Local photographer and writer Matt Witt will share a sampling of the 132 photographs in a new hard-cover book, Monumental Beauty, that highlights the beauty and biodiversity of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument on the monument’s 25th anniversary on Wednesday June 18th at 6 pm at Northwest Nature Shop.

Ancient waterfalls, mysterious volcanic shapes, towering trees, and richly colored wildflowers grace this home to more than 3,500 different plants and mammals, invertebrates, insects, reptiles, birds, and other living beings.

100% of the proceeds from the book go to Soda Mountain Wilderness Council which for more than 40 years has promoted and protected what is now the monument.

In a foreword to Monumental Beauty, Don Gentry, former chair of the Klamath Tribes, writes: “Today, protection of the land is urgent as climate change puts our watersheds and forests, and even our homes and our culture, at risk. We have always been one with the land and always will be. The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is one important way to help us protect it.”

Matt Witt is a photographer and writer in Talent who has been hiking and photographing in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for 20 years. He has been selected as Artist in Residence at Crater Lake National Park, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and other venues. His work has been selected for exhibitions both in the U.S. and Europe and may be seen at MattWittPhotography.com.