News: Sweeping National Park Exhibit Removals, Rescues Surge, and Fossils Found

Parkography

RV Miles Network

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

4.8 • 911 Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on Parkography, we look at the Trump administration’s directive that’s leading to the removal of exhibits and signs about slavery, Native American displacement, labor history, and climate change at national parks across the country. We also examine new polling showing strong bipartisan opposition in Western states to the nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, and a lawsuit challenging new federal rules that limit public input on logging, drilling, and wildlife management projects in national forests. We’ll also cover new policies making it easier to lease public lands for oil and gas development — even as recent federal lease sales in Colorado draw zero bids — and a major reorganization of federal wildfire programs with the launch of a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service. On the ground, we’re tracking a record year for search and rescue at Yosemite, recent vandalism near Bridalveil Fall, illegal off-road driving that damaged rare desert plants at Death Valley’s Eureka Dunes, and adaptive reopening plans for the Grand Canyon’s North Rim after last year’s wildfire. And we’ll end with some good news: a surprise dinosaur fossil discovery at Dinosaur National Monument and major restoration projects underway at memorials and fountains across Washington, D.C. ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. Find the Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography The video on explaining passes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBfqPOoEu4w&t=357s Check out our other channels focused on RV travel: @RVMiles @RVMilesPodcast 00:00 Intro01:10 Exhibits Removed From National Parks06:31 Controversial Nominee for Bureau of Land Management08:43 Lawsuit Against New Federal Rules on Public Lands10:24 Expanding Oil and Gas Development in National Forests12:20 Unified US Wildland Fire Service13:26 Updates on National Park Service Sites16:55 Dinosaur Fossils and Restoration Projects18:09 Conclusion and Farewell

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week, major changes are rippling across America's public lands, from who manages them,
0:04.8	to what stories they're allowed to tell, and how prepared we are for the risks these places now face.
0:10.1	We'll look at why the nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management is facing bipartisan opposition in the West,
0:15.8	and how new federal rules could reshape public input on logging, drilling, and wildlife management in national forests.
0:22.6	We dive into the sweeping effort to remove or rewrite historical and climate-related displays at national parks,
0:28.6	and what that could mean for how millions of visitors understand America's past and its future.
0:33.6	On the ground, a record year for search and rescue at Yosemite, new vandalism, and illegal
0:39.2	off-road damage in fragile desert landscapes, and cautious reopening plans for the Grand Canyon's
0:45.0	North Rim after last year's Dragon Bravo Fire. We also look at newly uncovered dinosaur fossils
0:50.3	at Dinosaur National Monument and major restoration projects getting Washington D.C.'s
0:55.4	memorials ready for America's 250th birthday. I'm Jason Epperson. This is Parkography, and it's time for
1:02.4	the latest in National Parks and Public Lands News. Welcome back, everybody. It's been a while
1:08.9	since our last roundup, and there's a lot to get into, so let's dive right in.
1:12.6	The National Park Service is removing or altering interpretive signs, exhibits, and films at parks and historic sites across the country.
1:20.1	This is something that has been happening over the course of the past year, but there's been a huge round of it this January following directives from the Trump administration aimed at reshaping how American history and science are presented on public lands.
1:32.5	According to reporting from the Washington Post, Reuters, the New York Times, and other outlets,
1:37.0	staff have been ordered to take down or revise dozens of displays related to slavery,
1:42.4	Native American displacement, labor history, climate change, and environmental protection.
1:47.6	These changes are tied to a March 2025 executive order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.
1:54.2	The order directs federal agencies to remove content deemed to disparage Americans' past or living, or promote what the administration calls partisan or corrosive ideology.
2:05.3	The Interior Department says the Park Service is now implementing that directive system-wide.
2:10.0	Interior officials say interpretive materials are being reviewed to ensure accuracy,
	...

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