This past month, two students from Minnetonka Middle School East (MME) had the opportunity to meet virtually with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Debra Haaland. Elsie and Donnie Falconer are a part of the Kids for the Boundary Waters organization, which is a youth-led group dedicated to advocating for the protection of the Boundary Waters, a nature reserve in northern Minnesota. 

“We love the Boundary Waters because it is so peaceful and quiet, and the water is so clean [that we even] drink straight from the lake,” Elsie and Donnie explained. “[Mining] would destroy that forever, and our generation would lose this amazing wilderness.” 

The Boundary Waters is America's most visited wilderness area, containing 20% of all freshwater in the National Forest System. Kids for the Boundary Waters advocates against sulfide-ore mining in the Boundary Waters. 

“Kids for the Boundary Waters was formed as a way for kids across Minnesota and the country to raise their voices to protect the Boundary Waters,” said Alex Falconer, who is Elsie and Donnie’s father and the Government Affairs Director for the Save the Boundary Waters Campaign. “Every year, we travel as a group of youth to [Washington D.C.] to talk to the U.S. representatives and senators and ask them to pass a bill to protect the Boundary Waters forever.” 

“In one meeting, we [met] with Congressional Representative Dean Phillips,” said Elsie and Donnie. “We all shared stories about why we love the Boundary Waters, and we even got to ride the secret train under the Capitol between meetings!”

Due to COVID-19, their meetings this year were held virtually. Nonetheless, their most recent meeting was with U.S. Secretary Debra Haaland from the Department of the Interior. 

“Secretary Haaland listened to stories from some of us, and it was really cool to hear how others were connected to the Boundary Waters,” Elsie and Donnie said. “She was really nice, and at the end she said they are doing everything they can to protect the Boundary Waters!”

The Kids for the Boundary Waters group enables students to take action and get their voices heard.

“We really like being a part of something that is doing a great cause for a place we really care about,” said Elsie and Donnie. “If you really like camping and being in nature, you should really go to the Boundary Waters and see how amazing it is!”