
The federally-recognized tribe represents the Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and White Earth reservations. The letter points out the wilderness has been used by their ancestors long before it was declared wilderness, as first reported by The Timberjay.
“The BWCA watershed is comprised of a vast area of pristine interconnected waterways that have been used by the Chippewa for centuries,” the letter said. “Low buffering capacity of water and soil and the interconnection of lakes and streams, make the BWCA watershed particularly vulnerable to the impacts of mining.”
Tribal members continue to harvest wild rice, fish, and otherwise exercise treaty rights in the Boundary Waters and much of northern Minnesota.
The letter supports H.R. 5598, the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act, introduced by McCollum and others in January. It would add an additional 234,000 acres of federal land to the BWCAW’s buffer zone, prohibiting mining on lands that drain toward the Kawishiwi River and the wilderness.
“It is unacceptable to trade this precious landscape and our way of life to enrich foreign mining companies that will leave a legacy of degradation that will last forever,” the letter said.
While the Timberjay reports that some of the individual bands in the region have been fighting copper-nickel mining proposals for years, editor Marshall Helmberger notes other reservations have held back. It is the first time that some of the bands have backed a measure that would essentially stop the proposed Twin Metals mine proposal near Birch Lake.
The band says mining threatens their traditional lifestyle still practiced today.
“The fish in adjacent waters — Birch Lake, the South Kawishiwi River and downstream water bodies — are subject to consumption advisories designated by the Minnesota Department of Health because of mercury in their flesh,” the letter reads, according to the Hibbing Daily Tribune. “Sulfide-ore copper mining will increase the amount of mercury in the fish, a toxin of great concern to our members who depend on wild caught fish for their sustenance. Wild rice and terrestrial species will also be at risk, as pollution and habitat destruction will have wide reaching impacts.”
The letter was signed by Minnesota Chippewa Tribes chairwoman Cathy Chavers, who is also chairwoman of the Bois Forte Band, which operates a casino, golf course, and other attractions near Lake Vermilion. The advocacy has resulted in some political pushback. Senator Tom Bakk recently cancelled a fundraiser at Bois Forte’s casino in Tower, and Ely mayor Chuck Novak said he supports a boycott of businesses owned by the tribes.
Since the legislation was first introduced on Jan. 15, the list of co-sponsors in the House of Representatives has expanded to 37 total. In addition to McCollum, it is co-sponsored by Minnesota Reps. Dean Phillips and Ilhan Omar.