Washington, D.C. — Following a months-long effort, a new leaked Trump administration database has confirmed that the Interior Department has ordered the removal or alteration of at least several hundred signs and exhibits across our national parks. The database provides a clear look into the administration’s attempts to erase exhibits of American history that showcase “partisan ideology,” “disparage” Americans, or undercut America’s “beauty, abundance, or grandeur.” The Interior Department has refused to release the precise number of affected National Park Service materials and has declined to comment on why the materials have been targeted. But the group behind the leaked database said they hope readers see how the Trump administration is “trying to use your public lands to erase history and undermine science.”
Alongside its plot to censor the NPS, the Trump administration has released plans to build a new wall along the border of Mexico — a wall which would run straight through Big Bend National Park. To speed up the wall’s construction, the Department of Homeland Security waived 28 laws that protect the environment and preserve local history, posing a huge threat to one of our largest and most beloved national parks. Building a wall along the southern border has been a sticking point for the Trump administration since his election, but there is virtually no support for such a wall in the Big Bend area. The surrounding areas, including mountains, canyons, desert expanses, and the Rio Grande, provide a natural border, and every local elected official among both political parties who has spoken on the issue has rejected the idea.
“In the last day or so, the administration has changed its ‘smart wall map’ showing the wall through Big Bend to now show ‘detection technology only,’” said Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR). “That’s good news. Evidently public sentiment and elected officials in Texas have made Customs and Border Patrol pull back the plans for the wall, but this administration changes its mind frequently, so continued vigilance will be necessary to assure that the wall doesn’t slip back into their plans.”
This newsletter is brought to you by 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.
Mother Jones: Trump’s War on National Park Signs Is Even Dumber Than You Think
By Dan Friedman | February 26, 2026
The Park Service is removing and altering signs, exhibits, and other media deemed to be “non-conformant” with Trump’s wishes. So far the department has reviewed more than 2,000 pieces of media, according to a person with knowledge of the effort, and has ordered the removal or alteration of at least a few hundred signs and exhibits.
The Interior Department is keeping the precise figures under wraps, and it declined to provide specifics about why the material being targeted is objectionable. “Because this work is still underway, there is no finalized or comprehensive list of changes, and it would be premature to speculate about specific wordage, images, or exhibit content that may or may not be revised,” a spokesperson said.
The Trump administration, that is, is attempting to remove public information in secret.
“It’s left everybody who is concerned about this in the dark,” Alan Spears, senior director at the non-profit National Parks Conservation Association, told Mother Jones. “There is no transparency. We don’t know where these sign removals are going to happen.”
Washington Post: Confidential database reveals which items NPS thinks may ‘disparage’ America
By Karin Brulliard & Brady Dennis | March 2, 2026
These displays and materials are among several hundred that managers have flagged at hundreds of national park locations since last summer in response to administration orders to scrub sites of “partisan ideology,” descriptions that “disparage” Americans, or materials that stray from a focus on the nation’s “beauty, abundance, or grandeur.” The submissions were compiled in an internal government database and reviewed by The Washington Post, which confirmed its authenticity with current federal employees.
The database does not make clear which of the plaques, maps, films and books ultimately will be removed or recast by the Interior Department, though some have already been axed. But the submissions provide a sweeping portrait of the scope of President Donald Trump’s bid to reconsider how national park sites address the historic legacy of racism and sexism, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, and pollution — or whether to acknowledge them at all.
A group describing itself as “civil servants on the front lines” posted the database on two public websites Monday, saying in an attached note that it did so to show Americans how the administration is “trying to use your public lands to erase history and undermine science.”
National Parks Traveler: Leaked Files Point To Trump Administration's Review Of American History
By Kurt Repanshek | March 2, 2026
Thousands of newly revealed images, documents, signs and brochures—items that help visitors understand the significance and history of their national parks – point to the extent of revisionist history that could result from President Donald Trump’s decree to scrub material that reflects negatively on the United States.
An internal database posted anonymously on the Internet Archive contains submissions from all corners of the National Park System in response to the administration’s directive that parks should be free of interpretation that disparages "past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features."
