News: Pride Flag Removed at Stonewall, LA Coast National Park Proposal, New NPS Media Gag Rules

Parkography

RV Miles Network

Nature, Society & Culture, History, Society & Culture:places & Travel, Science, Places & Travel

4.8 • 911 Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

THIS WEEK’S STORIES:• Pride flag removed at Stonewall National Monument following new federal guidance• New Interior Department communication rules reshape how parks share information• A possible new national park along the Los Angeles coast enters public comment• Special resource study launched on historic lynching sites in the Memphis area• Historic restoration underway at Grand Canyon’s Lookout Studio• Olympic marmot may be headed toward Endangered Species Act protection• Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall “Firefall” returns for 2026• Oregon State Parks visitation dips after years of record crowds If you care about national parks, public lands, and the stories shaping how we experience these places — subscribe for weekly coverage and deeper context behind the headlines. Comment on the LA Coastline National Park Study: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/documentsOpenForReview.cfm?projectID=133718&parkID=415 Comment on the Memphis Lynching Site Study: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/documentsOpenForReview.cfm?projectID=124261&parkID=415 Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week, a major controversy at Stonewall National Monument after a pride flag is removed under new federal guidance,
0:07.0	and sweeping new communications rules could change how national parks tell America's story.
0:11.9	Plus, a possible new national park site along the Los Angeles coast.
0:16.0	A Grand Canyon landmark gets a historic restoration, a rare alpine animal moves forward towards
0:22.0	protection and why visitation is cooling off at Oregon State Parks.
0:26.7	This is a big week for public lands and we're breaking down what it all means.
0:30.7	I'm Jason Epperson and this is Parkography.
0:34.3	Welcome back, everybody.
0:35.3	The National Park Service has removed the rainbow pride flag from Stonewall National Monument in New York City,
0:41.7	following updated federal guidance that limits which flags may be flown at park-managed locations.
0:47.5	According to officials, only the U.S. flag or flags specifically authorized by Congress or the Department of the Interior,
0:55.2	can be displayed on National Park Service flagpoles with limited exceptions. The Pride flag had flown at the
1:00.4	monument in recent years as a symbol of the LGBTQ rights movement, whose modern history
1:05.5	traces back to the 1969 Stonewall Uprising just steps away at the historic Stonewall Inn. The removal has sparked
1:13.9	protests and strong responses from local leaders, advocacy groups, and members of the LGBTQ community.
1:20.1	Demonstrators gathered in Christopher Park, many bringing their own flags and calling the change
1:24.3	an attempt to erase or diminish the history represented at the site.
1:28.8	Stonewall National Monument established in 2016 was the first U.S. National Monument
1:33.5	dedicated specifically to LGBTQ Plus history.
1:37.8	This development comes amid broader shifts in how national parks communicate and interpret history,
1:43.1	including new federal policies affecting exhibits,
1:45.9	messaging, and interpretive content across the system that we've talked about in recent weeks.
	...

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