Maine's Acadia National Park is one of the country's most popular parks; around 4 million people visit each year. Newcomers arriving this fall may not notice any changes. But recently, educational signs containing information on climate change, ecology and Native American history have been quietly removed.
Signs had been located in two of Acadia's most well-trod areas: six on the summit of Cadillac Mountain, and four in the Great Meadow.
The informational blurbs had asked hikers to help protect the fragile ecosystem by staying on trails and not picking berries, detailed how rising seas and intense storms due to climate change impact the park, and encouraged visitors to help avoid emissions by using the park's Island Explorer bus. Others explained the cultural and spiritual significance of Cadillac Mountain for the Wabanaki people.
When reached for comment, Interior Department Deputy Press Secretary Aubrie Spady called the removed signage "brainless fear-mongering rhetoric used to steal taxpayer dollars."
"Thanks to President Donald Trump, Interior is ensuring that the American people are no longer being fed the lies of the delusional Green New Scam," she said in a statement.
Acadia is just one of many national parks to remove educational language is recent weeks. The Washington Post reported that signs in national parks across the country have disappeared, along with accompanying webpages documenting the impacts of climate change, the history of slavery, conflicts with Native Americans, and Japanese American internment camps.
Changes to national park language were directed by President Donald Trump in an executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," and subsequent memos from the Department of the Interior and the National Parks Service. The administration gave parks and national sites a Sept. 17 deadline to remove signage that doesn't "focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people."
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District called the ongoing effort to remove educational information from parks across the country "extremely disturbing."
"When did scientific fact become political speech? Teaching people about science or the weather, or all of the things you can learn by being in [a] national park, seems to me, part of the visitor experience," she told Maine Public.
Todd Martin, a senior program manager at the National Parks Conservation Association, said that silencing science won't stop climate change from occurring.
"We know from decades of scientific research that climate change is already having an impact on Maine and Acadia National Park, from more intense rainfalls and coastal storms to less snow in the winter, longer droughts and rising sea levels," Martin said.
"Acadia National Park, like many parks, wants to ensure that its visitors understand the impacts that Acadia is feeling from climate change now and what the future of the park could look like," he said. "And the American public deserves to know that information."
Pingree said it's a continuation on the president's attack on the First Amendment.
"I think this is outrageous, but it goes along with a pattern in this administration of trying to change the course of how we talk about history, to change curriculum in schools, to eliminate what we're able to talk about and what we're able to discuss, and it goes against what Americans believe is our right to free speech and obtaining information," she said.
Pingree joined nearly 90 other lawmakers Wednesday in a letter to NPS Acting Director Jessica Bowman asking for an impact report on the signage removal.
"We are deeply concerned that your memo will create changes that damage valuable historical resources, disrupt NPS operations, and unnecessarily hurt our national parks and the communities that use and enjoy them," the letter said.
The lawmakers expressed concern that the focus on policing language in the parks is diverting attention from urgently needed maintenance and upgrades.
"Addressing that backlog should be NPS’ utmost priority in updating or changing cultural resources, rather than neglecting safety and the visitor experience in pursuit of censorship and erasure," it reads.