The Trump-Vance administration is threatened by truth at national parks. That’s exactly why we’re suing to protect it. https://youtu.be/-ofXsyaPkg4?si=L3UZIjr-C68QANaV

Could government censorship change the story of the Civil War?

YouTube video by Democracy Forward

youtu.be

Conservation and public health groups are challenging the EPA’s rejection of Hawaiʻi’s clean-air plan, a decision that could worsen pollution around Hawaiʻi Volcanoes and Haleakalā National Parks and harm nearby communities. Read more: protectnps.org/2026/07/22/e...

Okefenokee’s designation as America’s 27th UNESCO World Heritage Site should be a milestone, not the end of U.S. leadership. Coalition member and former NPS international affairs director Stephen Morris explains what’s at risk in The Washington Post: wapo.st/4bRlFoM

Opinion | Sen. Andy Kim: Yes, Medicaid should cover all children

Medicaid and MediKids, Todd Blanche and the UNESCO World Heritage list, in readers' eyes.

wapo.st

According to The Atlantic, the Trump administration is moving quickly to advance the project while proposed changes to federal historic-preservation rules could weaken public input, Tribal consultation and protections for historic places nationwide. www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...

Inside Trump’s Rush Job to Build His Arch

If the president gets his way, new rules would lower the bar for building monuments in Washington.

theatlantic.com

The Endangered Species Act cannot protect wildlife without protecting habitat. Tribal Nations and conservation groups are suing to block a new rule that removes habitat destruction from the law’s definition of “harm.” Read more: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Tribes and environmental groups sue to block Trump’s gutting of the Endangered Species Act

The lawsuits target a rule that erases habitat destruction from the law's definition of "harm."

motherjones.com

"Since taking office last year, this administration has taken step after step to dismantle this system." Read our latest on the state of National Parks under Trump authored by Cheryl Schreier, chairperson of @protectnps.bsky.social:

America’s Best Idea is in Grave Danger

A former National Park Service leader on the plunder of America’s public lands.

newsletter.ofthebrave.org

“Our public lands maintain pieces of our history.” In a new op-ed, Coalition Chair Cheryl Schreier warns that staffing cuts, budget threats and attacks on national monuments are placing America’s parks and public lands in grave danger. Read more: newsletter.ofthebrave.org/p/americas-b...

America’s Best Idea is in Grave Danger

A former National Park Service leader on the plunder of America’s public lands.

newsletter.ofthebrave.org

Our national parks protect wildlife, preserve irreplaceable landscapes and belong to all of us. But chronic underfunding, staffing losses and a $24 billion maintenance backlog are putting them at risk. Congress must pass the America the Beautiful Act. environmentamerica.org/articles/our...

Our national parks: America’s natural heritage

Our national parks are in trouble. Congress can take the first step by passing the America the Beautiful Act.

environmentamerica.org

Former park leaders, employees, volunteers and supporters are urging DOI to preserve protections for Chaco Culture NHP. Read our letter & tell BLM to uphold the 10-mile buffer protecting this irreplaceable cultural landscape. Letter: protectnps.org/2026/07/16/f... Act by July 29: protectchaco.org

Staffing shortages have forced the National Park Service to suspend dive team operations at Lake Mead, one of the nation’s deadliest recreation sites, with no timeline for their return. Read more: thenevadaindependent.com/article/lake...

Lake Mead's dive team operations quietly suspended by National Park Service - The Nevada Independent

Dive team operations at Southern Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area, consistently ranked as one of America's most deadly federal recreation sites, have quietly been suspended because of staff...

thenevadaindependent.com

In response to President Trump signing an executive order to shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, Cheryl Schreier, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement. protectnps.org/2026/07/13/c...

“Be prepared to wait,” Coalition Executive Director Emily Thompson told @businessinsider.com, and “maybe thank a park employee too.” This summer, national park visitors may face big crowds, fewer staff and a less predictable trip. Read more before you go: www.businessinsider.com/visiting-nat...

What to expect at national parks this summer: big crowds, fewer reservation rules, and a less predictable visit

The National Park Service is heading into peak summer with fewer permanent staff and looser crowd-control rules at some of its most popular parks.

businessinsider.com

Today, we celebrate the freedom, beauty, and shared promise of the places that belong to all of us. Our public lands tell America’s story, full of wonder, complexity, resilience, and possibility.

Fireworks are returning to Mount Rushmore despite ongoing drought and renewed wildfire concerns in the Black Hills. Public lands need decisions rooted in science, safety, and respect for sacred places and nearby communities. Read more: www.politico.com/news/2026/06...

The National Park System has received a special designation from the World Monuments Fund’s Irreplaceable America initiative. As Coalition Chair Cheryl Schreier said, national parks are places “where geology, history, culture, and democracy meet beneath an open sky.” www.wmf.org/irreplaceabl...

