Blog Action Day – Sulfide Mining in the BWCA

October 15th, 2010 is Blog Action Day, an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action. This year’s topic is water.

I’ve opted to post a short treastise on the subject of sulfide mining and how it poses imminent danger to one of the greatest watersheds in the world, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. Sulfide mining, which extracts copper, nickel and other metals from sulfide ores has “…decimated water supplies, killed fish, destroyed entire landscapes, and left taxpayers holding the bag for expensive clean-up operations almost everywhere it’s been done before” according to the Friends of the Boundary Waters, a non-profit group who’s mission is “to protect, preserve and restore the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Quetico-Superior Ecosystem.”

Visit the Friends of the Boundary Waters to learn more about the debate over mining, jobs and the environment taking place all over the world and particularly in the vast lakes and forests of the Boundary Waters and Quetico Provincial Park.

Below is a representation of the stunning beauty and tranquility that is to be found in the quiet, northern reaches of the United States.

Boundary Waters Part 2 from Alex Horner on Vimeo.