Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness respond to member concerns

The Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness was founded as a nonprofit in 1996 to, as its website states, “to continue a vital tradition; working to protect our wild places against ever-increasing public and commercial pressures so that the area’s wild character will remain intact for future generations.”

The organization has grown since 1996 and is the driving force behind the Save the Boundary Waters campaign. The primary focus of the Save the Boundary Waters campaign is to ensure permanent protection of the Boundary Waters Wilderness from proposed copper-nickel mining in the region.

A founding member of NMW recently shared concerns that the organization is too focused on halting copper-nickel projects, claiming that other important environmental issues are being neglected.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with the letter’s author, Brad Sagan, about his concerns and followed up with NMW Co-Chair Jon Nelson. Here’s her report.