Obama just declared a new national monument, courtesy of the founder of Burt's Bees

America's newest national monument is situated in Maine's North Woods. On Wednesday, President Obama designated 87,500 acres of the forest as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, marking the 413th preserved area in the National Park Service, National Geographic reports, and Maine's second national monument.
The designation came at the request of Burt's Bees founder Roxanne Quimby, who donated the land valued at $60 million to the federal government this week in honor of the National Park Service's 100th anniversary. Quimby had been trying to make the area a national park for years, but her proposals had been met with resistance from Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine). The state's Republican Gov. Paul LePage opposed its creation as an "ego play" by "rich, out-of-state liberals," while residents worried it would invite a "federal government intrusion," The Associated Press reported.
The new monument is expected to create hundreds of jobs in the region. The Washington Post reported this could be the "last large new national park ever established on the East Coast."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
June 29 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the AI genie, Iran saving face, and bad language bombs
-
A tall ship adventure in the Mediterranean
The Week Recommends Sailing aboard this schooner and exploring Portugal, Spain and Monaco is a 'magical' experience
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from