When Politics Erases History: Why We're Fighting Secretarial Order 3431
Signs like this one in the Presidio of San Francisco, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, have been going up around the country in response to President Trump's executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." Chloe Veltman/NPR
Our public lands tell America's story—all of it. The beautiful and the painful, the celebrated and the overlooked. That's why Resource Renewal Institute has joined forces with over 100 organizations—from the National Parks Conservation Association and Earthjustice to Latino Outdoors, the Japanese American Citizens League, The Wilderness Society, and Great Old Broads for Wilderness—to oppose Secretary Doug Burgum's Secretarial Order 3431.
Despite its misleading title—"Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History"—this order does the opposite. It's already dismantling exhibits that acknowledge Indigenous peoples, civil rights struggles, and the full complexity of our shared past.
The first casualty? An exhibit at Muir Woods that honored Coast Miwok stewardship and women's conservation leadership. Gone, without tribal consultation or public input. It's a troubling preview of what's coming for sites like Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, Manzanar, and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.
"Our relationship with the land is inseparable from understanding whose land it was, who was excluded from it, and who fought to protect it," says Chance Cutrano, RRI's Director of Programs. "When we erase these stories from our parks, we're not restoring truth—we're abandoning it. And that makes us all poorer stewards of these irreplaceable places."
The Coalition Calls on the Department of the Interior to:
1.
Fully rescind Order 3431 and immediately halt its implementation.
2.
Empower site staff, Tribal Nations, and community historians to shape and protect accurate storytelling.
3.
A commitment to telling complete stories, not convenient ones.
Take Action
Submit a public comment urging the repeal of
Order 3431
Watch for changes at your local park sites and share them with the coalition (form coming soon).
