UPDATED: "Unofficial" National Park Service Twitter Accounts Challenge Trump Administration
January 25, 2017
Editor's note: This update cites another unofficial NPS Twitter feed, and outlines how the NPS Arrowhead logo can be used.
This national park Twitter feed ain't rogue. It might better be viewed as "the resistance."
After a former employee at Badlands National Park in South Dakota fed a short series of climate-change related tweets that were quickly taken down, a collection of active National Park Service employees has banded together to launch AltUSNatParkService (@AltNatParkSer) on Twitter, a feed those behind it bill as, "The Unofficial 'Resistance' team of U.S. National Park Service. Not taxpayer subsidised! Come for rugged scenery, fossil beds, 89 million acres of landscape."
Among the initial tweets were:
Can't wait for President Trump to call us FAKE NEWS. You can take our official twitter, but you'll never take our free time!
We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We'll fight climate change denial
This account should not have to exist & we are sorry for any problems we are causing our colleagues. But we didn't start this. #resist
These four tweets were quickly removed from Badlands National Park's twitter feed on Tuesday.
The account quickly gained more than 440,000 followers.
As to the Badlands situation, that park's Twitter feed on Tuesday contained three climate-change related tweets and one noting the Park Service's mandate to preserve landscapes and their natural resources.
"Several tweets posted on the Badlands National Park's Twitter account today were posted by a former employee who was not currently authorized to use the park's account. The park was not told to remove the tweets but chose to do so when they realized that their account had been compromised," a Park Service official said. "At this time, National Park Service social media managers are encouraged to continue the use of Twitter to post information relating to public safety and park information, with the exception of content related to national policy issues."
Another Twitter channel with a similar bent, NatlParksUnderground (@NatParkUndrgrnd) also has surfaced. Among its initial tweets was one that said, "We encourage all agencies under the gag order of the Trump administration to go #underground, get the info out, and resist, resist, #resist."
National Park Service officials in Washington declined to comment on the two sites. However, the first might run into trouble for its use of the NPS Arrowhead logo.
Agency regulations specific that, "(U)nder no circumstances is the Arrowhead symbol to be employed in any manner which would malign or denigrate the NPS or its employees. No reproduction of the symbol is permitted which in any way changes the wording or design elements found therein. The use of the symbol on souvenirs or other items or merchandise presented for sale to the public by private enterprise operating either within or outside of areas of the National Park System will not be authorized. The symbol will not be authorized for use in a manner that would imply endorsement by the Service of a product, service, or enterprise which the Service has no authority to endorse."
A copy of National Parks Traveler's financial statements may be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: National Parks Traveler, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah 84098. National Parks Traveler was formed in the state of Utah for the purpose of informing and educating about national parks and protected areas.
Residents of the following states may obtain a copy of our financial and additional information as stated below:
Florida: A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER, (REGISTRATION NO. CH 51659), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 800-435-7352 OR VISITING THEIR WEBSITE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
Georgia: A full and fair description of the programs and financial statement summary of National Parks Traveler is available upon request at the office and phone number indicated above.
Maryland: Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401 (410-974-5534).
North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 888-830-4989 or 919-807-2214. The license is not an endorsement by the State.
Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of National Parks Traveler may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
Virginia: Financial statements are available from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 102 Governor Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
Washington: National Parks Traveler is registered with Washington State’s Charities Program as required by law and additional information is available by calling 800-332-4483 or visiting www.sos.wa.gov/charities, or on file at Charities Division, Office of the Secretary of State, State of Washington, Olympia, WA 98504.
Comments
Permalink
Submitted by Joan Lopardo on January 25, 2017 - 1:02pm.
I think that's awesome! I think it's even more awesome that their following has doubled since I started following them this morning. And for you grumblers out there, I guess you are glad that the administration (and I use that term loosely) wants to dumb us all down and keep us in the dark by actively closing down sites and banning information that would help us make our own decisions. Maybe there will be an altEPA twitter site out there soon. Next, they'll be telling people it's ok to spray graffitti in the national parks (alt art) and it's just fine to step off the well-maintained park trails (alt hiking paths) because there are no such things as fragile ecosystems and even if there are, what effect would they have on us anyway if they were to be destroyed.
Who said anything about being scared? What is pathetic is that you would cheer on the theft of government property. I'm sure you would be the first to complain and call for the shut down of the account if someone was using the logo to expose the manufacturing of the numbers and the plethora of inaccurate AGW predictions.
Sorry, but its not the "official NPS" account. So, whatever floats your boat. I'm not cheering this either, but if they start posting facts and scientific related information related to parks, then maybe i'll listen. I'm willing to give anything a listen if it is going to inspire and make me think about subjects in a new manner.. If you must know, I don't take you seriously either and think you are a misguided narcissitic boomer that obviously needs to find a new hobby. You also don't inspire me, nor tingle my brain with information that I would find useful, while you constantly troll this site into oblivion.
