Administration Orders Sham Review of Park Giftshops

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior has instructed National Park Service employees to conduct a review of all park gift stores and bookshops for materials related to diversity, per a November memo recently obtained by the National Parks Conservation Association.

Following this review, park concessioners and cooperating associations must remove any materials found not to be in line with President Trump’s executive orders 14151, titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Program and Preferencing,“ and 14168, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

The memo outlines few specific criteria for park staff to use to determine what items should be reviewed or removed, but does identify phrases like "diversity, equity, inclusion,” and “environmental justice,” and notes the Department of the Interior intention to “direct broad action related to cessation of activities intended to further such equity-related concepts.”

The memo sets a December 19th, 2025 deadline for park staff to conduct this review. This process follows months of Trump administration efforts to erase history and silence science at national parks.

In response to this new review of giftshop materials, Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Senior Director for Cultural Resources, stated:

“Banning history books from park stores and cracking down on park T-shirts and keychains is not what national park visitors want from their Park Service. Going after gift shops is just one part of the administration’s deeply troubling pattern of silencing science and hiding history in our parks. It’s a bad idea that has proven deeply unpopular with the millions of people who come to our national parks to learn about America’s natural wonders and unique diverse history.

“There is something for all of us at our parks, from the Civil War buffs to the citizen scientists to the students learning about the Civil Rights movement, and everyone in between. We trust expert national park rangers to help us understand these complex topics. But now, after mass firings that have left the Park Service down a quarter of their staff, the administration is forcing these professionals to prioritize a sham review of gift shop materials over doing their jobs for the American people. There has been no transparency or guidance on this review, once again undermining Park Service staff. Park Service staff should be managing parks, not censorship campaigns.”

“The National Parks Conservation Association opposes this latest move from the administration because we, like the majority of Americans, support telling the full American story at our parks. That means acknowledging hard truths about slavery, climate change, and other topics that challenge us as a nation. From the giftshop to the trailhead, we support the Park Service’s longstanding efforts to bring us closer together as Americans.”

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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.