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Welcome to MoabAbbey.com, a website devoted to spirit of Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 - March 14, 1989) who was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental groups, and the non-fiction work Desert Solitaire. Writer Larry McMurtry referred to Abbey as the "Thoreau of the American West".

In the late 1950s, when it was still remote and seldom visited, Edward Abbey spent two summers as a ranger at Arches National Monument (now Arches National Park).  Residing in a house trailer near Devils Garden, Abbey studied the fauna, flora and geology of Arches and the Salt Valley.  His experiences there formed the basis for his classic book, Desert Solitaire, first published in 1967.  Abbey’s misgivings about development to the contrary, over fifty years later, little has changed in the Salt Valley or Devils Garden.

When we wrote the words above, less than a year ago, we believed that the Bureau of Land Management planned to keep the entire area free of drill rigs and mineral exploitation. We were wrong.

In November, 2008, "Midnight Oil & Gas Leases"  threatened Salt Valley and adjacent Arches National Park

Watch the Video Here