Save the Boundary Waters is a campaign and public-facing brand of Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW), operating as a de facto trade name for NMW. The group is a left-of-center conservation advocacy group focused on permanently prohibiting sulfide-ore copper mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and adjacent federal lands. The group pursues federal and state-level bans on mining activity in the Boundary Waters area, aligns with national environmental organizations, and coordinates a business and nongovernmental organization coalition. ^{1 2}

Background and History
Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness originated in 1996 when activists in Grand Marais and Ely, Minnesota organized to lobby for the prohibition of several types of recreational and industrial activity in the area following legislative efforts in the 1970s and 1980s largely organized by the Sierra Club. Early leaders included Bill Hansen and Ely-based organizer Paul Schurke. In 2013, NMW formalized a national “Save the Boundary Waters” coalition to oppose proposed copper-nickel mines near the wilderness, and has since largely conducted activity under the Save the Boundary Waters brand, with a particular focus on federal advocacy. As of 2025, the group operated two political action committees: the Campaign Fund to Save the Boundary Waters PAC and the Boundary Waters PAC. The group also operates a 501(c)(4) lobbying and action arm, the Boundary Waters Action Fund. ^{3 1}

Activities
Save the Boundary Waters engages in litigation, political advocacy, scientific review, and national mobilization to restrict or block copper-sulfide mining proposals such as Twin Metals near Birch Lake and the Kawishiwi River. The group reports orchestrating hundreds of meetings with elected officials, collecting mass public comments and letters, and commissioning science on water quality, sulfate, and methyl-mercury risks to the Boundary Waters ecosystem. ¹

The organization and its legal partners file and support lawsuits challenging mineral leasing and environmental reviews. In 2024, the group publicized arguments before a state administrative law judge in Minnesota arguing for amended Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) rules to prohibit copper-sulfide mining in the Boundary Waters watershed. ⁴

Partner Organizations
Save the Boundary Waters stated that as of 2025 it was coordinating a coalition of over 400 organizations and a business network of companies that it claims rely on the region’s recreation economy. It also highlights international coordination with Canadian agencies and Native American groups, given downstream impacts into Quetico Provincial Park. ⁵

Notable left-of-center partner organizations of the group include American Rivers, the Center for Biological Diversity, Earth Justice, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the League of Conservation Voters. ⁵

Policy Stances
Save the Boundary Waters advocates a permanent federal mineral withdrawal and statutory mining ban across 225,504 acres in the Rainy River Headwaters, supporting the “Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection Act” and Minnesota’s “Boundary Waters Protection Bill.” It frames copper-sulfide mining as uniquely risky and distinguishes its opposition to Twin Metals from separate Lake Superior-watershed proposals such as PolyMet. ^{6 1}

Grantmaking and Funding
Funders of Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness and Save the Boundary Waters include the Wilderness Society Action Fund, Beyond Boundaries Institute, Hornblow Foundation, GiveMN, Patagonia, and the Quetico Superior Foundation. ⁷

1. “Work.” Save the Boundary Waters. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/our-work
2. “Annual Reports.” Save the Boundary Waters. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/annualreports
3. “Our History.” Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.neminnesotansforwilderness.org/our-history
4. “We just made our case for the Boundary Waters in court.” Save the Boundary Waters. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/we-just-made-our-case-boundary-waters-court
5. “Partners.” Save the Boundary Waters. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/partners
6. “Action Center.” Save the Boundary Waters. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/action-center
7. “Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness — Full-Text Search, ProPublica.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?sort=best&form%5B%5D=IRS990PF&form%5B%5D=IRS990ScheduleI&form%5B%5D=IRS990ScheduleO&q=%22NORTHEASTERN+MINNESOTANS+FOR+WILDERNESS%22&submit=Apply