Why signs asking national parks visitors to report ‘negative’ historic information are causing concern

In The NOCO

Colorado has 13 sites that are part of the National Park System. And visitors may notice some striking new signs posted in the parks when they visit this summer.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, is requiring the posting of signs that ask visitors to identify and report “any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans.”

The order caught the attention of many national park supporters, who fear it could lead to censoring less flattering parts of American history – especially at sites in Colorado that commemorate the Sand Creek Massacre or the Amache internment camp that imprisoned Japanese Americans in World War II.

Tracy Coppola is Colorado senior program manager with the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit that advocates for the national parks but is not part of the park service. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about the impact this policy could have on visitors, as well as rangers and educators at the parks.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
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In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.