In a statement to the New York Times<\/em><\/a>, a spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Joshua Winchell, confirmed that last week Muir Woods staff had removed sticky notes that were added to existing signage in 2021<\/a>. These notes were accompanied by a poster explaining the staff\u2019s aim \u201cto tell the full story\u201d of Muir Woods \u2014 for example, by acknowledging the role of Native American stewardship in the redwoods\u2019 history.<\/p>\n \u201cThe stories protected at our national parks bring us closer together as a country, not further apart,\u201d said Alan Spears, senior director for cultural resources at the National Parks Conservation Association<\/a>, in a statement emailed to KQED. \u201cOur history is complex, and as national park advocates, we trust national park staff to navigate those complexities and do their jobs without interference.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat countries don\u2019t hide from or sanitize their history,\u201d Spears said.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what you need to know about the signs, why they were removed and what\u2019s happening at other national parks across the country.<\/p>\n The now-removed sticky notes at Muir Woods<\/a> were part of a 2021 exhibit called \u201cHistory Under Construction<\/a>\u201d developed by park rangers at the national monument.<\/p>\n As an accompanying poster \u2014 also now removed \u2014 explained, staff made the sticky note additions to the existing signage in an effort to add context to the park\u2019s history, highlighting the foundational roles of women and Indigenous people in its creation and the oftentimes racist and violent past of its more notable founders.<\/p>\n \u201cThis sign credits influential, philanthropic white men with saving Muir Woods,\u201d the poster read. \u201cWhile they undoubtedly contributed to the forest becoming a national monument, part of our duty in the national parks service is to tell the full story of how that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything on this sign is true but incomplete,\u201d the poster read.<\/p>\n In particular, the sticky notes pointed out founder Gifford Pinchot\u2019s ties to the American Eugenics Society, John Muir\u2019s use of racist language against Indigenous people in his writing and Congressman William Kent\u2019s work on legislation that targeted Asian immigrants.<\/p>\n In March, Trump issued an executive order, called \u201cRestoring Truth and Sanity to American History,<\/a>\u201d which took aim at what the White House called a \u201cdistorted narrative\u201d that Trump claimed was permeating the United States\u2019 national parks, monuments and other federal institutions like the Smithsonian.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder this historical revision, our Nation\u2019s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n The Trump administration<\/a> also instructed staff at national parks to publicly post signs with QR codes inviting visitors to themselves report any signage they found to \u201cinappropriately disparage Americans past or living.\u201d<\/p>\n The order then gave parks a deadline: By mid-July, they had to flag any materials for possible editing or removal, which the Trump administration said it would carry out by Sept. 17, according to the New York Times<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n The order stated that Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum would review materials \u201cwithin the Department of the Interior\u2019s jurisdiction\u201d for \u201cimproper partisan ideology\u201d and then take action to ensure they did not \u201ccontain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times).\u201d<\/p>\n Many cultural and outdoor organizations swiftly decried the order, including the American Historical Association<\/a> and the Sierra Club<\/a>. Some visitors, too, used the opportunity to criticize the administration\u2019s order<\/a> \u2014 or praise parks staff<\/a> \u2014 rather than flag parks content for removal.<\/p>\n Muir Woods officials did not respond to KQED\u2019s request for comment. But Golden Gate National Recreation Area spokesperson Winchell said the sticky notes had been removed last week pending a review following the executive order.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhat was removed at Muir Woods and why?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/04\/RS29830_Redwoods_007-qut.jpg\")
What was in the executive order around materials in national parks?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/04\/RS36596_GettyImages-177068764.jpg\")
So what happened at Muir Woods?<\/h2>\n