New Park Signs Undermine Rangers, Aim to Erase History

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior (DOI) has begun posting chilling new signage at national parks, asking visitors to report “any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.”

The signs, which have been spotted at national park sites as large as Rocky Mountain National Park and as small as Minidoka National Historic Site-Bainbridge, come with a QR code for visitors’ opinions. An internal memo from DOI set a deadline of Friday, June 13th for all national parks to have these signs posted.

The National Parks Conservation Association previously reported Secretary Burgum’s intention to post these signs, among other measures, in order to fulfill President Trump’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” executive order.

In accordance with the order, Secretary Burgum has tasked Park Service personnel with reviewing and identifying of “any public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties (collectively: properties) on lands within its jurisdiction that have been removed or changed from January 1, 2020, through the date of this Order,” and potential reversal of any of those changes.

The National Park Service, which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, is mandated by law to preserve, protect, and interpret American history per the 1916 Organic Act and 1966 National Historic Preservation Act.

More than two-thirds of the country’s 433 national park sites are dedicated to preserving and interpreting our nation’s history and culture. The agency manages more than 26,000 historic structures, and nearly 185 million historic artifacts.

National Parks Conservation Association President and CEO Theresa Pierno issued the following statement in response to these signs being posted at America’s national parks:

“Across the country, new signs are going up encouraging people to report rangers and placards that discuss so-called negative information about America. The signs are asking people to contradict crucial scientific and historical facts that have been vetted for accuracy by experts at the National Park Service. These signs are the latest in a long line of disturbing administration efforts to rewrite American history and undermine the Park Service. Forcing rangers to post these signs is an outrage and shows deep contempt for their work to preserve and tell all American stories.”

“For over a hundred years, National Park Service rangers have brought American history to life, and the American people deeply respect their work. Rangers should be able to talk about the history of Japanese American incarceration at Amache, or the history of slavery at Fort Monroe, without looking over their shoulders in fear. If our country erases the darker chapters of our history, we will never learn from our mistakes. These signs must come down immediately.”

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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 1.6 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