Mineral withdrawal was banned in 2023 after the U.S. Forest Service's 2022 study showed mining was unsafe in the Rainy River watershed, which flows to the BWCA. On April 16, 2026, the Senate passed MN Rep. Pete Stauber's bill to repeal the ban, and Chilean-owned company Twin Metals Minnesota, LLC, can now resume their attempt to mine copper and nickel, metals we all use constantly in our daily lives. The program will feature Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters, and Julie Lucas, Executive Director of Mining Minnesota. Both speakers have deep knowledge of the complicated geologic, economic, and political issues about mining in Northern Minnesota and have worked hard to inform the public about the implications of lifting the mining ban.

This will be a virtual event. Interested participants can register on Zoom at this link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ODkg8SG1Q2KKT-mEXxac1w#/registration

If possible, the webinar will be rebroadcast through program partners, SCCTV and SPNN and hosted on the LWVSP YouTube channel 24 hours after the event.