(MNN)-A new special report, America’s Most Endangered Public Lands 2026, names the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as the most at-risk wilderness in the nation. The investigation was published by REPUBLIC in collaboration with Outside Magazine and written by National Geographic Explorer Stephanie Pearson. She warns that America’s 640 million acres of public lands are “under siege.” Despite its pristine one-million-acre boreal forest and status as the most visited wilderness area in the U-S, the Boundary Waters faces unprecedented pressure as federal leaders advance efforts to open its watershed to sulfide, copper ore mining, one of the nation’s most toxic industries. Conservation groups say the push threatens vital habitat, cultural homelands, and 20 percent of all freshwater in the US National Forest system.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
