Maine Insights Newsmagazine

Signs were posted last summer at Maine’s Acadia National Park, asking the public to report any visible information deemed negative about America’s past. Data obtained from QR codes used by visitors revealed overwhelming support for the factual interpretation of science and history. (Adobe Stock)

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By Kathryn Carley

Jun 23, 2026

A federal judge has ordered historical and science-based displays removed from America’s national parks and monuments must be restored by July 4.

A coalition of conservationists sued after nearly 60 items were taken down, including signage about climate change and Wabanaki history in Maine’s Acadia National Park. The displays had been deemed “improper partisan ideology” by the Trump administration.

Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said park employees consider education a large part of their job.

“One of their primary responsibilities is to serve the visitor, and that includes giving them accurate information — even about things that, sometimes, we’re not very proud of,” Wade explained.

The Trump administration must also give the court weekly updates on the restoration process. The National Park Service and Interior Department have filed an appeal.

The court’s order states the government’s efforts to “rewrite the nation’s history” set a “dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization.” More than 400 signs and interpretive exhibits were flagged for removal, including those describing slavery, women’s suffrage and how climate change is affecting surrounding ecosystems.

Wade pointed out national parks serve as living classrooms, and few have escaped the impacts of increasingly violent storms or drought.

“Employees in the National Park System are very worried about the fact that we can’t tell the visitors about it, and in some cases, even have enough information to be able to make management decisions that might end up mitigating those impacts,” Wade emphasized.

Wade contended the court’s ruling is a validation of national park employees and reinforces the public is on their side.

A 2026 Pew Research Center survey found 66% of U.S. adults believe it is extremely or very important to discuss the country’s historical successes and strengths, as well as its failures and flaws.