The materials, even including pages from Junior Ranger guidebooks, that were submitted by park staff in response to the order are wide-ranging, from slavery and global warming to the battle for civil rights in America.
Leaked documents show censcorship efforts
The Hill: Leaked documents unveil new details on Trump’s review of history at national parks
By Rachel Frazin | March 3, 2026
The websites where the information was posted state: “This data belongs to the American people, who need to know what is being done in their name. Donald Trump, [Office of Management and Budget Director] Russell Vought, [Interior Secretary] Doug Burgum, and the rest of this corrupt administration are trying to use your public lands to erase history and undermine science.”
The items that appear to have been flagged for review include information related to Emmett Till, the Black child who was famously lynched in Mississippi in 1955.
Also flagged was a booklet for children that states that confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee “promised to … protect the United States” but later “broke his promise and fought for slavery.”
At Arches National Park in Utah, materials related to the forcing of Native Americans onto reservations and noting that policies that combat climate change and air pollution can improve visibility at the park were also highlighted.
At Glacier National Park, materials related to climate change were included.
Louisville Courier Journal: Under Trump order, Mammoth Cave may take down signs about slavery
By Connor Giffin | March 3, 2026
Mammoth Cave National Park signs and exhibits depicting slavery, Black and Indigenous history, biodiversity loss and other topics were flagged by the National Park Service for potential removal under an executive order from President Donald Trump, according to a leaked database.
Numerous signs in Mammoth Cave about the contributions of enslaved people who worked in the caves as miners and guides, and the poor conditions they endured, were flagged for review and potential removal, according to the database, which the National Park Service rejected as misrepresentative.
Other flagged content describes the forceful removal of Indigenous people from the land that now makes up Mammoth Cave National Park, and the natural history of species driven to extinction at the hands of humans.
The Independent: Leaked government database shows Trump administration flagging national parks for being too historically accurate
By Josh Marcus | March 4, 2026
The individuals who posted the data claimed the files show a mass effort to rewrite history in order to justify future abuses.
“Dismantling trusted sources of science and history makes their agenda of lies easier,” a statement alongside the database reads. “Profiting from coal and oil is a lot easier if the impacts of fossil fuels are censored at sites like Muir Woods, Glacier, Acadia, and Everglades. It's easier to illegally detain people if we forget the true stories of Japanese-American incarceration in World War II, told at national park sites like Manzanar and Minidoka and Amache and Tule Lake and Honouliuli.”
Trump administration plans to build border wall through Big Bend NPPark
KSAT: ‘Big Bend is no place for a border wall’: Advocates decry intent to waive regulations to build wall
By Mason Hickock | February 20, 2026
Park conservation advocates are raising concerns this week after President Donald Trump’s administration signaled its intent to waive environmental regulations for border wall-related construction in far West Texas.
[...] The 175-mile border wall would run through the Big Bend region, including the namesake national and state parks, and through surrounding territories in the region, according to reporting from multiple West Texas news outlets.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking to waive, in their entirety, 28 regulations to “ensure the expeditious construction of barriers and roads,” according to a filing with the Federal Register. The regulations include the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and more.
Outside Magazine: The Trump Administration Just Published a Map Showing Its New Border Wall Through Big Bend National Park
By Owen Clarke | February 20, 2026
On February 17, Inside Climate News reported that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to install a new wall running along Big Bend’s southern edge, which shares a border with Mexico, by 2028. In a press release, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the wall will help further secure the nation’s borders.
CBP posted a map of this new wall on its website, showing it extending from Southern California to the Gulf of Mexico. The agency calls the construction a Smart Wall and says it will include cameras, lights, and other detection technologies. The Smart Wall will extend beyond Big Bend as well—CBP plans similar construction along the entire U.S.-Mexico border.
At 800,000 acres, Big Bend is one of the nation’s largest national parks. It also shares an 118-mile international border with Mexico via the Rio Grande. Although the wall would largely run along the park’s southern rim, CBP told Inside Climate News that a portion of the wall is slated to be built inside parts of Big Bend and its neighboring state park, Big Bend Ranch.