Irreplaceable America

Irreplaceable America is a special open call that underscores the vital importance of preserving heritage places that encompass the multifaceted history of the United States.

wmf.org

Data is only as strong as the people trained to collect it. At Channel Islands, NPS staff helped track marine ecosystems, monitor island foxes & guide recovery efforts over decades. When parks lose staff, they lose knowledge, continuity, and capacity. Contact Congress: mstr.app/3d1721f5-f78...

Federal workers should not be chilled from raising concerns about public safety, scientific integrity, waste, fraud or abuse. We’re urging OPM to withdraw its overbroad government-wide NDA proposal. Read our full comments: protectnps.org/2026/06/26/c...

New guidance directs Interior employees, including park staff, not to confirm deaths or the severity of injuries in national parks. Coalition Board Member Alexandra Picavet warns this “prescriptive and in some ways threatening guidance” will not be effective. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Internal memo orders staff not to reveal deaths in national parks

Guidance issued by the Interior Department instructs National Park Service staff not to confirm deaths, the severity of injuries or other details.

washingtonpost.com

Former Big Bend leaders are urging DHS to protect the park while strengthening border security. Their message is clear: a secure border and conservation of one of America’s most iconic national parks do not have to be in conflict. Read the full comments: protectnps.org/2026/06/15/f...

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the National Park Service from removing or revising signs, exhibits, and other materials that tell the full American story. National parks are not propaganda tools. They exist to preserve history, not sanitize it. Read more 👉 protectnps.org/2026/06/13/j...

URGENT: Comments are due June 15. The NPS is accepting public comments on the proposed Triumphal Arch at Memorial Circle in D.C., a project that would disrupt one of the nation’s most significant historic viewsheds. Comment by June 15 at 11:59 PM MT: parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm....

A fast-track attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument’s management plan has failed. This is a win for public lands, Tribal consultation, local communities, wildlife, dark skies and everyone who spoke out to defend national monuments. Read more: suwa.org/senator-lees...

Senator Lee’s attempt to fast-track attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan fails

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  June 12, 2026 Senator Lee’s attempt to fast-track attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan fails Opposition from across Utah and the nation leads to...

suwa.org

Big Bend National Park is an irreplaceable Texas landscape, and the Trump Administration’s border wall waiver puts it at risk. New infrastructure could threaten wildlife migration, increase flood risk and bring light pollution to one of the darkest skies in the world.

Wildfire season is here, and experts are warning that public land agencies are being asked to prepare with fewer staff, fewer resources and more chaos. That uncertainty is making readiness more challenging for the people protecting our parks and communities. westwise.substack.com/p/wildfire-e...

Wildfire experts say Trump's attacks on public land agencies will make this summer wildfire season worse

A troubling meteorological forecast and extreme drought, coupled with chaotic policy changes, could lead to heightened wildfire risk in 2026

westwise.substack.com

A new report raises concerns that staffing shortages, funding threats and federal reviews of interpretive materials could affect Lincoln Home, Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument and New Philadelphia National Historic Site. Read more: www.illinoistimes.com/news/nationa...

National parks crisis hits home - Illinois Times, the capital city's weekly source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture

National parks are facing a triple whammy – underfunding, reduced staffing, and what some call unprecedented federal oversight. Central Illinois is home to three National Park Service (NPS) sites, inc...

illinoistimes.com

The National Park Service has reportedly ordered the removal of historic quotes from Boston’s Bunker Hill Monument — including quotes about slavery, immigration and dissent. Our parks should preserve history, not censor it because it makes people uncomfortable. protectnps.org/2026/06/04/p...

UPDATE: In a win against government censorship, our coalition just defeated the Trump-Vance admin’s attempt to dismiss this case. We will keep fighting to protect science and history for all who visit our national parks. #OurParksOurHistory

Democracy Forward@democracyforward.org · 6mo ago

We’re suing to stop the Trump-Vance administration from erasing history and science at national parks across the country. Censoring “America’s largest classroom” cannot erase this country's truths. We will fight in court to ensure everyone can learn about the real American experience.

BREAKING: Roughly 8,000 career federal employees have been stripped of key civil service protections under the revived Schedule F. www.govexec.com/workforce/20...

Trump signs order moving thousands of federal employees into Schedule F

Roughly 8,000 career federal employees were stripped of their civil service protections Wednesday, making them effectively at-will employees.

govexec.com

For over 50 years, federal land managers have used commonsense safeguards to balance motorized recreation with wildlife protection, clean water, cultural sites, and safe visitor experiences. Revoking these protections risks more conflict, damage, and confusion across public lands & national parks.

“The White House, together with its surrounding landscape, is also a designated National Park.” The Coalition has joined a friend-of-the-court brief supporting litigation over the proposed White House Ballroom and demolition of the East Wing. Read more: protectnps.org/2026/05/28/c...