If trump wants to supress facts and data, then I will refuse to take him or his administration seriously either, and will then seek out "alternative means" to achieve knowledge.
Who said anything about being scared?I just noted the theft of federal property which you seem to condone. You would likely be the first to complain and screem for the shutting down of the account if somebody used the logo to distribute information about the manufacturing of temperature data or the plethora of failed AGW predictions (the real science). Heck remember the Yosemite trademarks? Everyone here had a hissy fit and DNC arguably had a legal right to those.
Which is the point. They are using the official NPS logo and are not the "official NPS" account. They can tweet anything they want, but I am not going to condone their misappropriation of the logo.
Permalink
Submitted by Pedergraham on January 25, 2017 - 5:59pm.
hurrah! I have resisted responding to any comments on any threads on this site because of ecbuck. But, now I just donr care if he picks on me. And, I also want to say that I am a big fan of Lee Dalton. I admire all of the articles he has written for this publication. Let the tr and freedoms ring.
Really, you good people are starting to sound ridiculous. Life is more than a protest march. In World War II, the "resistance" meant people who died for their beliefs. I hardly think President Trump is asking any of you to die for yours. But yes, it's hard to forget all of that marching, now to equate Donald Trump with the college president. Call to arms! We're marching on the Administration Building! Bring doughnuts and cut class.
On the national parks, President Trump is with you, if not totally convinced of climate change. But here is another eye-opener for you. Among the 50 "shovel-ready" projects he seeks to fund, he includes the Fort Mojave Solar Power Plant in Arizona. Not that I believe everything I read in the newspapers, but here is a link to that: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article1...
It's but five days into the administration, and you think you "know" Donald Trump. I don't know him; I thought he was against wind and solar. Obviously, he is more concerned with putting Americans back to work, and yes, will fund some wind and solar projects to accomplish that. Resistance? What are you resisting? He's doing exactly what you want, that is, if you happen to believe that climate change justifies wind and solar at any cost.
"We'll fight climate change denial!" Well, it doesn't look like denial to me. It rather looks like more of the same--another giveaway to corporations, if this time hedged by the insistence that American workers must benefit, too. We'll see.
Al - at this point, after the past few months, you no longer have the professorial authority or altitude you left behind in the late 80's in academia. You are just, denials aside, another enabler and apologist for Trump. You don't know my life; don't tell me what or not to fear or trust. It really doesn't help when you minimize the millions of marchers world wide united in their opposition to Trump. Pat them on the head, compare them to a sophmoric sit-in - they will bring Lysistrata to life for you
Permalink
Submitted by Sara on January 25, 2017 - 8:45pm.
"In accordance with 36 CFR Part 11, no entity outside the Service may use the Arrowhead without approval from the Director or the Director’s delegated representative."
Thanks, Sara! How about just flipping it upside down, like the flag, as a symbol of distress?
A couple of previously crucified NPS employees, Rob Danno and Teresa Chambers, offer excellent advice for those brave souls behind this resistance:
"Remember, the Agency holds all the cards in personnel situations and rarely are they interested in learning, improving and changing direction due to the conflict you are highlighting. In fact, the substance of your complaint will often fade and be overtaken by the process of them securing your demise. Don't allow yourself to gain a false sense of security, which may come from knowing you are in the right. It simply doesn't matter to a corrupt and vindictive manager; it's about winning and exercising control."
Tahoma is right. There are ways of quietly resisting without getting fired. We do, however, need people with courage to stand up to Drumpf. Just be careful that you don't sacrifice your career and your family's security.
We will need you to begin leading the parks again in four years.
Thunderbear where are you??!! {{{{Hey! I missed the link to Tbear in Tahoma's post. Somehow I missed reading that issue. Thanks, Tahoma.}}}}}
And Pedergraham, thanks for the generous compliment. Please never be afraid to exercise your right to be heard. I'll bet you have many good and interesting things to add to this site. Please don't allow yourself to be bullied. Ignore them and forge on. We have one in the White House and it will be very important for patriotic Americans to stand up and be heard if necessary.
Say again, Rick? Don't tell you what to fear or trust? Well, you're telling the rest of us to fear and mistrust our president. How about taking your own advice?
Permalink
Submitted by tomp2 on January 25, 2017 - 9:52pm.
1: I'm partial to BadHombreLandsNPS @BadHombreNPS mostly for the name.
