Protect the Boundary Waters — by Contacting Your Senators

This letter to the editor, by Jan Eldridge, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on February 5, 2026.

For 60 years, I have enjoyed the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) in Northern Minnesota. My introduction was with a church group and the area has felt sacred to me ever since. I am not alone in this feeling. The BWCA is one of America’s most treasured landscapes. And it is under threat.

Spanning one million acres of interconnected lakes and forests, it is the most visited wilderness area in the U.S. and a vital engine of the northern economy.

Now, it is threatened by a proposal to open the watershed of the BWCA to sulfide-ore copper mining.

The proposed mine is owned by a Chilean billionaire Andronico Luksic. During his first term, President Donald Trump pushed this mine at a time when Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were renting a home owned by Luksic. The overlap in timing raised serious concerns by ethics watchdogs. Now in his second term, he is pushing again.

Sulfide-ore copper mining carries well-documented risks of acid mine drainage — pollution that can persist indefinitely. In a region defined by interconnected waterways, one failure could contaminate lakes and rivers throughout the BWCA. Once polluted, this ecosystem cannot be restored.

Meanwhile, the copper extracted would be sold into global markets. China purchases most global copper. Taxpayers in the U.S. would bear all the risk while profits flow overseas.

Ending protection for the BWCA watershed (Public Land Order 7917) is being implemented through the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA will essentially be used to open public lands to mining. A simple yes or no vote and the BWCA waterway would be open to mining the next day.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany voted in favor of destroying the BWCA and the Superior National Forest waterways for this Chilean mine last week and the bill has now gone to the Senate.

Clean water, a prosperous outdoor economy and a globally significant wilderness are worth more than a shortterm mining gamble. Contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to vote against opening the Boundary Waters watershed to mining. Some places are simply too valuable to risk.