On the hunt for copper and other valuable metals, five exploration companies hope to prospect on 44,000 acres of the Superior National Forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area over the next two decades.
The details of their plans are described in a draft environmental review released last week by the U.S. Forest Service, which is seeking public comments on it.
If ore is discovered, it could bring new mining projects to the national forest -- a prospect that worries environmentalists and has been cheered by economic development officials in northern Minnesota.
