Latest news with #CoastMiwok
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump ordered purge of 'unpatriotic' signage from national parks. How one California spot complied
Four years ago, National Park Service employees seeking to provide a more robust look at the history of Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County unveiled the "History Under Construction" exhibit. The concept of the work was to expand an existing sign featuring a timeline detailing the preservation of Muir Woods. Park rangers placed caution tape on the sign within Founders Grove and overlaid a heavy, waterproof sticker onto its surface to add facts and dates that were missing from the original timeline. Among the information added were the efforts of Indigenous people who originally maintained the land, as well as the role of women in creating the national monument. A letter on the plaque assured passersby that "everything on this sign is accurate, but incomplete. The facts are not under construction, but the way we tell history is." But, as of this month, the added historical facts are no more. The expanded exhibit became the first in the nation to be altered following an executive order by President Trump in March to rid park signage of any language he would deem unpatriotic. The president's aim was to restore federal sites that he said had been changed since 2020 to perpetuate a "false reconstruction of American history" including "improper partisan ideology." The Muir Woods change was first reported by SF Gate. Elizabeth Villano, a former park ranger who helped create the new version of the sign, criticized the move, writing in a post on Medium that the Trump administration "is actively censoring American history from the public." She said the goal of the project was to make sure nothing on the original sign was eliminated, but to add details so people could see the difference in how history was told and how it could be expanded to include more voices. Now, she said, that history is being erased. "I think one of the most underrated components of the National Park Service is that we are paid public historians," she said in an interview with The Times. "We're paid to tell all Americans' stories and not pick and choose whose we tell. And yet, over time, the stories that tend to be told over and over again are the ones that tend to be told through the perspective of people who have held the most power." Read more: Trump bans 'negative' signage at national parks, asks visitors to report text deemed 'unpatriotic' A spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes Muir Woods, could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday. Before the notes were added in 2021, the first date included in the sign's timeline, called "Path to Preservation," was the establishment of the first national park in the United States, Yellowstone, in 1872. The next was 1892 when the Sierra Club was founded in San Francisco with John Muir as its first president. But staff at the time found that some key information was missing from the timeline, namely the work of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people who tended to the land before Europeans arrived in North America. They also included the first campaign to save the region launched by a women's club in 1904. Of course, not all the information added to the timeline was positive. Staff detailed Spanish missionaries exploiting the work of Indigenous people in the Bay Area to build California missions and congressional actions stripping Coast Miwok people of title to their ancestral lands, including Muir Woods. The revised timeline didn't shy away from pointing out the complex legacies of key figures who helped spearhead the creation of the national monument. It noted that John Muir referred to Indigenous people using racist language in his diary, which was published years before his death, and pointed out William Kent's vote in Congress to prevent noncitizens from owning or leasing land. The rangers didn't cast blame for the omissions, saying that the expanded narratives were reflective of increasing diversity among park service employees in the years since the timeline was first unveiled. "From redwood conservation to the legacy of the country's founders, American stories are enriched by complexity, dimension, and challenge. It's not our job to judge these stories or promote a singular narrative. As national park rangers, it is our mandate to tell complete stories that reflect who we are as a society. And as Americans, it's important that we hear them," according to a National Park Service post about the changes. Read more: Justice Department says Trump can undo national monuments; California areas could be on list Trump's executive order directed the Department of the Interior to identify any public monuments, memorials, statues or markers that had been removed or changed since 2020 to "perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history," minimize the value of historical events or figures or include "improper partisan ideology" and to reinstate prior monuments. The order also directed officials to ensure that monuments do not contain content that disparages Americans. Instead, the monuments should focus on "the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape," the order states. Critics have said Trump's directive demands a rose-colored view of more complex events that make up American history. Villano, the former park ranger, said it's disparaging to believe that Americans can't handle all aspects of history and deny them the opportunity to learn. "What this censorship project from the Trump administration is doing is just inherently not trusting people to learn about hard things and to make their own decisions about it," she said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Trump ordered purge of ‘unpatriotic' signage from national parks. How one California spot complied
