These Utah national parks displays were flagged in Trump's "corrosive ideology" purge
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Dozens of exhibits and signs at Utah's national parks have been flagged for possible removal under President Trump's order to purge "negative" information from the protected landmarks.
The intrigue: That's according to a National Park Service database of interpretive signs and other materials, reported by park managers and leaked by a group of self-described "civil servants on the front lines."
- Interior Department spokesperson Charlotte Taylor told Axios the information came from "draft, deliberative internal documents" that were "edited before being inappropriately and illegally released."
- The Washington Post reports it confirmed the list's authenticity with federal employees.
The big picture: Last summer, Trump instructed staff at all NPS sites to report any displays that "inappropriately disparage Americans" or don't focus on the "beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape."
- The leaked dataset compiles managers' reports on hundreds of wayside panels and other media that may violate Trump's order.
Case in point: At Bryce Canyon, staff offered to "edit and reproduce" a panel that explains how warming temperatures will likely cause the iconic hoodoos to become more rounded because they'll be weathered by more rain and less ice.
Zoom out: Park managers across Utah asked whether they should remove alerts on how to avoid damaging the sites or their flora and fauna.
- A "Leave No Trace" exhibit at Zion "discusses natural features but does not emphasize beauty, abundance, or grandeur," one manager wrote.
- At Arches, a manager "seeks guidance" on whether a sign could ask visitors not to track invasive plant seeds into the park or mark the rock formations with graffiti.
- Two signs at Glen Canyon note the threat that hunters' lead bullets pose to endangered condors — and the population recoveries that have occurred thanks to campaigns for lead-free ammo. Staff notes read: "Does Desparage [sic] hunters / or tell a success ??"
What they're saying: A panel outside a historic cabin in Arches mentions "Indigenous people who lived and traveled here before being forced onto reservations."
- "The park seeks guidance on whether covering or removing the final five words of that text is advised," the notes state.
Zoom in: At Golden Spike National Historic Park, staff offered to edit a panel addressing the U.S. military's efforts to encourage bison hunting to starve Indigenous populations, saying the wording is "harsh — but aligns with documented history."
- The park's new proposed wording: "The completion of the railroad contributed to the large-scale decline of bison populations, a key food and cultural resource for many Native American communities."
What's next: The dataset doesn't indicate which, if any, of the displays will be removed or changed.
- In its statement to Axios, the Interior Department said the list is "not a representation of final action taken."
The latest: A coalition of conservation, history and science organizations is suing the Trump administration over exhibits that are already being removed, Axios' Jessica Boehm reports.