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Park Service Intensifies Review as Trump Order on ‘Negative’ History Nears September Deadline

Park staff and historians are racing to archive signage flagged for alteration under a directive that emphasizes American progress

Demonstrators at Muir Woods National Monument in March 2025 protested the Trump administration’s sweeping federal layoffs.
Hikers visit Muir Woods National Monument in May 2025.
A visitor reads a sign called “Saving Muir Woods” in Muir Woods National Monument on Aug. 23, 2021. The sign was recently removed from the park.
A sign called “Saving Muir Woods” in Muir Woods National Monument, seen Aug. 23, 2021. The sign was recently removed from the park.

Overview

  • President Donald Trump’s March order tasks the Interior Department and National Park Service with reviewing interpretive materials at 433 sites and removing content that “inappropriately disparages Americans” by Sept. 17.
  • Internal National Park Service records reveal dozens of exhibits on climate change, slavery and Native American history have been flagged for revision or removal under the directive.
  • Park employees report they could face disciplinary action for failing to comply with the flagging requirements, raising concerns about job security and editorial independence.
  • The University of Minnesota–led Save Our Signs campaign has amassed over 800 public submissions to document and archive at-risk park signage before it can be altered.
  • Interior Department officials maintain the effort is intended to foster honest, respectful storytelling rather than to whitewash or erase difficult chapters of American history.