Four years ago, National Park Service employees seeking to provide a more robust look at the history of Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County began the 'History Under Construction' exhibit. The concept of the work was to expand an existing sign featuring a timeline detailing the preservation of Muir Woods. Employees placed caution tape on the sign within Founder's Grove and used yellow sticky notes to add facts and dates that were missing from the original timeline. Among the information added were the efforts of Indigenous people who originally maintained the land, as well as the role of women in creating the national monument. A letter on the plaque assured passersby that 'everything on this sign is accurate, but incomplete. The facts are not under construction, but the way we tell history is.' But, as of this month, the yellow notes are no more. The expanded exhibit became the first in the nation to be altered following an executive order by President Trump in March to rid park signage of any language he would deem unpatriotic. The president's aim was to restore federal sites that he said had been changed since 2020 to perpetuate a 'false reconstruction of American history' including 'improper partisan ideology.' The Muir Woods change was first reported by SF Gate. Elizabeth Villano, a former park ranger who helped create the new version of the sign, criticized the move, writing in a post on Medium that the Trump administration 'is actively censoring American history from the public.' She said the goal of the project was to make sure nothing on the original sign was erased, but to add details so people could see the difference in how history was told and how it could be expanded to include more voices. 'We wanted to tell the true story of the woods in a way that helped people learn from the past, and apply those lessons towards a brighter future,' she wrote. 'Despite this care not to erase history, here I am, watching history be erased.' A spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes Muir Woods, could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday. Before the notes were added in 2021, the first date included in the sign's timeline, called 'Path to Preservation,' was the establishment of the first national park in the United States, Yellowstone, in 1872. The next was 1892 when the Sierra Club was founded in San Francisco with John Muir as the first president. But staff at the time found that some key information was missing from the timeline, namely the work of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people who tended to the land before Europeans arrived in North America. They also included the first campaign to save the region launched by a women's club in 1904. Of course, not all the information added to the timeline was positive. Staff detailed Spanish missionaries exploiting the work of Indigenous people in the Bay Area to build California missions and congressional actions stripping Coast Miwok people of title to their ancestral lands, including Muir Woods. The revised timeline didn't shy away from pointing out the complex legacies of key figures who helped spearhead the creation of the national monument. It noted that John Muir referred to Indigenous people using racist language in his diary, which was published years before his death, and pointed out William Kent's vote in Congress to prevent non-citizens from owning or leasing land. The rangers didn't cast blame for the omissions, saying that the expanded narratives were reflective of increasing diversity among park service employees in the years since the timeline was first unveiled. 'From redwood conservation to the legacy of the country's founders, American stories are enriched by complexity, dimension, and challenge. It's not our job to judge these stories or promote a singular narrative. As national park rangers, it is our mandate to tell complete stories that reflect who we are as a society. And as Americans, it's important that we hear them,' according to a National Park Service post about the changes. Trump's executive order directed the Department of the Interior to identify any public monuments, memorials, statues or markers that had been removed or changed since 2020 to 'perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history,' minimize the value of historical events or figures or include 'improper partisan ideology' and to reinstate prior monuments. The order also directed officials to ensure that monuments do not contain content that disparages Americans. Instead, the monuments should focus on 'the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape,' the order states. Critics have said Trump's directive demands a rose-colored view of more complex events that make up American history. Villano, the former park ranger, wrote in the Medium essay that it's disparaging to Americans to take away people's ability to think critically and have a better understanding of history. 'Why doesn't the White House want you to see a more complete version of history? Maybe it's because, when we see ourselves in history, we realize that we can reshape it,' she wrote. 'For a government like this, that must feel like a threat. It doesn't benefit people in power to understand that anyone can be a part of history.'
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some favor retaining Point Reyes dairies while others raise environmental concerns
To the editor: As a native Angeleno, I have explored almost all 58 counties in California and that includes many visits to Marin's Point Reyes National Seashore ("Treasured California dairies to close. Point Reyes locals say it's conservation gone mad," March 21). I have hiked from the from historical Pierce Ranch to where Tomales Bay meets the Pacific. I have delighted to see cows grazing in green fields laced with clover. I have relished the dairy products from these Point Reyes cows; their ice cream quality and flavor surpasses any I have ever tasted, anywhere! The expulsion of these quaint dairy farms that go back 175 years, long before the re-introduction of tule elk in the 1970s, is grievous. Specious arguments about environmental impact, including "'unpleasant odors' from cows and their manure," is farcical. The drive from Point Reyes Station onto the peninsula is a breathtaking visual fantasy akin to leaving the Wawona Tunnel in Mariposa County and entering Inspiration Point in Yosemite. The cows and dairy farms are part and parcel of this dream. Don't destroy it. Paul Milberg, Oak Park .. To the editor: In this article, words like "historic dairies" and "legacy families" are used. Also "more than a century" and "more than 150 years." Nothing is said of the legacy or the history of the people