Inside Climate News: The Border Wall Closes in on Big Bend
February 22, 2026
Building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has been a signature issue for President Donald Trump since he first ran for office in 2016. Now, plans for a wall through the Big Bend region of West Texas are raising alarms with residents and officials alike.
Last week the Department of Homeland Security waived 28 laws that protect the environment and preserve local history in order to speed up construction. The consequences of such construction may be severe. If the wall is erected, says a noted archaeologist in the region, “One of our most beloved national parks and our state’s largest park will be scarred beyond repair.”
Martha, who reports on Texas for ICN and visited Big Bend for this reporting, describes the impact a wall would have on wildlife and habitats, what makes the wall “smart,” and if there’s anything that can save Big Bend from this plan.
Texas Monthly: Texans Love Big Bend for Its Wildness. Trump Wants to Put a Wall Through It.
By Forrest Wilder | February 27, 2026
There is virtually no support for a wall in the Big Bend region. Every local elected official—Republican or Democrat—who has spoken on the issue has rejected it. State leaders have been largely silent, though there is a trickle of dissent from Republican lawmakers. State Representative Wes Virdell, a right-wing Republican who represents a good chunk of the Hill Country, voiced his opposition to the wall online. He said he supports border barriers in the right places but that Big Bend isn’t one of them. “We’re supposed to be stewards of the land, and to go and permanently damage the land like that I think is a terrible idea, and that we need more conversations before we rush into this,” he told me. Virdell knows he’s taking a risk by speaking out, even though many of his conservative colleagues agree with him. “You still got to say what’s right regardless.”
[...] Locals in this sparsely populated, politically weak region know they need a broad campaign to help head off decimation. “I think it’s absolutely winnable,” said Krumenaker. “If there’s enough outrage—they’ll never admit to defeat, but they may pull back. And we don’t care who gets the credit; we just want to succeed.”
National Parks Traveler: Big Bend National Park's Big Wall
By Kurt Repanshek | March 1, 2026
With billions of dollars to spend, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is turning its eyes towards extending a wall of some sort along the United States' boundary with Mexico that runs through Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River in Texas.
The proposal has outraged local officials and raised questions of what impacts such a project might have on the sprawling park in West Texas. There also is the question of whether the wall is needed.
"I’ve spent my entire life on the border and served 26 years as a Border Patrol agent. I know firsthand the challenges of securing our border, and I absolutely believe in the need for strong protection," Thaddeus Cleveland, the sheriff in Terrell County, just east of the park, said in an email to the nonprofit Keep Big Bend Wild, which shared it with the Traveler. "The Big Bend region is fundamentally different from heavily trafficked border areas. Its mountains, canyons, desert expanses, and the Rio Grande already create a formidable natural barrier.
Houston Chronicle: Will Texas allow border wall through cherished national park?
By Ariana Garcia | March 2, 2026
For years, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he does not want to see a border wall cut through Big Bend National Park.
As federal officials move forward with plans to expand wall construction across the Big Bend region, the governor has not publicly weighed in.
Abbott's office did not respond to Chron's request for comment about the latest proposal, even as lawmakers from both parties voice concern.
In a Feb. 28 letter to Abbott, dozens of Texas House Democrats urged him to oppose the Trump administration's plan to expand border wall construction in the Big Bend region, including through Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Other reports coming out of national parks and public lands:
The Moab Times-Independent: ‘This termination is very different’: Advocates question why timed-entry was cancelled at Arches National Park
By Lizzie Ramirez | March 2, 2026
After implementation of the timed-entry reservation system at Arches National Park for four years, the system is on hiatus for 2026 — and it’s a move that worries public land advocates.
The system was implemented in 2022 with the hope to reduce traffic congestion, protect park resources and mitigate visitor overcrowding. The initial announcement from the National Park Service in 2021 cited data analysis, comments from staff, stakeholders and the public as a reason to launch the pilot program.
