Author, The Monkeywrench Gang, which inspired Earth First!Edward Abbey’s 1975 novel The Monkeywrench Gang was the inspiration for the eco-terror group, Earth First! The book follows a band of environmental zealots who sabotage oil, mining, and farming interests. It is no coincidence that Earth First! chose to vandalize the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River as its first public act in 1981: “The Monkeywrench Gang” involves a plot to blow up that same dam.

Before his death in 1989, Abbey actively supported Earth First! by speaking at its public events and giving donations.