Court Blocks Censorship and Erasure of American History and Science at National Parks Boston – A U.S. District Court has issued an order stopping the Trump-Vance administration from censoring American history and science and ordering the restoration of unlawfully censored information displayed in America’s largest classroom – our national parks. The preliminary injunction comes in
Judge Blocks National Parks From Removing ‘Negative’ Signs
Judge Blocks National Parks From Removing ‘Negative’ Signs The ruling accused the Trump administration of engaging in censorship by taking down materials at parks across the country. By Maxine Joselow Reporting from Washington Published June 12, 2026 Updated June 13, 2026, 5:39 p.m. ET A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the National Park Service
Inside the Fight to Fly Over National Parks
Inside the Fight to Fly Over National Parks Saturday, January 14, 2023 The race is on to get the government to curtail flight tours critics say are disruptive and risky. Daniel Modlin Bryce Canyon National Park in southwestern Utah is renowned for its hoodoos, thin spire-like rock formations that etch their way out of the
NPT: NPS Must Take A Closer Look At Air Tours
Traveler’s View: NPS Must Take A Closer Look At Air Tours By Kurt Repanshek – November 21st, 2022 The National Park Service needs to do environmental studies on air tours/NPS file It’s not an understatement that the National Park Service frequently, if not continually, struggles with its original mandate: to conserve park resources and
Letter Sent to DOI Expressing Concerns Over Plans to Drill Near Dinosaur NM
June 28, 2021 The Honorable Debra Haaland Secretary of Interior U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C St. NW Washington, D.C. 20240 Subject: Proposed Oil and Gas Drilling Adjacent to Dinosaur National Monument under Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lease No. UTU-81185 Dear Secretary Haaland, I am writing to you on behalf of over
Coalition Speaks With Outside Magazine on Biden Presidency and Parks
By Emily Pennington What a Biden Presidency Means for the National Parks From day one, the new administration has showed itself to be in favor of protecting the wild spaces and species we love. On January 20, during the first few moments of his first day in office, standing at a podium, President Biden asserted
Coalition Talks with National Parks Traveler About DOI COVID Count
UPDATE | Report: More Than 2,000 Interior Department Employees Infected By Covid-19 By Kurt Repanshek – December 18th, 2020 Editor’s note: This updates with reaction from the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, and the National Parks Conservation Association. More than 2,000 Interior Department employees, including more than 500 at the National Park Service, have
The Election Might Be Over—But Our Work As Travelers Isn’t
November 9, 2020 BY MEGAN SPURRELL November 9, 2020We spent days waiting for the 2020 election results, knowing that the final call would impact the world we live in, and, crucially, how we travel. At long last, we know that Joseph R. Biden is the president-elect—and Kamala Harris the first female, Black, and Indian-American vice
Coalition Comments on New Mexico Lease Sales
Sale of New Mexico public land to oil and gas nets $8M, despite opposition during Covid-19 Adrian Hedden The federal government made about $8.2 million from a sale of public land to the oil and gas industry in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. The sale was held by the Bureau of Land Management on
Park Service Under Fire for Role in GOP Convention
BY REBECCA BEITSCH – 08/27/20 The National Park Service (NPS) is in hot water with ethics watchdogs for a slickly produced video promoting President Trump along with its plans to host a fireworks spectacle after his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. Trump is slated to give his convention speech on Thursday from the
Coalition Comments on Distribution of GAO Act Funds
Park Service anniversary finds government working to implement new funding The government is working to implement new legislation giving the National Park Service’s infrastructure a well-needed facelift as the NPS, one of the most popular federal agencies, celebrates its 104th anniversary on Tuesday. The recently passed Great American Outdoors Act is intended to tackle the
Coalition Speaks Out About Resource Damage
BALTIMORE (WBAL & AP) — A brick walkway at Fort McHenry was damaged by crews preparing for Vice President Mike Pence’s speech planned at the historic site for Wednesday. Crews have been quickly building a stage, mobile broadcast center and infrastructure needed to beam a speech by the vice president from Fort McHenry
Coalition Speaks About Lack of Permanent NPS Director
How Trump bent the National Park Service to do his bidding By Mark Kaufman For the first 100 years of the National Park Service’s existence, there has almost continually been an official director who leads the prestigious conservation agency. Now, that’s changed. The Trump administration has never had anyone in the official position of
