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Canoes, Conservation, and Colonialism

Hallman, Liliana LU (2025) UTVK03 20251
Sociology
Abstract
In the United States, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is central to a highly publicized public lands dispute. The proposed Twin Metals project seeks to mine the largest undeveloped sulfide mineral deposit in the country, located just kilometers from the Boundary Waters, America’s most visited Wilderness area. Advocates assert that sulfide pollution poses an irreversible threat to a region renowned for some of the United States’ cleanest water, rarest wildlife, and most beloved outdoor recreational opportunities. Beyond these concerns, the land is essential to the cultural continuity of the Anishinaabe, its Indigenous stewards, since time immemorial. However, traditional settler conservation narratives often erase this connection,... (More)
In the United States, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is central to a highly publicized public lands dispute. The proposed Twin Metals project seeks to mine the largest undeveloped sulfide mineral deposit in the country, located just kilometers from the Boundary Waters, America’s most visited Wilderness area. Advocates assert that sulfide pollution poses an irreversible threat to a region renowned for some of the United States’ cleanest water, rarest wildlife, and most beloved outdoor recreational opportunities. Beyond these concerns, the land is essential to the cultural continuity of the Anishinaabe, its Indigenous stewards, since time immemorial. However, traditional settler conservation narratives often erase this connection, preferring to present wilderness as untouched and pristine nature. This case study uses a diagnostic frame analysis to unfold how the most impactful organization in the endeavor for protection, Save the Boundary Waters, constructs the land’s value. I identify key framing narratives of a pure wilderness, unique ecology, recreational appeal, American legacy, and cultural significance. This paper ultimately discusses how the organization’s efforts often reinforce the persistent trend of Indigenous erasure in American environmentalism, revealing a paradox between inclusion efforts and exclusionary conservation narratives. By analyzing these frames, this thesis offers insight into the complexities of current conservation efforts and their implications for Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice, highlighting the need for more inclusive approaches to land protection. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Hallman, Liliana LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Wilderness Framing at the Crossroads of Resource Extraction, Conservation, Recreation, and Indigenous Continuity
course
UTVK03 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
United States, Anishinaabe, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Conservation, Frame Analysis, Construction of Place
language
English
id
9194130
date added to LUP
2025-06-17 09:09:19
date last changed
2025-06-25 20:59:16
@misc{9194130,
  abstract     = {{In the United States, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is central to a highly publicized public lands dispute. The proposed Twin Metals project seeks to mine the largest undeveloped sulfide mineral deposit in the country, located just kilometers from the Boundary Waters, America’s most visited Wilderness area. Advocates assert that sulfide pollution poses an irreversible threat to a region renowned for some of the United States’ cleanest water, rarest wildlife, and most beloved outdoor recreational opportunities. Beyond these concerns, the land is essential to the cultural continuity of the Anishinaabe, its Indigenous stewards, since time immemorial. However, traditional settler conservation narratives often erase this connection, preferring to present wilderness as untouched and pristine nature. This case study uses a diagnostic frame analysis to unfold how the most impactful organization in the endeavor for protection, Save the Boundary Waters, constructs the land’s value. I identify key framing narratives of a pure wilderness, unique ecology, recreational appeal, American legacy, and cultural significance. This paper ultimately discusses how the organization’s efforts often reinforce the persistent trend of Indigenous erasure in American environmentalism, revealing a paradox between inclusion efforts and exclusionary conservation narratives. By analyzing these frames, this thesis offers insight into the complexities of current conservation efforts and their implications for Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice, highlighting the need for more inclusive approaches to land protection.}},
  author       = {{Hallman, Liliana}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Canoes, Conservation, and Colonialism}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}