Washington, D.C. — In March, President Donald Trump released an executive order directing the Interior Department to remove information that promotes a “corrosive ideology” that condemns points in American history. Following that order, it was reported this week that the Administration has ordered the removal of signs and exhibits related to slavery at multiple national parks across the country, including a photograph of a formerly enslaved man with scars on his back — one of the most powerful images of the Civil War era. The order is just the latest in a string of moves by the federal government to censor history at public institutions and control what the American people learn.
While the Administration burdens the National Park Service with the process of censoring itself, seasonal employees in many parks are beginning to leave. As these seasonal staffers, who were able to serve as a stopgap following the reductions in workforce earlier this year, end their terms of duty, the true impacts of these federal policy changes will become apparent. With significantly fewer permanent employees, our parks will lack key experts such as archeologists, biologists, engineers, and others who provide critical support and guidance.
This newsletter is brought to you by the Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR), a coalition of former and current national parks staff — ranging from maintenance workers to biologists — that aims to support and protect the National Park Service by highlighting its employees’ diverse stories. As millions of Americans take advantage of all that our country’s public lands have to offer, this newsletter will elevate key stories and reports of the ongoing crisis for our national parks.
Censorship in our national parks:
Associated Press: From slavery to pollution, National Park employees flagged material deemed ‘disparaging’ to the United States
Dorany Pineda | September 10, 2025
“As we carry out this directive, we’ll be evaluating all signage in the park along with the public feedback we’ve received,” said Elizabeth Peace, spokesperson for the Interior Department. “This effort reinforces our commitment to telling the full and accurate story of our nation’s past.” The department said any signage inconsistent with the executive order will be removed or covered and reinstated once edits are made. The administration said it would remove all “inappropriate” material by Sept. 17, according to The New York Times, citing internal agency documents.
The directive has raised concerns about sanitizing and erasing dark sides of American history.
“Pretending that the bad stuff never happened is not going to make it go away,” said Alan Spears, a senior director with the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonpartisan group separate from the national parks system that advocates for it. “We need to be able to talk about these things if we’re going to have any hope of bringing people together.”
Washington Post: National park to remove photo of enslaved man’s scars
Jake Spring and Hannah Natanson | September 15, 2025
The Trump administration has ordered the removal of signs and exhibits related to slavery at multiple national parks, according to four people familiar with the matter, including a historic photograph of a formerly enslaved man showing scars on his back.
The individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media, said the removals were in line with President Donald Trump’s March executive order directing the Interior Department to eliminate information that reflects a “corrosive ideology” that disparages historic Americans. National Park Service officials are broadly interpreting that directive to apply to information on racism, sexism, slavery, gay rights or persecution of Indigenous people.
The Hill: Whitewashing America: National Park Service removing exhibits about slavery
September 17, 2025
At Fort Pulaski in Georgia, officials have already pulled “The Scourged Back” photo, a famous 1863 photo of an enslaved man with horrific scars on his back. At Harpers Ferry, more than 30 signs documenting racism faced by formerly enslaved people are slated for removal. The order is being interpreted broadly — anything addressing slavery, racism, sexism, LGBTQ rights, or Indigenous persecution is now fair game for erasure.
This isn’t happening in a vacuum. Since taking office, President Trump has consistently pushed policies and rhetoric that minimize or outright erase the experiences of marginalized communities.
From painting over a Black Lives Matter mural to temporarily scrubbing stories of Navajo Code Talkers from federal websites, his administration has treated Black and Indigenous history as disposable. Even on Juneteenth — the day that commemorates the end of slavery — Trump complained of “too many non-working holidays in America.”
Let’s call this what it is: whitewashing. Pun very much intended.
National Public Radio: Trump moves to scrub national park sites of signs that cast America in a ‘negative light’
Frank Langfitt | September 17th, 2025
Last March, the Trump administration ordered the Department of the Interior to examine any display material at more than 400 sites around the country, which includes recreation areas and battlefields. Among their jobs: identify any signs, markers, books or monuments that "inappropriately disparage Americans, past or living."
