1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action against Executive Order 14253 and Secretary Order 3431, which are directing the systematic censorship of historical and scientific content across our National Parks. Leaked documents uploaded to Archive.org on March 2, 2026, reveal the scope of this effort to erase vital information from public lands. These orders mandate the removal of content that "inappropriately disparages Americans" or "emphasizes matters unrelated to the beauty, abundance, or grandeur" of natural features. In practice, this vague language is being used to censor three critical categories of information. Climate and environmental science exhibits at Muir Woods, Glacier National Park, Acadia, and Everglades are being removed, hiding evidence of fossil fuel impacts on these treasured landscapes. Historical information about Japanese-American incarceration during World War II is being stripped from Manzanar, Minidoka, Amache, Tule Lake, and Honouliuli. Content addressing chattel slavery, Jim Crow, and white nationalism at sites including the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home, Cane River Creole, Rock Creek, and Independence Hall is targeted for elimination. National Parks serve as educational institutions that preserve both natural wonders and difficult historical truths. Removing scientifically accurate climate information prevents visitors from understanding threats to these ecosystems and undermines informed public discourse on environmental policy. Erasing the history of Japanese-American detention eliminates crucial lessons about civil liberties violations during wartime. Censoring content about racial injustice denies visitors the opportunity to learn from our nation's past mistakes. I urge you to publicly oppose these censorship orders, introduce or co-sponsor legislation to prohibit the removal of factual historical and scientific content from National Parks, and demand transparency about what has already been removed. Our public lands must remain places where Americans can access accurate history and science, not sanitized propaganda that serves political interests.