Written by HLRBO Staff|
Last updated
With all the threats to public lands in the past few years, it's easy to tune out the news about the latest public lands "emergency" as abstract political fights. This type of outrage burnout is understandable, but it doesn't help the cause of public lands.
A new film from hunting apparel brand Sitka steps outside of the news cycle and helps make the current Boundary Waters conflict in Minnesota more tangible with a beautifully shot short profile of a local resident and hunter.
Timo Rova grew up (and still resides) just outside of Minnesota's famed Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This film uses Rova's narration to tell the story of a life lived in the region while the visuals illustrate his unique, primitive style of hunting by boat with simple shelter and few supplies.
Watch the short film free on YouTube.
The short documentary is titled All That You Carry: The Ballad of Timo Rova, and it is an easy 11-minute watch that's free on YouTube via Sitka's channel.
What's at Stake in the Conflict
While the film is a welcome grounding of the abstract (if you're not one of Rova's neighbors, at least) conflict, there are 1.1 million acres that advocates say are in danger from the push to open copper mining in the region.
The gist of the issue is a reignition of a long-standing desire to mine for copper upstream of the BWCA on National Forest lands. Field & Stream has a good summary of where the current resolution stands and the history of the mining issue in Minnesota.
The proposed mine is the longstanding dream project of a Chilean company. (Chile is the world's top copper exporter by a wide margin.) But it was seemingly blocked by a 20-year mining moratorium in 2022. A new resolution aims to undo that moratorium to open the door for the mining project.
Sportsmen's and wildlife advocacy groups have largely denounced the plan as an unacceptable threat to the downstream waters, including the BWCA. You can read the case against the mine project from MeatEater's Steven Rinella and BHA President Ryan Callaghan here.