Coalition On Acting Director Vela’s Departure
David Vela’s reversal of fortune: ‘D.C. is a fickle place’ Rob Hotakainen, E&E News reporter Published: Friday, August 14, 2020 When President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act last week, one key player was nowhere to be found: David Vela, the acting director of the National Park Service, who had pushed hard to get
Coalition Chair Comments On What Comes After Great American Outdoors Act
President Trump Has Signed The Great American Outdoors Act: Now What? By Kurt Repanshek – August 5th, 2020 4:22pm Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act has been hailed as one of the greatest conservation measures to come out of Congress in decades, as it will send $6.5 billion to the National Park Service to battle deferred
Member Oped: Mount Rushmore Fireworks A Bad Idea
Opinion by Cheryl Schreier July 1, 2020 at 4:20 p.m. EDT Cheryl Schreier was superintendent of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial from 2010 to 2019. It has been more than 10 years since fireworks were last seen at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The fireworks were canceled in 2010, my first year as superintendent of the
Coalition Member Comments on Mount Rushmore Fireworks Demonstration
Trump is headlining fireworks at Mount Rushmore. Experts worry two things could spread: virus and wildfire. National Park Service and local fire marshal officials have warned for years about dangers in resuming fireworks at the memorial. By Juliet Eilperin, Darryl Fears and Josh Dawsey Published in The Washington Post – June 25, 2020 President Trump
Coalition Comments on New DOI Acting Orders
Posted to The Hill – 06/09/20 06:00 AM EDT By Rebecca Beitsch and Rachel Frazin A new Interior Department move to leave controversial temporary leaders in place indefinitely may violate laws on filling vacancies, legal experts say, and skirts requirements for Senate confirmation. In a statement provided to The Hill on Friday, Interior said
Coalition Urges Funding for Lands Package to Assist with Economic Recovery
The Coalition has called on the Department of Interior to shut down America’s National Parks since the COVID-19 pandemic began. But we also have continued to advocate for long-term solutions needed to protect America’s national parks, and help the gateway communities around them survive the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis has revealed
Backpacker: Here’s How the Presidential Candidates’ Public Lands Plans Stack Up
By Elizabeth Miller Mar 10, 2020 While Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden have spoken at length about fighting climate change, conservation groups say their plans for America’s public lands are big on promises and short on details. In the 11 years that Phil Francis was Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s deputy superintendent, he saw air quality
Coalition Talks Endangered Parks with National Park Traveler
Endangered and Threatened Units of The National Park System By Kurt Repanshek editor, National Park Traveler A commercial “spaceport” proposed to be built just west of Cumberland Island National Seashore would send rockets over the seashore and its wilderness/NPS file For flora and fauna, being listed under the protections of the Endangered Species Act marks a
Coalition Participates in Telepresser
Coalition Executive Council member Mark Butler recently participated in a telepresser about the fourth consecutive oil and gas lease sale in Nevada. This sale involves approximately 775,000 acres of public lands located in Lincoln and White Pine Counties, within the scenic vistas and views of Great Basin National Park. The call was set up to
OP-ED: Maine needs a fully funded LWCF
Op-ed by Mike Murray: Maine needs a fully funded LWCF The Land and Water Conservation Fund is our nation’s most important program to conserve irreplaceable landscapes and cultural heritage sites. The fund has received bipartisan support throughout 10 administrations, protected more than 7.6 million acres of land, and supported more than 41,000 parks, ballfields
Op-ed: For the good of Maine, the Land and Water Conservation Fund must be fully funded.
By Sheridan Steele, Opinion guest column • December 7, 2019 10:39 am One of the greatest gifts Maine could receive this holiday season is full and dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to be included in the fiscal year 2020 federal budget. LWCF enjoys wide bipartisan backing and is our nation’s most important program to conserve
Coalition Chair Speaks with NPT on E-bikes in National Parks
A lawsuit filed to overturn the Interior Department’s move to expand e-Bike access in the National Park System also takes aim at the Trump administration’s preference for appointing “acting” officials rather than submitting nominees for Senate confirmation. PEER Sues To Overturn Expanded E-Bike Access In National Parks