A key proponent of a national monument in Maine is challenging Republican Gov. Paul LePage to spend some time on the land before criticizing it.

The governor described the land as “cut over” on Monday and said it’ll take decades for the land to recover. He plans to testify against the monument created by former Democratic President Obama at a House subcommittee hearing next week.

Lucas St. Clair, son of entrepreneur Roxanne Quimby, who acquired the land, said Tuesday that the governor should see Katahdin Waters and Waters National Monument before criticizing it. He called the 87,500 acres of donated forestland “an amazingly beautiful place.”

Republican President Trump is expected to announce a review of monument designations on Wednesday. But it’s unclear if Trump can undo any monuments.


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