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The Trump administration has ordered signs about science and history removed from at least 18 national park units, according to documents reviewed by the Washington Post. The latest reporting follows the removal of an interpretive display about the enslaved members of President George Washington's household at the President's House in Philadelphia.
At the Grand Canyon, the Post reports that park staff removed text that explained how the American government "pushed tribes off their land" to establish the park, and that settlers "exploited land for mining and grazing."
At Glacier National Park, the Trump administration flagged a gift shop sign that said "Climate Change Affects National Parks and the Treasures They Protect." The administration also ordered a video that referred to the disappearance of glaciers be removed or changed.
At Big Bend National Park, nearly 20 signs were flagged for changes or removal, many dealing with seemingly uncontroversial scientific topics—but some of the displays included Spanish-language translations, and others discussed cooperating with Mexico on preservation efforts.
Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, told the Post that park staff were acting on administration orders. “We are capable of hearing about our tragedies and our victories, and this systematic erasure should concern everyone in our country,” she said.
Wyoming lawmaker's land grab hits instant pushback
A Wyoming state legislator from Cheyenne has introduced a bill that would sell off up to 200,000 acres of state land at $1 an acre in the name of affordable housing. But Rep. Jacob Wasserburger admits he doesn't know how much land would actually qualify for the sell-off. Cowboy State Daily noted that an initial review of state data shows Wyoming might not even have enough eligible land that fits the bill's conditions. Former Wyoming House speaker Tom Lubnau quickly called the bill "one of the worst land ideas Wyoming has seen since someone thought selling mineral rights for lunch money was a good idea."
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Welcome to the party. Welcome to what we (Natives) have been experiencing since our ‘discovery’ by Western Europeans. This is a systematic way of trying to negate our relationship with the land, our mutual ownership of the land, our understanding of our own history.”