In his executive order, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, President Trump said he was trying to counteract what he sees as a decade-long effort to rewrite the nation's history based on left-wing ideology. In a related order in May, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said national park signs should "focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people."
A national park staff member tells NPR that their employees have reported more than a thousand items for review. The Department of the Interior set Sept. 17 as a deadline to remove any content that does not comply with the order. Park service workers say many cases remain unresolved. The staffer, as well as others who spoke to NPR, requested anonymity for fear the department would fire them for speaking out.
National Parks Traveler: Trump’s administration working to remove enslaved history from national parks
Kurt Repanshek | September 15, 2025
President Donald Trump, who has stated his desire to remove from national parks and other federal institutions materials that "disparage" Americans, has had materials that interpret enslaved history removed from some national park sites, according to a media report.
[...] Former Park Service Director Jon Jarvis earlier this year told the Traveler, in response to the directives from the president and the Interior secretary, that the agency shouldn't be in the business of sanitizing history.
"NPS is not here to entertain the public but rather to engage the visitor in thinking and learning about our country’s history and its natural resources. The arbiter in these questions should be scholarly research, not political ideology," Jarvis said. "While our nation has lofty ideals, we have not always achieved them and our ability to talk about these failures and learn from them is one of the greatest values of our nation."
New York Times: Park Service is ordered to take down some materials on slavery and tribes
Maxine Joselow | September 16, 2025
The Trump administration has ordered several National Park Service sites to take down materials related to slavery and Native Americans, including an 1863 photograph of a formerly enslaved man with scars on his back that became one of the most powerful images of the Civil War era.
[...] Critics say the effort could lead to the erasure of the contributions of people of color, gay and transgender people, women and other marginalized groups.
[...] Stephanie McCurry, a professor of history at Columbia University who studies the Civil War and the Reconstruction era, said it was impossible to separate slavery from the history of these sites.
“There is no history of the U.S. without slavery in it,” Dr. McCurry wrote in an email. “It is impossible to edit it out or bury its horrors. The evidence is everywhere and can’t be destroyed, certainly not in one presidential administration.”
Staffing shortages amid surges in visitation:
Maine Public: August was another busy — and potentially record-setting — month at Acadia
Nicole Ogrysko | September 8, 2025
Acadia National Park again recorded its busiest August in decades, perhaps ever.
The park saw 842,827 visits last month, according to preliminary National Park Service data. That's a 6% year-over-year bump, and it marks the second month in a row that Acadia appears to have set visitation records.
[...] The apparent bump in visitors this summer comes as the park has faced staffing reductions under the Trump administration and a slight decline in international visitors.
Backpacker: Yosemite just had one of its busiest summers amid staffing and funding shortages
Mary Beth Skylis | September 10, 2025
Yosemite National Park experienced one of its busiest summers ever, the National Park Service reported last week, just months after steep cuts across the federal government left staffers worried about the park’s ability to function safely.
[...] Yosemite has seen significant budget cuts that make managing standard traffic volume challenging. Earlier this year, the Trump administration released a budget plan that called for a $1 billion reduction in funding for the National Park Service, including a $900 million loss to park operations and a $73 million loss to park construction. Shortly thereafter, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum ordered national parks to remain open as normal despite staffing shortages.
Christian Broadcasting Network: America's parks face uncertain future amid cuts and closures
Brody Carter | September 10, 2025
A near-total hiring freeze has left roughly a quarter of Park Service jobs unfilled. Lack of funding for critical maintenance adds to an already significant backlog of repairs across more than 400 park sites that include monuments, battlefields, beaches, and historic landmarks. Today, Zion Forever Project, a non-partisan friends group, is working to ensure a positive visitor experience by stretching dollars to fund critical projects.
"Whether that's in education, conservation, search and rescue, or making sure our parks have the resources and tools they need to do their jobs effectively," said Natalie Britt, president of Zion Forever.
For 96 years, the Zion Forever Project has worked to ensure a positive visitor experience. Donations, however, cannot replace full-time federal workers. Britt says lean rosters force hard tradeoffs in key areas.
