Federal authorities have instructed national park staff this month to take down or modify dozens of interpretive signs and displays that address the forced removal of Native Americans, climate change and other environmental themes. Documents indicate the directives cover at least 17 park units, including prominent sites such as the Grand Canyon, Glacier, Big Bend and Zion.
In a related action last week, National Park Service personnel removed an exhibit on slavery from a historic site in Philadelphia. Park officials said the removal was consistent with statements by the president criticizing what he describes as "anti-American ideology" at historical and cultural institutions, language that has been disputed by civil rights organizations.
The removal orders documented this month reportedly include a display at the Grand Canyon that details the forced displacement of Native American communities. At Glacier National Park, officials flagged a brochure and a sign addressing climate change for potential removal or revision. The documents reviewed by reporters show instructions to remove or edit signage at parks beyond those specifically named.
The National Park Service did not immediately provide comment on the orders. The U.S. Department of the Interior, which supervises the Park Service, said in September that it was conducting a review of all interpretive signage in national parks. Interpretive signs and materials are used across park units to offer written and visual context about natural history, cultural heritage and past events connected to park sites.
Civil rights groups have criticized the directives, asserting that the actions amount to a rollback of social progress and an undermining of formal recognition for difficult and significant chapters of American history. Those groups say that removing or altering exhibits that document mistreatment and systemic injustices can diminish public understanding of those events.
The president has previously drawn attention from civil rights advocates by issuing an executive order stating he was acting against what he called "a false revision of history." He has also publicly complained about what he characterizes as an excessive focus on "how bad Slavery was." Those statements were cited in communications that accompanied interpretation and signage reviews.
The current directives have implications for how national parks present historical and environmental topics to visitors. Park interpretive programs and on-site educational materials are central to how millions of annual visitors learn about both natural landscapes and the human histories connected to those places.
At this stage, the breadth of final changes and their timing remain subject to the ongoing review and internal decisions by park and Interior Department officials.