The Boundary Waters and adjacent public lands in Voyageurs National Park, Quetico Park in Canada, and the Superior National Forest make up a 4 million-acre expanse of internationally significant and intact boreal forest and freshwater ecosystem. With up to 180,000 wilderness-entry-permit visitors per year, the Boundary Waters is the most visited wilderness in the country and a cornerstone of Minnesota’s growing $13.5 billion outdoor recreation economy. The Boundary Waters is also within the 1854 Treaty Area, where Anishinaabe people retain hunting, fishing, and gathering rights.
On January 26, 2023, the U.S. Interior Secretary signed Public Land Order 7917, withdrawing 225,504 acres of Superior National Forest lands and federally owned minerals in the Boundary Waters watershed from federal mineral leasing for 20 years. There are now growing threats that this protection will be revoked. Save the Boundary Waters will continue to implement an offensive and defensive strategy to protect this landscape for future generations. They will use both state-level and federal tools to defend existing protections and work towards permanent protection through legislation.
