Senator Smith calls for Biden appointees to finish mining study and consider 20-year prohibition
Letter requests new administration complete its analysis of whether mining can be done safely in Boundary Waters watershed.
News
Sigurd Olson’s writing shack designated a historic site of national significance
His collection of rocks, duck decoys, snippets of writing, books, maps, personal photos, even his typewriter is still there. Its where he wrote most of his famous works about the Boundary Waters…
Stars aligned: Voyageurs National Park receives prestigious Dark Sky designation
Northern Minnesota’s National Park follows Boundary Waters in being certified by international organization.
Court rules that Minnesota pollution regulators obeyed law when working on PolyMet permit
Decision in lawsuit finds that agency tried to keep criticisms from public, but did not violate any statutes.
Great American Outdoors Act could help Voyageurs, Isle Royale
Major legislation will direct billions of dollars toward catching up on maintenance at National Parks and other public lands.
DNR rejects initial Twin Metals mine proposal as ‘incomplete’
State responds to first environmental review submission with long list of questions and concerns.
Coronavirus in canoe country: pandemic precautions affect public lands
While local residents follow social distancing outdoors in the wilderness, the public is asked to not travel to the Quetico-Superior region, as facilities close due to infection prevention measures.
Minnesota court throws out key PolyMet permits in win for environmental interests
Court of Appeals finds that the DNR was wrong to deny a hearing over the mining and dam safety permits for proposed copper-nickel project in northeastern Minnesota.
Boundary Waters counties get good news about federal reimbursement for wilderness
Local governments will continue to receive the same level of compensation from the Forest Service to make up for lost revenue, until a new appraisal is completed.
More water bodies in northeast Minnesota fail state pollution standards
State agency finds many lakes and streams are contaminated by pollutants across the Boundary Waters, northern Minnesota region.
Measuring dark night skies in Quetico-Superior a first step in light pollution protection
Wilderness rangers recently traveled through Quetico and Boundary Waters to take measurements of the night skies are, as regional efforts get underway to recognize and preserve its darkness.
Boundary Waters permit reservation system reopens in wake of earlier failure
After crashing on its first day at the end of January, the system that lets people plan wilderness trips re-launched successfully, though a key Congressman is seeking to force the Forest Service to bring back the lottery for motorized trips.
Several minor wildfires burn across canoe country
Lightning has started a handful of blazes on both sides of the international border, though the fires remain relatively small.
Twin Metals proposes mine processing plant on Birch Lake
A facility near the Boundary Waters and upstream of the popular White Iron Chain of Lakes could process 20,000 tons of ore each day.
Berm washes out in Biwabik, spilling iron mine waste downstream
An embankment next to a historic iron mine pit was breached during spring melt, damaging infrastructure and contaminating local waters.
Federal government restores mineral leases in Boundary Waters watershed
Twin Metals is getting mineral leases back that it lost in 2016, as the Trump administration continues to reverse Obama-era decisions.
Longtime northwoods journalist Sam Cook announces retirement
After 38 years full of stories ranging from Duluth to the Arctic, the well-known scribe is closing out his career.
Threat of mining pollution puts Boundary Waters on annual list of threatened rivers
American Rivers has named the wilderness waters to its list for a second time in five years as critical decisions loom.
Grand Marais radio station launches Boundary Waters podcast
WTIP’s new online program features in-depth reporting on the people, experiences, and practices of canoe country.
Rising deer numbers in northern Minnesota mean more wolves
The latest estimate of the wolf population has increased significantly due to more and more whitetail deer living in wolf territory.