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A review by jdintr
Leave It as It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt's American Wilderness by David Gessner
3.0
I read this book in advance of a trip to North Dakota and a stay at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. While Gessner covers the basic history of TR, this is a reflection on today's wild lands and a reaction to TR-ump's efforts to roll back Clinton- and Obama-established public lands--in particular Bear's Ears National Monument.
The book ranges from history to travelogue and around to op-ed. The titular quote, "Leave it as it is," uttered by TR at the dedication of Grand Canyon National Monument. Gessner traces the evolution of this meaning--coined at the height of industrialization in America, but relevant to today when re-wilding of public lands grows more and more urgent.
Along the way, Gessner endorses the ideal of a protected migration corridor along the spine of the Rockies which would allow elk and antelope, as well as grizzlies and mountain lions, to expand their range and adapt to the impact of climate change. (One thing I did after finishing the book was mail a donation to the American Prairie Preserve, which is doing just this in Montana.)
Gessner writes several chapters about Bears' Ears National Monument, an area just outside the Navajo Reservation in the Four Corners region which holds countless sites of priceless human artifacts. The monument was proposed by a group of native American tribes, and was seen as a huge step forward for the native community at the time of its ratification in the waning days of the Obama presidency. Gessner describes a hike through the monument, and recounts the efforts of stakeholders to preserve the monument, even as the Trump Administration returned thousands of acres for exploitation by ranching and extractive industries.
The book ranges from history to travelogue and around to op-ed. The titular quote, "Leave it as it is," uttered by TR at the dedication of Grand Canyon National Monument. Gessner traces the evolution of this meaning--coined at the height of industrialization in America, but relevant to today when re-wilding of public lands grows more and more urgent.
Along the way, Gessner endorses the ideal of a protected migration corridor along the spine of the Rockies which would allow elk and antelope, as well as grizzlies and mountain lions, to expand their range and adapt to the impact of climate change. (One thing I did after finishing the book was mail a donation to the American Prairie Preserve, which is doing just this in Montana.)
Gessner writes several chapters about Bears' Ears National Monument, an area just outside the Navajo Reservation in the Four Corners region which holds countless sites of priceless human artifacts. The monument was proposed by a group of native American tribes, and was seen as a huge step forward for the native community at the time of its ratification in the waning days of the Obama presidency. Gessner describes a hike through the monument, and recounts the efforts of stakeholders to preserve the monument, even as the Trump Administration returned thousands of acres for exploitation by ranching and extractive industries.