Sierra Club FOIA Lawsuit Uncovers More Than 35,000 Public Responses Showing Widespread Opposition to Trump Efforts to Censor History in National Parks

Washington, DC - Today, the Sierra Club released more than 35,000 comments submitted to the National Park Service in response to Donald Trump's efforts to whitewash history on public lands via the executive order "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History". The records were produced by the Department of the Interior and released as part of Sierra Club's ongoing lawsuit against the department.

Read the more than 35,000 comments here.

"Our shared national parks and public lands hold the layered stories of this country," said Gerry Seavo James, Deputy Director of Sierra Club's Outdoors for All campaign. "These comments make clear that the public expects those stories to be interpreted with accuracy, transparency, and integrity, not narrowed to fit a political agenda."

The responses show widespread opposition to the effort to censor American history on NPS sites, with a large number of the comments also decrying the Trump administration's push to reduce staffing levels, defund the parks system, and continue to explore the sale of public lands.

Some of the comments include:

• "All of the anti-American signs pointing to this link should be removed, as there is nothing more patriotic than pointing out the errors of our past and working to change for the better," wrote one commenter providing feedback on Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
• "One of the wonderful things about our National Parks is that they teach us or just remind us of our history. You can't change history by lying about it," wrote another commenter regarding Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park.
• "This feedback applies to all parks - stop cutting the funding and staffing for the National Park Service. Also, do not sell our public lands to private interests." wrote one commenter regarding Rocky Mountain National Park and other sites..

On July 31, 2025, the Sierra Club filed its original FOIA requests to DOI and multiple land bureaus seeking information about the Trump administration's attempt to whitewash history on public lands via the executive order from Donald Trump and a secretarial order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The Interior order required a review of signage, websites, and other language used at properties within Interior's jurisdiction to ensure they did not contain "descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living," and instead focused on "the greatness of achievements" and "the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape."

While the Department of the Interior has now made the public comments available, the agency has only partially responded to Sierra Club's broader records requests. Sierra Club continues to seek records related to how the administration developed and implemented its review of signs, exhibits, websites, and other interpretive materials across public lands, including internal guidance, bureau reviews, communications, and decision-making records tied to Interior Order 3431.

Last December, Sierra Club released records of responses submitted concerning properties administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation. In January, the organization filed a lawsuit, Sierra Club v. Department of the Interior, to compel other land bureaus within the Department of the Interior to fully respond to the nearly year-old public records requests. Sierra Club is represented by Conrad | Metlitzky | Kane LLP and the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program in the matter.

Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program has ramped up its Freedom of Information Act work in response to actions taken by the second Trump administration. During Trump's first administration, Sierra Club's FOIA work was critical in exposing numerous scandals. Most notably, the Sierra Club's efforts helped lead to the resignation of Trump's first EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt.

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About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.