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Yahoo
5 days ago
- 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
6 days ago
- 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.'
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Why NPS's latest revamp of Muir Woods National Monument has sparked a row
The Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley, California, has become the subject of controversy over its removal of an explainer that accompanied an exhibit remembering the role of women in the creation of the monument. The U.S. National Parks Service logo is displayed at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on July 10, 2025 in Page, Arizona. (Getty Images via AFP) According to reports, the National Parks Service (NPS) has removed the explainer in it's latest revamp of the park. It also removed the mention of the racist past of some of the celebrated figures associated with the park. A report by the San Francisco-based news website, SFGATE, cited a forest ranger who worked on the exhibit's removal to confirm that it was removed as part of a NPS revamp. The report stated that the removal was done as per a directive from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking the removal of what President Donald Trump has called "improper ideology" from monuments and parks. A ranger, cited in another report by 19thNews, said that the removal took place last week under an initiative by NPS called 'History Under Construction.' The objective of the initiative was to fill the gaps in the park's historical timeline to provide a more 'comprehensive history', the report stated. Also read: Trump was informed by Pam Bondi's DOJ that his name is in the Epstein files: Report What did the removed exhibits contain? The website of NPS stated that the removed signage was added to the exhibit at the Muir Woods National Monument in 2021. It highlighted the work of 'The California Club' - an all-women's club that launched the first campaign in 1903 to save the iconic old-growth redwood trees in the park. Additionally, the role of some of the indigenous tribes in conserving the area, such as the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes, has also been removed. The changes made in the 2021 revamp also included highlighting the racist background of some of the otherwise celebrated men associated with the park. The report by 19thNews stated that among the figures whose political background has been cleaned in the latest revamp are William Kent, the man who bought and donated the park to the federal government; the eugenics links Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the US Forest Service, among others.
