BWCA River Ranks as 3rd Most-Endangered in US, Report Shows

A Boundary Waters river ranks as third most endangered in US

A river in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was ranked as the nation’s third most endangered in an annual list of threatened waterways from the conservation group American Rivers on Tuesday, MPR News reports. This comes after the U.S. House of Representatives voted in January to lift the 20-year ban on mining near the Boundary Waters. According to the American Rivers report, more than two dozen studies over the past decade show …

American Rivers names Boundary Waters No. 3 on America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2026 list

WASHINGTON, D.C. — American Rivers named the South Kawishiwi River—a vital artery of the iconic Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness— to America’s Most Endangered Rivers list of 2026, due to proposed sulfide-ore copper mining in its headwaters. A joint resolution now before the U.S. Senate would undo current protections against copper mining, according to a news release from the Save the Boundary Waters organization. Flowing through one of the …

BWCA river ranks as 3rd most-endangered in US, report shows

MN's South Kawishiwi River, which helps sustain the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed, landed third on the conservation organization's 2026 list.

River in the Boundary Waters is again named to list of country’s most endangered waterways

American Rivers says the South Kawishiwi River is threatened by proposed copper mines in the watershed. The clock is ticking on a Congressional effort to reverse a 20-year mining ban in northeast Minnesota.