Keep America Beautiful!

As a constituent and outdoor enthusiast, I urge you to support both the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection Act (S. 1366) and the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act (H.R. 588) to permanently protect 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest from foreign mining interests. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is America's most visited National Wilderness, with more than 155,000 annual visitors enjoying its 1.1 million acres of pristine waters and old growth forests situated within Superior National Forest. This precious region is home to countless fish and wildlife and contains more than 2,000 campsites, 1,200 miles of canoe routes and nearly 2,000 miles of hiking trails enjoyed by outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. The area is also critical to the cultural and economic well-being of several tribal nations who depend upon this ecosystem to harvest rice, fish, hunt, and gather. The Boundary Waters and neighboring Voyageurs National Park are vital to northeastern Minnesota’s outdoor economy, bringing more than $1 billion to the region and its communities each year. Together, S. 1388 and H.R. 588 would protect the Boundary Waters from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining and withdraw 225,504 acres in the Rainy River Watershed from copper-nickel mining development. Mining upstream of the Wilderness directly threatens water quality, fish and wildlife, tribal treaty rights and cultural needs, as well as downstream small businesses. What's more, the chance for future generations to enjoy this iconic region would be forever impacted by sulfide-ore copper mining. Please support both S. 1388 and H.R. 588 to protect the Boundary Waters from foreign mining interests. Thank you for considering my views, and I look forward to hearing from you on this issue.