January 14, 2017 at 03:16PM

Wilderness travel causes us to focus on simple things . . . food, water, firewood, weather . . . these are the things that affect us the most when we unplug from our hectic lives and return to the real world of untrammeled water, woods and sky that embraces us in the Boundary Waters. These intangible values that Sigurd Olson worked tirelessly to elevate and protect are threatened and it is up to all of us to take action to protect our nation’s most popular Wilderness.

Yesterday the United States Forest Service officially announced a two-year pause on mining activities in approximately 234,328 acres of the Superior National Forest, a vital portion of the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The announcement started a 90-day period for the public to comment on the Forest Service’s application for withdrawal of these lands and minerals from the federal leasing program. Please follow the link in our bio and submit a comment, urging the government to withdraw these critical lands and minerals from the leasing program and protect the Boundary Waters Watershed from sulfide-ore copper mining. Amy and I have committed to posting on social media every day during the 90-day comment period to encourage you to submit a comment and encourage your friends to join you in taking action. Please follow us, like and share our posts, post your photos and stories about the Boundary Waters, tag #savetheBWCA, and most importantly encourage as many people as possible to submit a comment at http://ift.tt/2jgv14m