A new report from the Center for Western Priorities found that less than one percent of 35,700 comments submitted to the National Park Service in response to signage asking the public to report negative depictions of American history in parks actually used the comment form as intended. The comments were received via a QR code sign that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered to be posted at national park sites. The sign asked park visitors to report “any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.”
The Center for Western Priorities analyzed 35,700 comments submitted across 475 national park units between June 2025 and January 2026, organizing the comments into categories based on content and sentiment. The vast majority of comments expressed opposition to the order, support for national parks, the importance of telling a complete history, criticism of the Trump administration generally, as well as a number of jokes and off-topic responses. However, a negligible number of comments actually flagged signage or supported removal, with only 47 comments, or 0.1 percent of the total comments submitted.
“These comments pass the vibe check with flying colors. Americans support our parks and the stories they tell, and they aren’t happy about the Trump administration’s efforts to rewrite history,” said Lilly Bock-Brownstein, Center for Western Priorities Creative Content and Policy Manager. “Instead of helping Trump censor our national parks, visitors used the comment form to tell the Trump administration to respect our parks or get lost.”
A former Interior department official explains what’s wrong with mining on public land
On a new episode of The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by Dr. Steve Feldgus, an independent consultant who served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Interior department under President Biden. Dr. Feldgus talks about how to improve mine permitting in the U.S., a topic he worked on while at Interior.
Quick hits
Effort to get national park visitors to snitch on signs backfires
Center for Western Priorities [report] | KOAA | Source NM | West Central Tribune | Salt Lake Tribune
New BLM grazing rules eliminate Tribal bison from public lands
Inside Climate News | Public Domain | Idaho Statesman [opinion]
BLM and Utah Lt. Governor sign co-management agreement for San Rafael Swell
ABC4 | Salt Lake Tribune | Deseret News
Elk herd habitat near Dinosaur National Monument to open for drilling
High Country News | International Business Times
Forest Service admits cabin project in Alaska was cancelled due to mining interests, after previously denying it
Trump administration waives environmental laws to allow border wall in Big Bend National Park
National Parks Traveler | Common Dreams
Opinion: Federal policies put public lands elk habitat on the chopping block
Once underwater, Colorado River canyon country reemerges as drought-stricken Lake Powell’s levels drop
Quote of the day
Folks need to understand the long-term impacts of a rush to lease so much public land. Once those leases are issued they are very hard to get rid of — they stay on the land for a long time, even if they aren’t developed.”
—Peter Hart, legal director of the Wilderness Workshop, High Country News
Picture This
The rings on the shells of wood turtles reveal their age — giving them something in common with the trees in the forests they live in.
Forest Service scientists’ partner with land managers across the Midwest, finding ways to care for wood turtles threatened by habitat loss, stream pollution, disease, and poaching.
Data from long-term monitoring shows that protecting nests and constructing roadside barriers help turtles survive to adulthood and ensure the next generation of hatchlings.
(Forest Service photo by Donald Brown)
Featured photo: Lower Delicate Arch viewpoint, Arches National Park. NPS/Chris Wonderly