Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is a Minnesota-based nonprofit founded in 1976 that works to protect, preserve and restore the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and the larger Quetico-Superior ecosystem through advocacy, legal action, education, stewardship and outreach to connect diverse communities to the wilderness.
Advocates for federal and state protections for public lands and wilderness, strong water quality safeguards, limits on sulfide-ore copper mining and mineral leasing near the BWCAW, restrictions on motorized uses to protect wilderness character, support for conservation-driven local economic development and programs to expand equitable access to outdoor recreation and environmental education.
Primarily funded through individual donations and memberships, supplemented by foundation grants, occasional event revenue and philanthropic contributions.
Frequent partners and allies include national and regional conservation groups such as the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society, conservation-focused foundations, local outdoor recreation businesses, and tribal governments and Indigenous organizations in the region (Anishinaabe/Ojibwe communities).
Nonprofit (501(c)(3)) conservation organization
