Gabby Kientzle, gabby.kientzle@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – A review of official Trump administration documents obtained by the Sierra Club shows further opposition to Donald Trump’s attempt to whitewash history on public lands.
Internal documents acquired from the Bureau of Land Management demonstrate that public responses to Trump’s order to “restore truth and sanity” at America’s historical sites have opposed the administration’s efforts. They also show that BLM officials reported to Burgum that no reviewed signage required reconsideration. The documents were obtained by the Sierra Club through a Freedom of Information Act request.
In May, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a secretarial order enforcing Trump’s order from March, ordering a review of signage, websites, and other language used across the National Parks System to ensure they did not contain “descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living,” and instead focused on “the greatness of achievements” and “the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.”
The documents uncovered by the Sierra Club show that public responses submitted via a QR code asking visitors to report any text that ran afoul of the order largely rejected the administration’s agenda. A number of comments voiced opposition to changing history on public lands while others were critical of the Trump administration’s efforts to defund public lands and the agencies that manage them.
The documents are available for viewing here.
In response, Gerry Seavo James, deputy campaign director of Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign, released the following statement:
“The American people have made it clear that they do not support attempts to erase our history. Across the country, in Red states and Blue states, and from crown jewel national parks to historical sites, Americans have refused to accept historical whitewashing, budget cuts, and mass firings. Our shared public lands tell the story of this country – the full story – and that history isn’t up for revision.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.