Interior Memo Orders NPS Staff To Flag Gift Shop Items With DEI References

A Department of the Interior memo (attached) obtained by the National Parks Conservation Association orders NPS staff to conduct a December review of all “retail items,” to ensure that park bookstores and gift shops are in compliance with the Trump administration’s executive orders on DEI and gender. The memo was sent from the Department of the Interior’s Comptroller Jessica Bowron to regional, associate, and assistant directors at the National Park Service on November 25.

The NPCA notes that these orders are different from Secretarial Order 3431 regarding efforts to “restore truth and sanity” to American history, but the order makes it clear that any references to DEI, DEIA, or environmental justice or equity means that items should be flagged for review.

“Banning history books from park stores and cracking down on park T-shirts and keychains is not what national park visitors want from their Park Service,” says Alan Spears, NPCA senior director for cultural resources. “Going after gift shops is just one part of the administration’s deeply troubling pattern of silencing science and hiding history in our parks. It’s a bad idea that has proven deeply unpopular with the millions of people who come to our national parks to learn about America’s natural wonders and unique diverse history.”

The memo starts by saying, “To ensure compliance with Secretary’s Order (SO) 3416, the National Park Service (NPS) shall review all retail items available for purchase in outlets operated by park cooperating associations and concessioners. Retail items are considered ‘public-facing content’ and are subject to this order.”

It goes on to offer details regarding what actions NPS units must take: “Parks must notify cooperating associations and concessioners of the review requirement. Parks must coordinate with cooperating associations and concessioners for the review process. Park staff must conduct reviews within physical stores whenever feasible. If retail items must be removed from the possession of the cooperating association or concessioner to facilitate review, parks must return items in ‘as new’ condition in a timely fashion. Items identified as noncompliant with this order must be removed from sale immediately.”

The order follows recent efforts by the Trump administration to remove national park signage and information that it believes “disparages” Americans. This has included signage related to slavery, climate change, and gender.

“There is something for all of us at our parks, from the Civil War buffs to the citizen scientists to the students learning about the Civil Rights movement, and everyone in between,” says Spears. “We trust expert national park rangers to help us understand these complex topics. But now, after mass firings that have left the Park Service down a quarter of their staff, the administration is forcing these professionals to prioritize a sham review of gift shop materials over doing their jobs for the American people. There has been no transparency or guidance on this review, once again undermining Park Service staff. Park Service staff should be managing parks, not censorship campaigns.”

The memo says that the Order “is intended to halt all actions related to ‘illegal and immoral discrimination’ programs, including DEI, DEIA, and EJ (collectively, ‘equity-related’) mandates, policies, preferences, and activities in the Department.”

“The National Parks Conservation Association opposes this latest move from the administration because we, like the majority of Americans, support telling the full American story at our parks,” Spears says. “That means acknowledging hard truths about slavery, climate change, and other topics that challenge us as a nation. From the gift shop to the trailhead, we support the Park Service’s longstanding efforts to bring us closer together as Americans.”