Coalition sues to block removal of history, science displays from US national parks News
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Coalition sues to block removal of history, science displays from US national parks

A coalition of six conservation and education organizations sued the US Department of the Interior on Tuesday, challenging a policy that has led to the removal of exhibits about slavery, climate change, and Indigenous history from national parks across the country.

Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” directing the Interior Department to ensure that displays at federal sites do not “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living” and instead emphasize national achievements and the “beauty, abundance, and grandeur” of natural landscapes. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a corresponding order in May 2025 setting specific timelines for park staff to review all interpretive materials and remove anything deemed noncompliant.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleges that Burgum’s order violated multiple federal statutes governing the National Park Service and is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.

The plaintiffs — the National Parks Conservation Association, American Association for State and Local History, Association of National Park Rangers, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Society for Experiential Graphic Design, and Union of Concerned Scientists — say the Park Service has removed hundreds and flagged thousands more interpretive signs and exhibits since the order took effect.

Among the removals cited in the complaint: an exhibit on enslaved people at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, climate science displays at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and signs about the Wabanaki people at Acadia National Park in Maine.

The groups seek a court order declaring the secretary’s order unlawful, halting further removals and restoring materials to their pre-order condition.

The National Park Service manages more than 430 sites across the United States, including natural landmarks like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone as well as battlefields, monuments and historic sites. The parks draw more than 300 million visitors a year and are widely regarded as the country’s primary public vehicle for preserving and interpreting American history and natural heritage.

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