FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2025    Contacts:  Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy & Government Relations, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org  Lukas Leaf, Executive Director, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, lukas@sportsmenbwca.org    Hunters and Anglers Applaud Introduction of Legislation to Permanently Protect Boundary Waters A historic push to ensure future generations can hunt, fish, and paddle in the iconic watershed could be in dire jeopardy if public ...

News for Immediate ReleaseJan. 31, 2023Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act Would Ensure Public Waters Will Be Enjoyed by Future Generations  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Backcountry Hunters & Anglers welcomes the reintroduction of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act, legislation sponsored by Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) that would permanently protect the ...

News for Immediate ReleaseJan. 26, 2023Contact: Thomas Plank, 303-720-0111, plank@backcountryhunters.org Protections will Keep Pristine Wilderness Untouched for 20 Years  WASHINGTON, D.C.— Backcountry Hunters & Anglers commends the decision to advance long-term protections for the Rainy River watershed and the pristine waters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a crown jewel of public lands and waters in northeast Minnesota and America’s most visited wilderness area.  An ...

News for Immediate ReleaseJune 24, 2022Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org          Lukas Leaf, SFBW, 612-270-6805, lukas@sportsmenbwca.org U.S. Forest Service says copper-nickel mining jeopardizes nation’s most visited wilderness WASHINGTON – Hunters and anglers applauded a proposal Thursday from federal agencies that would protect the nation’s most visited wilderness, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota. A long-awaited ...

  News for Immediate ReleaseDec. 20, 2018Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org   Interior Department moves ahead with renewal of controversial mining leases upstream of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness ELY, Minn. – An administration decision to renew controversial and contested minerals leases in the Boundary Waters watershed in Minnesota jeopardizes a world-class wilderness while advancing industrial development, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers stated ...

News for Immediate Release April 24, 2018 Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org   Backcountry Hunters & Anglers gather to celebrate public lands and 10th anniversary of MN Legacy Amendment PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is hosting Minnesota Public Lands Day at the capitol tomorrow to celebrate public lands and waters and the 10th anniversary of Minnesota’s Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Sportsmen and women will be ...

News for Immediate ReleaseJan. 9, 2018Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.orgPublic lands sportsmen unite to oppose development within wilderness area watershedELY, Minn. – A Trump administration decision to reopen lands near the Boundary Waters Wilderness to industrial mining drew strong criticism from Backcountry Hunters & Anglers members in Minnesota today. Announced abruptly by the administration just days before Christmas, the decision resurrects a ...

ELY, Minn. – Public lands sportsmen today strongly criticized efforts by a Minnesota lawmaker to reignite a controversial proposal by an international mining company to develop large-scale copper mines within the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the most-visited wilderness area in the United States. Rep. Rick Nolan is in meetings with the Interior Department in an attempt to green-light sulfide-ore copper mining leases located on the edge of the Boundary Waters ...

Massive sulfide-ore copper mine would have jeopardized the region’s fish and wildlife, outdoor opportunities; leases were strongly opposed by sportsmen ELY, Minn. – Public lands sportsmen today applauded the denial of federal mineral leases in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed, a decision that removes a grave threat to the nation’s most-visited wilderness, ensures the continuation of the region’s hunting and fishing traditions, and safeguards the fish and wildlife ...