"As you have less and less people, there's 700 search and rescues in this park every year. There's a moral issue, so when there's less people doing that… the impact to the public, and the impact to our Green and Grey, is certainly a challenge."
Bloomberg: Editorial: It’s the wrong time to defund national parks
Erika Smith | September 13, 2025
At a time when Americans are deeply divided, love for the National Park Service, and the millions of acres of wildlands it manages, continues to be a great unifier.
In polls, the agency consistently ranks as the federal government’s most popular. US national parks recorded close to 332 million visits last year — the latest in a string of all-time highs. And with spending that amounts to less than 1% of the federal budget but generates $15 in economic activity for every $1 invested, it’s also an agency that delivers a big bang for minimal bucks.
One might think that these facts would be enough for President Donald Trump to abandon his administration’s recommendation to slash $1.2 billion — or one-third — from the Park Service’s budget for the coming fiscal year. But that hasn’t happened. That leaves it to congressional Republicans to push back as they negotiate a stopgap spending measure in hopes of averting a government shutdown.
It's a long shot, for sure. But for Republicans to do anything other than fully fund the agency would mean eroding the parks known as “America’s Crown Jewels” — and would also throw a lot of their own rural, working-class voters under the (tour) bus.
USA Today: Opinion: Trump administration cuts to National Park Service threaten North Carolina's economy
Phil Francis | September 14, 2025
As North Carolina continues to recover from Hurricane Helene and begins the cleanup from Hurricane Erin, these staffing cuts aren’t just endangering our parks, they’re threatening the local revenue that visitors bring, just when communities need it most.
In North Carolina, parks bring around $4 billion in economic benefits each year — money that’s crucial as our state recovers from disaster. These dollars directly sustain 38,000 jobs, ranging from hotel and restaurant workers to local tour guides and retail staff. More broadly, tourism supports family-run businesses like diners, breweries, gear shops, craft stores, and bed-and-breakfasts and bigger opportunities like farmers markets and cultural festivals, which in turn draw more tourists to our state.
The return on investment is clear: Every dollar spent on our parks multiplies across industries, reinforcing the outdoor economy that has become a cornerstone of our state’s growth and resilience.
Empire Press: Volunteers step up as Forest Service staffing declines in Enchantments
Reneé Dìaz | September 15, 2025
As The Enchantments see a reduction in U.S. Forest Service staff, local volunteers are stepping up to care for one of Washington’s most treasured wilderness areas. Volunteers and hikers report trails in disrepair, trash left behind, and overflowing toilets — duties typically handled by Forest Service rangers.
Wenatchee Outdoors, a nonprofit that connects people to information about recreational activities and volunteer opportunities, has worked to fill the gap. The group has packed out about 57 pounds of trash, contributed more than 53 hours of trail work, and spoken with roughly 309 hikers about Leave No Trace practices, which encourage visitors to avoid leaving trash behind.
“We’re picking up garbage, cleaning toilets, and talking to other hikers, making sure they understand the rules and regulations, like the fact that there’s no dogs allowed in The Enchantments,” said Matt Porter, a Wenatchee Outdoors volunteer. “It’s not glamorous work, but it’s really rewarding.”
The Travel: “Rehire the fired!” National Park Service’s new seasonal job openings spark more anger than excitement
Cristina Miceli | September 16, 2025
Since the beginning of 2025, the NPS has often been in the news, mostly due to the staffing cuts and hiring freeze that have affected plenty of national parks across the country. For instance, visitors reported unchecked passes and empty desks at Acadia National Park, which is now operating with two-thirds of its usual staff. Crater Lake National Park may be in an even worse situation, since it now has roughly half of the employees who used to work here.
Now, at the end of the busy summer season, the NPS is hiring individuals to work during the summer of 2026 as well as the 2025 fall. Several parks have shared posts across social media platforms informing visitors about their new seasonal job openings. Yet, the news caused more outrage than excitement.
[...] While some people are happy that the NPS is hiring seasonal workers again, others are outraged by the massive layoffs at the beginning of the year. In a post on Instagram by Yosemite National Park, people asked the park to rehire the many seasonal workers fired at the beginning of the year.
