A Republican Plea to Save the Boundary Waters

I’m a proud conservative Republican fighting to save America’s most visited wilderness, the Boundary Waters, and working to persuade the party of Lincoln to reconnect with its conservation roots.?The woefully inadequate performance of the Republicans in the mid-terms should give them cause for pause. It’s clear the American people are looking for bipartisanship in Washington and nothing could be more American, or more bipartisan, than saving the Boundary Waters – it’s the Natural embodiment of God, family, and country.?This lame duck session is the last good chance for this Congress to pass permanent protection legislation (H.R. 2794 – The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act) to guarantee this pristine wilderness is never irreparably destroyed by incessant attacks from sulfide-ore copper mining interests.?

The current threat comes from a Chilean mining company that is relentlessly pursuing profit motives at the direct expense of this wilderness and the American people. Over the last decade, the Boundary Waters issue has become a political football – preserve – exploit – protect – destroy – repeat.?Before the mid-terms, Republicans were seemingly poised for a red tsunami, predicated on the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster, soaring inflation, surging crime, and an overrun border – but it never materialized.?Americans spoke loudly they want our political parties to work together.?It’s time for the partisan games to stop and the madness to end. It’s time for Republicans to join Democrats and ride a new wave of red, white, and blue conservationism, and saving the Boundary Waters forever is a great place to start.

Conservation has been a cornerstone of the Republican Party since the height of the Civil War when President Lincoln proactively worked to protect the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove in 1864. President Grant followed suit and established Yellowstone as America’s first National Park, which has just celebrated its 150-year anniversary.?President Harrison designated Yosemite as a National Park in 1890, and the following year, he proclaimed the Yellowstone Park Timber Land Reserve as America’s first national forest reserve.?Theodore Roosevelt exponentially ramped up efforts when he formed several National Parks, carved out well over a hundred million acres of National Forests and established numerous National Monuments, one of which was the Grand Canyon.?Thankfully, shortly before leaving office, President Roosevelt set aside the Superior National Forest, where the Boundary Waters resides, a clear indication of his desire to protect this treasured land.?The common denominator among all these great conservation presidents – they were all great Republicans.

More than a century later, I estimate the visitation in the Boundary Waters wilderness is comparable in backcountry impact to these big three National Parks combined.?But unlike our iconic Parks, its uniqueness isn’t seen from a Mount Washburn, Tunnel or South Rim view. The Boundary Waters is felt, in the bones and spirit, around every bend in the river, paddle across a remote lake, portage from one lake to the next, or when a glorious sunset transitions to a flickering campfire after an arduous day of companionship and formative development.?Unfortunately, Republicans are squarely on the wrong side of their cornerstone values on this issue, and in complete contradiction to their exceptional conservation history.?

Quite simply, the Republican leadership argument against Boundary Waters protection doesn’t hold water.?It often revolves around job creation and critical mineral availability but allowing sulfide-ore copper mining near the Boundary Waters would destroy many more jobs than it could ever create, and any extracted critical minerals would be negligible and insignificant in meeting our national security interests. In any economic or security scenario, there’s no justification to put this type of mine in this type of place. Consciously placing this terrain in jeopardy would be a travesty of historic and epic proportions.

This is a plea for Republicans to support H.R. 2794 in any forthcoming votes, and for all Senators (Democrat and Republican) to ensure it becomes part of any end of year omibus package.?For those who say nature, conservation, sportsmanship, youth leadership formation, veteran support, and mental health (all benefits associated with spending time in the Boundary Waters) are important, prove it with your affirming vote on H.R. 2794.?To all Republicans who espouse the values and legacy of Lincoln, Grant, and Roosevelt, this is your opportunity to humbly show it.?Join with your Democrat colleagues in a welcomed bipartisan way to save the Boundary Waters for all future generations. It’s the right decision and will become part of your own great conservation legacy.

Joe Banavige is from Independence, Minnesota, is a volunteer with the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters and is writing a three-volume biography on Theodore Roosevelt.