Four out of the five announcements for timed-entry point to data and feedback from community members as a reason to continue the program — but the most recent statement from NPS does not cite any data as a source for the hiatus.
This raises alarm bells for the National Parks Conservation Association.
“Having seen their work on social science as well as their findings from 2022 through 2025 … [This] termination is very, very different,” said Cassidy Jones, senior visitation program manager at National Parks Conservation Association. “It certainly seems like this has gone beyond Arches and Southeast Utah Group.”
Greenmatters: New Map Accurately Pinpoints Which U.S. National Parks Will Face Climate Change's Worst Consequences
By Neha Bhatia | March 3, 2026
America’s park system was created on the principle of fixed boundaries. Parks were sewn like precious, protected green jewels into its jagged, trapezoid-shaped architecture. Climate change has breached these boundaries and is slowly eroding them bit by bit, making it challenging for the parks to retain their respective ecological identities. Regarded as sanctuaries for safeguarding nature’s resources and concentrating elemental forces, the parks are now being pushed to the threshold, so much so that managers think it is impossible to preserve their historical identities anymore. Instead, they are focusing their strategies on how best to manage the ongoing transformation. In a study published in Conservation Letters, researchers documented an atlas of maps that assess the vulnerability of different parks that might guide them towards change.
The goal, researchers mentioned, was to identify high-priority threats, estimate the extent of vulnerability, and develop strategies for intelligent management of the park's resources. A nationwide analysis revealed that most of the national parks in the US, at least 77% of them, are highly vulnerable to climate change, with many facing risks that might propel them towards an irreversible transformation. Not a positive transformation, unfortunately. Blame goes to wildfires, droughts, bugs, and floods.
Inside Climate News: The National Park Service Saw Major Job Losses in the Last Year. More Changes Loom.
By Kiley Price | March 3, 2026
Just over a year ago, the Trump administration gutted staff across the National Park Service, triggering a series of protests around the country, a signal of the public’s deep passion for America’s “crown jewels.”
Since then, the service has been in flux. Though a federal judge required the administration to rehire much of the staff laid off in that February 2025 purge, gaping holes still exist across the agency following firings, loss of seasonal workers, buyouts and forced retirements. The National Park Service lost 2,750 employees in the first 11 months of the second Trump administration, a 15 percent drop, according to an analysis of federal workforce data from the Office of Personnel Management by my colleague Peter Aldhous.
On top of this, a recent series of changes—from the pending appointment of a new director to the mandated elimination of certain park exhibits that discuss racism and climate change—could fundamentally reshape the future of the National Park Service, experts say.
Many conservation groups, elected leaders and outdoor enthusiasts have pushed back. These shifts, they say, threaten the long-term future of the parks—and rewrite the American legacy they represent.
SFGATE: California state park's viral flower field destroyed overnight
By Sam Mauhay-Moore | March 3, 2026
On Monday morning, California State Parks chief ranger Mike Dippel began receiving alarming phone calls: Visitors reported that someone had chopped down all the flowers at Calla Lily Valley, a coastal ravine in Garrapata State Park on the north end of Big Sur where bunches of blooming calla lilies amass a mountain of social media virality every spring.
Dippel soon visited the site himself and found dozens of bushes with cropped stems. The white lilies that once adorned them were nowhere to be found.
National Parks Traveler: Utah Lawmakers Move To Undo Grand Staircase-Escalante’s Management Plan
March 4, 2026
Conservation groups reacted with outrage Wednesday to news that members of Utah's congressional delegation had introduced legislation that could unravel the management plan for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Celeste Maloy introduced a joint resolution to undo the management plan through the Congressional Review Act. The move comes after Lee submitted the Government Accountability Office (GAO) opinion regarding the Monument Management Plan to the Congressional Record last week.
[...] “The Utah delegation appears to be hellbent on undermining our public lands and undoing years of work by local officials, tribes, and community members,” said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office. “Our national monuments belong to the American people and should not be managed in ways that are clouded by uncertainty. This is yet another attempt by Utah politicians to hand over our public lands to industry. Every member of Congress should reject this and any other misguided CRA attack on our public lands.”
