National Parks Traveler: "A must-read for anyone interested in national monuments"

As someone steeped in the literature of public lands, this readable and insightful book added much to my thinking about how our protected areas are “contested land.” It also offers hope that there will be a future of more collaboration and less conflict over an invaluable asset of the American people.

One woman’s enlightening trek through the natural histories, cultural stories, and present perils of thirteen national monuments, from Maine to Hawaii—now available in paperback

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in national monuments today, their values, and the issues surrounding them. President Biden reversed the decisions of President Trump on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument (the Republican had reversed the decisions of presidents Clinton and Obama before him), and perhaps Biden will in turn be reversed by a presidential successor, but one hope is this political contest over portions of the people’s land will soon cease.

If people read and think about what Long has found in her journey, they will be better equipped to participate in the contests over public land, and especially national monuments, than they would be otherwise. The text of The Antiquities Act authorizing presidents to proclaim monuments, which is remarkably brief, is included in this book, as well as a list of presidential monument proclamations under the Act from 1906 to 2022. As someone steeped in the literature of public lands, this readable and insightful book added much to my thinking about how our protected areas are “contested land.” It also offers hope that there will be a future of more collaboration and less conflict over an invaluable asset of the American people.

Read the full article at National Parks Traveler.