The Trump administration is scrubbing information about climate change, historic racism and sexism, as well as LGBTQ rights, from the country’s national parks.
In a bid to create a MAGA-washed version of the truth, Trump officials have systematically instructed staff to nix or change signs and other informational material in at least 18 parks across the U.S. This is part of a new push to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order on “restoring truth and sanity to American history.”
Just last week, the administration took down a sign in Philadelphia that discussed George Washington’s ownership of enslaved people. This broad effort should “offend every American,” Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, told The Washington Post.
She said that staff at the parks, including the country’s most iconic ones, are under pressure from the Trump administration to replace the truth with a skewed version of it. “Everyone understands this history,” she said. “It’s not debatable, but they’re being forced to select stories because they think the administration will threaten their jobs if they don’t.”
Staff at a Grand Canyon visitor center pulled portions of an exhibit after warning National Park Service leadership in Washington that some language could be deemed problematic, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post.
The flagged passages said settlers “exploited land for mining and grazing” and that federal officials “pushed tribes off their land” to create the park.
Staff proposed edits that would delete references to federal policies barring Native Americans from using body and face paint, as well as mentions of their ancestors’ “misery, suffering,” and “loss.”
Roadside displays addressing climate change, pollution, and mining were also marked for possible removal. “This is not something that the National Park Service should be blamed for,” said Bob Krumenaker, superintendent of Big Bend National Park in Texas until 2023. “They are being told they have to do these things.”
At Montana’s Glacier National Park, staff had created signs and materials to address visitors’ questions about whether the park’s iconic glaciers are disappearing, said Jeff Mow, who retired as superintendent in 2022. Those efforts also drew scrutiny. One brochure was flagged for removal or revision for showing retreating glaciers and stating that human-caused climate change threatens their survival.
Another display flagged for removal discussed the park’s air pollution problems; the administration paused air-quality monitoring in national parks last year. Signs describing rising wildfire risks and a nearby dam that “flooded two lakes within the park” were also targeted.
Similar orders reached other parks. At Big Bend National Park, nearly 20 signs—many dealing with geology, fossils, and prehistoric history—were flagged without clear explanations. At Bent’s Old Fort in Colorado, a sign referencing the forced removal of a Native tribe, slave ownership, and a historic miscarriage was slated for removal. Panels at sites in Arizona and Wyoming describing Native leaders and a U.S. Army massacre of Piegan Blackfeet people were also ordered to be changed or taken down.
“We are capable of hearing about our tragedies and our victories, and this systematic erasure should concern everyone in our country,” Brengel said.
The Department of the Interior said in a statement: “The Department of the Interior is implementing Secretary’s Order 3431, which carries out President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.’
“All federal agencies are to review interpretive materials to ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values. Following completion of the required review, the National Park Service is now taking appropriate action in accordance with the Order. ”
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