National parks to pull DEI-type items from gift shops

• The Interior Department has ordered national parks to review and remove gift shop items related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• This directive is part of a broader effort to keep park gift shops as “neutral spaces that serve all visitors.”
• The order follows executive actions by President Donald Trump targeting DEI programs across the federal government.

National parks have been ordered to check their gift shops for items that support programs like diversity, equity and inclusion – and remove them. 

According to an Interior Department memo obtained by the nonprofit advocacy group National Parks Conservation Association, parks have until Dec. 19 to review all retail items sold at on-site outlets run by partner associations and concessionaires. 

“In keeping with Secretary’s Order 3416, the National Park Service is conducting a common-sense review of retail items to ensure our gift shops remain neutral spaces that serve all visitors,” the Interior Department confirmed to USA TODAY. “We’re working closely with our partners to make sure this process is smooth and doesn’t disrupt the visitor experience. If any items are found to be inconsistent with the Order, they are being removed from sale.”

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Alan Spears, senior director for Cultural Resources at NPCA, says it’s not that straightforward. “This is along the lines of the ongoing effort to sanitize, soften or erase history in our national parks,” he said. 

S.O. 3416  calls for ending “all actions related to ‘illegal and immoral discrimination’ programs, including DEI … (collectively, ‘equity-related’) mandates, policies, preferences, and activities in the (Interior) Department.” It was issued in January, on the heels of a larger executive order by President Donald Trump focusing on DEI across the federal government. 

In March, Trump issued another order, calling on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to take action “to ensure that all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.” Burgum followed suit with his own order in May and weeks later, visitors at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio reported seeing signs asking them to flag anything that could be disparaging toward America or U.S. history. 

However, Spears said, “It’s all a part of our story … If we’ve got books or interpretive materials, signage or even key chains that point that out, that’s a part of our shared national narrative, and I think those things need to remain in place.”  

He added that national parks have enough to worry about without the gift shop reviews. Citing staffing shortages, maintenance backlogs and inadequate funding among, he said, “Our National Park Service Rangers should be managing parks, not censorship campaigns.” 

The Interior Department asserted its commitment to remaining neutral and not promoting specific viewpoints: “Our goal is to keep National Parks focused on their core mission: preserving natural and cultural resources for the benefit of all Americans.”