who inhabited this land for thousands of years, people like the Coast Miwok and other groups of Native Americans. Consider this sentence: "An entire community, many of them low income and Latino, are poised to lose their jobs and homes in one fell swoop." Consider for a moment the "fell swoops" that befell the Indigenous people of California, first at the hands of the Spanish missionaries who essentially conscripted the native people as slaves and tried to demolish their "heathen" culture, and then at the hands of federal and state government troops and militias that set about exterminating the Indigenous inhabitants. How can there be any discussion of how this land is used that does not center on the land's original inhabitants? Catherine Crook, Camarillo .. To the editor: While I applaud the L.A. Times for coverage of the environmental challenges of intensive dairy farming in Point Reyes, there is one glaring omission in the article. There is little mention about the actual cows themselves, save for a fairy tale reference to 'quiet herds of Devons, Guernseys and Jerseys happily munching in the flowing grasses …' That's the only happy part of their lives. A cow must be pregnant for humans to take her milk that is produced to grow a baby cow. Females are artificially inseminated. Not pleasant for them. Point Reyes dairies have done a brilliant job painting a sweet picture of their generational farms. Data do not lie about the fecal runoff, not to mention the damage a herd does to the land. While I am sympathetic to the workers, it's time to say goodbye to a cruel and destructive tradition. Tracy Keys, Laguna Beach .. To the editor: We visited Point Reyes National Seashore recently. The dairies are dilapidated, ugly, outdated blights on the otherwise beautiful vistas. The tons of resulting cow manure pollute the land and the surrounding waters. The endangered elk are penned up in a small area. All of this is absolutely the opposite of the mission of the U.S. Park Service to protect the land and the wildlife. The local residents with interests in the dairy industry clearly have loud voices. If something more can be done to placate them, so much the better. But the degradation of the park-going experiences of hundreds of thousands of visitors, and the survival of endangered wildlife, must surely guide the Park Service. The legally binding settlement should be implemented immediately. Noel Park, Rancho Palos Verdes .. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Some favor retaining Point Reyes dairies while others raise environmental concerns
To the editor: As a native Angeleno, I have explored almost all 58 counties in California and that includes many visits to Marin's Point Reyes National Seashore ('Treasured California dairies to close. Point Reyes locals say it's conservation gone mad,' March 21). I have hiked from the from historical Pierce Ranch to where Tomales Bay meets the Pacific. I have delighted to see cows grazing in green fields laced with clover. I have relished the dairy products from these Point Reyes cows; their ice cream quality and flavor surpasses any I have ever tasted, anywhere! The expulsion of these quaint dairy farms that go back 175 years, long before the re-introduction of tule elk in the 1970s, is grievous. Specious arguments about environmental impact, including ''unpleasant odors' from cows and their manure,' is farcical. The drive from Point Reyes Station onto the peninsula is a breathtaking visual fantasy akin to leaving the Wawona Tunnel in Mariposa County and entering Inspiration Point in Yosemite. The cows and dairy farms are part and parcel of this dream. Don't destroy it. Paul Milberg, Oak Park .. To the editor: In this article, words like 'historic dairies' and 'legacy families' are used. Also 'more than a century' and 'more than 150 years.' Nothing is said of the legacy or the history of the people who inhabited this land for thousands of years, people like the Coast Miwok and other groups of Native Americans. Consider this sentence: 'An entire community, many of them low income and Latino, are poised to lose their jobs and homes in one fell swoop.' Consider for a moment the 'fell swoops' that befell the Indigenous people of California, first at the hands of the Spanish missionaries who essentially conscripted the native people as slaves and tried to demolish their 'heathen' culture, and then at the hands of federal and state government troops and militias that set about exterminating the Indigenous inhabitants. How can there be any discussion of how this land is used that does not center on the land's original inhabitants? Catherine Crook, Camarillo .. To the editor: While I applaud the L.A. Times for coverage of the environmental challenges of intensive dairy farming in Point Reyes, there is one glaring omission in the article. There is little mention about the actual cows themselves, save for a fairy tale reference to 'quiet herds of Devons, Guernseys and Jerseys happily munching in the flowing grasses …' That's the only happy part of their lives. A cow must be pregnant for humans to take her milk that is produced to grow a baby cow. Females are artificially inseminated. Not pleasant for them. Point Reyes dairies have done a brilliant job painting a sweet picture of their generational farms. Data do not lie about the fecal runoff, not to mention the damage a herd does to the land. While I am sympathetic to the workers, it's time to say goodbye to a cruel and destructive tradition. Tracy Keys, Laguna Beach .. To the editor: We visited Point Reyes National Seashore recently. The dairies are dilapidated, ugly, outdated blights on the otherwise beautiful vistas. The tons of resulting cow manure pollute the land and the surrounding waters. The endangered elk are penned up in a small area. All of this is absolutely the opposite of the mission of the U.S. Park Service to protect the land and the wildlife. The local residents with interests in the dairy industry clearly have loud voices. If something more can be done to placate them, so much the better. But the degradation of the park-going experiences of hundreds of thousands of visitors, and the survival of endangered wildlife, must surely guide the Park Service. The legally binding settlement should be implemented immediately. Noel Park, Rancho Palos Verdes ..
