Mining in Two of the World’s Most Precious Wilderness ​Areas

Two of the world’s most precious wilerness ​areas are at risk. Some of the most precious resources we still have left in the United States are the wilderness areas of Alaska and Minnesota. In Alaska, it’s the Bristol Bay watershed. In Minnesota, where I grew up, it’s the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area. Both are in potential peril due to mining interests that are on the verge of getting the green light to change both forever.

Bristol Bay Pebble Mine

Bristol Bay is a land of vast wilderness and expansive tundra, dotted with a few black spruce and small rivers that lead to larger tributaries where millions upon millions of wild salmon annually spawn.

With the salmon come the bears and many other animals that feed on the leftovers the bears leave behind. Along the river, you may see mink,

weasels, bald eagles, ravens, lynx, wolves, and other predators too small to notice. I call it the Land of Magic, and it’s about to be wiped out!

Here’s How the NRDC Describes It

The Bristol Bay watershed is one of America’s last great wild places, home to bears, eagles, and wolves. It provides half the world’s wild sockeye salmon, supports 14,000 jobs, and generates $1.5 billion in economic activity every year. But if this gold and copper mine gets built, it will poison the bay’s headwaters with up to 10 billion tons of mining waste that will have to be stored—forever—in a wet and seismically active region.

And that risk has grown since now former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt cut a backroom deal with Northern Dynasty Mineral Ltd., the Canadian company behind the toxic Pebble Mine project, throwing a lifeline to company and emboldening it to apply for permits and seek new investors from the online trading circles.

Last summer I wrote about the Pebble Mine, a huge project that will most likely affect, possibly destroy, this world-class ecosystem, an ecosystem known for the largest wild salmon population in the world. Thankfully the Army Corps of Engineers is taking comments on what people think of this disastrous idea. If enough people speak out about this project they MIGHT just shut it down. 

You have to act fast. The deadline for all public comments is July 1, 2019. Follow this link to the Comment Page for the Pebble Mine. Make sure you do a little homework and visit the NRDC website that explains the downsides to this massive project and why it would be bad for all Americans.

The BWCA is Also at Risk

A big part of the reason I became a wildlife and nature photographer is due to many years of paddling the quiet waters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area.

The BWCA, the most visited wilderness area in all the United States, is also on the hit list for mining interests. This ecosystem is also worth protecting with its common loons, black bears, wolves, moose, world-class fishing with fishing rod and reel for beginners, and quiet wilderness.

One could argue that we all need many of the minerals these mines could produce, but there has to be a discussion on the subject of exploitation and sustainability.

When are we going to realize that the planet can handle only so many people? With the world’s population continually growing, there’s an ongoing need for more and more resources. Eventually, we’ll destroy everything that is natural and there will be no nature left. Even if you don’t give a damn about nature, you will give a damn when it comes to needing clean water, clean air, fresh produce, and the other things we all need to live.

Minnesota’s Long History in Mining

Additionally, why are these two mines—that will affect US citizens—being developed by foreign interests? The mine proposed on the edges of the BWCA is lead by a St. Paul-based subsidiary of Chile’s Antofagasta. The Bristol Bay Pebble Mine is lead by Canadian conglomerate Northern Dynasty Minerals. Why are these foreign interests allowed to rape and pillage the American landscape?

This blog post falls in line with my last post about using your photography to make changes and to hopefully convince our fellow citizens there needs to be a different perspective. If you’ve been to these two wilderness areas, you too can use your pictures to help spread the word. Post your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like. Help us get the word out.

Help Save the BWCA.