BAYFIELD, Wis. – The U.S. Department of Interior has posted signs around the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore seeking reports from visitors of any information at the park considered anti-American.
The signs, which the executive director of Friends of the Apostle Islands Jeff Rennicke tells WTMJ began appearing earlier this week, ask visitors to report “any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.”
The move follows the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order issued by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
“Historical accuracy should be the only standard the stories of our parks are held to,” said Rennicke Friday, who believes the signs are out of place.
“It is true that sometimes the stories of our national parks involve some of this country’s darker moments. That cannot, and should not, be ignored. What is more American than bravely looking clear-eyed at the past, admitting mistakes and times we could have done better as a nation, learning from those times and striving to get better? For more than a hundred years, since its creation in 1916, the National Park Service has worked to clearly, faithfully, and accurately tell the stories of our national parks and monuments. I, for one, applaud and support their efforts and bravery in telling even those stories which do not always show us at our best but surely at our most human.” said Rennicke.
Earlier this year, cuts to more than 2,000 National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service workers were announced by the Trump administration.
READ MORE: Cuts to park rangers will impact summer trips at National Parks
While the Apostle Islands are not themselves a national park, last year Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany introduced the Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act, which would redesignate the Apostle Islands from a national lakeshore to a national park.
Tiffany says the move will allow proper recognition of the Ojibwe tribe that first called the islands home, but Red Cliff Ojibwe tribal officials are opposed to the bill, citing a lack of studies examining potential impact to the environment, economy, or tribal culture.
READ MORE: Bill introduced to make Apostle Islands Wisconsin’s first national park
