WMAN began as a small grassroots group in the western United States to help each other protect their communities from the environmental devastation of mining.

WMAN has since expanded over the years to provide free programs and services to mining-affected communities across the US and Canada, beyond just the West. WMAN hosts an active Caucus of groups in the Great Lakes region (on both the US and Canadian side of the lakes), an Alaska Caucus, supports communities dealing with the legacy of coal mining in the southeast US, and includes First Nations and other communities working on mining in eastern Canada as well.

Now, more than 400 people across the United States and Canada participate in WMAN, representing Tribes, First Nations, grassroots community groups, scientists, legal experts, and non-profit environmental organizations, all sharing a common goal to better protect the environment and communities from past, present and future mining. WMAN has grown into a unique, critical forum that has a positive impact in strengthening environmental advocacy work, community skills, and non-violent, direct action on the ground in mining-affected communities.

The Western Mining Action Network is a strong, diverse alliance of communities who work to protect water, air, land, wildlife, and human beings from the adverse effects of mining.

We connect locally-based citizen groups and activists in the US and Canada in an effort to share information, tools and resources related to mining. Our network consists of over 400 individuals and organizations, from racially and economically diverse communities in the U.S. and Canada.

WMAN multiplies our individual power to make positive social change; we are more than the sum of our parts. Together, we strive for a just future where no new mines are ever needed. We aim to support our network partners so that:

WMAN explicitly values the experience and knowledge of Indigenous peoples, mining-affected communities, and workers, and bases its work on mutual learning and participatory, deliberative and transformative methodologies.

WMAN is democratic. We are governed by an elected, volunteer Steering Committee of 20 community-based leaders, serving two year terms, filling designated regional and issue-based seats. More than half of our current Steering Committee are Indigenous.