(1927 – 1989) Writer and ecologist of the Southwest. Sometimes called the “Thoreau of the Southwest,” Abbey combined a deep, lyrical love for the mountains and deserts of his adopted region with radical environmental proposals to preserve it. Among his major works are Fire on the Mountain (1962), Desert Solitaire (1968) and The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975). His impact and following have continued to grow even after his death.