National Parks Visitors Vehemently Opposed to Erasing Our History

A year after the National Park Service posted QR codes asking visitors to report "negative" content at the parks, an analysis of 35,700 submitted comments reveals that the American people are "vehemently opposed to attempts to erase history and censor national parks."

In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the National Park Service to review and remove materials that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)."

To implement the order, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered NPS staff to post QR code signs at NPS properties asking visitors to identify "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."

Last month, the Interior Department released 35,700 comments submitted through these QR codes. (What the Associated Press called a "tepid response" given that the National Parks saw 323 million visits at more than 400 sites last year.)

An analysis of the full dataset by the Center for Western Priorities, a nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, identified just 47 comments that flagged a sign for removal or expressed broad support for the removal effort.

Of those, 20 used the form to "demand more inclusive history and better representation in signage, such as noting that a historical marker used a racial slur," CWP found. Thirteen were unclear or satirical, or flagged a factual inaccuracy.

That leaves only 14 visitors out of 35,700 who used the form to flag "negative" content as the administration intended.

Even taking out form letters from advocates who coordinated opposition to the executive order across hundreds of parks, CPW found that 99.8% of the comments "defended historical accuracy, expressed support for the NPS, or pushed back against the order."

A similar analysis by the Associated Press found that most of the comments criticized the effort itself, citing several examples. One visitor to a North Carolina park called the administration's efforts "un-American" and another objected to "having Americans call in and snitch on each other."

"We had a great time learning about the development of this site including the difficult parts of our American story," wrote a visitor to Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. "We need those reminders to help us become even better in the future."

Even though the Park Service's own data demonstrate overwhelming public opposition to the removal of historical content from national parks, NPS has changed or removed dozens of signs across the national park system, AP reports.

Save Our Signs, a watchdog group founded by librarians, public historians, and data experts, has documented the removal or modification of at least 59 signs, University of Minnesota librarian and group member Jenny McBurney told AP, including signs about slavery, women's rights, and Native American history.

The group is building a "People's Archive" of content at the parks by asking visitors to submit photos of signs and exhibits.

"We hear from folks all over the country that history matters, that our national parks matter and that this is important to them," Ms. McBurney said.