2: EC is absolutely correct, given all the "visual identity program" rules on the arrowhead, all of these #AlternativeNPS sites need to stop using the NPS arrowhead. Someone needs to photoshop a parody arrowhead, perhaps with the Sequoia cut and falling (even though the wood is too brittle to be merchantable), or perhaps the bison upside down or being shot in a pen. That would be a parody arrowhead and fair use. [As should be the arrowhead with a black band or "Alternative" across it, but that's not very creative, and perhaps harder to defend in court.]
3: I'm not involved with any of these feeds. I don't even look at them during work hours or from GFE. But yes I do have offline backups of ~7TB of historic climate data.
4: In my job I continue to do science to inform management (& interpretation) of park natural resources. I do not expect anyone to tell me I have to stop. I will be as disciplined as necessary to stay within the law. The natural resources I've committed to transfer unimpaired to future generations are more important than short-term gratification, although others with other jobs and allegiances may make different judgement calls.
4: My personal, outside of working hours, public contributions have been in terms of tools for doing better natural resource science. They turn out to be used a lot by FS, state, tribal, & Canadian colleagues who can't see my content inside the DOI firewall. However, I may start putting science results up on my personal sites, too. When I do, I will make sure all NPS data are already available to the general public, which makes it legal in my capacity as a private citizen.
5: I find Al's assertion that President Trump is a supporter of National Parks "if not totally convinced of climate change" disingenuous at best, and #AlternativeFacts at worst, except it isn't a fact, just a assertion without any evidence or argument by someone who I used to respect as a historian. Historians provide evidence or argument for their claims and interpretations. There is no evidence that President Trump is even partially convinced of climate change, or even interested in empirical evidence one way or the other.
Permalink
Submitted by Bill Hardy on January 25, 2017 - 10:04pm.
I suggest they just invert the Emblem - maybe reverse the lettering - and post it like the American Flag as a "distress" signal...
I've read only part of Thunderbear 302 --- only as far as the beginning of the Safety Message. But I'll finish it before bedtime.
P.J. Ryan is a genius. His writings should be spread as far and wide as possible.
I wonder if there is any way they could be syndicated or something so they might be reprinted in newspapers around the country -- or world for that matter?
Does anyone out there know if or how that could be done?
===========
Tomp's advice above sounds great. Love the idea of an alt.arrowhead with environmental symbols in distress. Is there an artist in the crowd?
Tomp2, I have a salient fact--Ryan Zinke, who in Congress openly expressed his love for the national parks. Now, tell me what fact you have? None that I can see, except your assertion that I am the one being "disingenuous."
Now, sign your name and we'll talk. In the meantime, I don't want or need your "respect." Stand up and be counted, I believe the saying goes. Anyone can talk from his backside, as you are doing here. "There is no evidence that President Trump is even partially convinced of climate change?" Okay, we may agree that a newspaper is hardly "evidence," but this is more than you have.
Don't want to believe the Chinese? Ah, but everyone was so willing to believe the Russians. In short, you will believe what you want to believe. A "recovering academic" indeed.
Permalink
Submitted by tomp2 on January 25, 2017 - 11:51pm.
Thanks for the reminder about Thunderbear, Lee! I hadn't read him in several years. A good way to unwind with a few laughs after a stressful day (completely unrelated to the new administration).
Permalink
Submitted by Susan watson on January 26, 2017 - 1:24am.
Please take the fake news to the underground where it belongs. The climate change scam is over but please feel free provide your alternative views and data on your own dime and time.
Permalink
Submitted by Elizabeth Adamson on January 26, 2017 - 9:33am.
if, by any chance, the DT administration should defund national parks, I would still pay any amount to go to them. They are our national treasure.... Keep on Brothers and Sisters.....
Permalink
Submitted by sande on January 26, 2017 - 11:44am.
Agree or disagree with the viewpoint I can’t imagine anyone in the private sector tweeting against their employer and have any expectation of keeping their job. Put yourself in the place of having employees criticize your business (or you) in their off hours. Or, what would your view be if NPS employees under Obama were tweeting how global warming was a farce, how the parks were overfunded and mismanaged? Would you keep those employees? I wouldn’t nor should Trump.
Permalink
Submitted by Ray Bane on January 26, 2017 - 11:59am.
The BNP employees are to be congratulated for their principled and courageous stand to uphold the ideals and traditions of the National Park System. Hopefully the National Park Service will stand beside them in the commitment to scientific evidence and service to the owner public of our national parks. The NPS is first and foremost the servant of the PEOPLE. The current POTUS must not be permitted to undermine the parks. He is the president - not an emporer. How about a T-shirt, "BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK EMPLOYEES SUPPORTER!"
Tweeting facts? Come on. Get real, Wild Places - once again, this is getting ridiculous.. If you support anti-intellectualism or stand against science, then more power to you. Then you stand in the corner of the de-evolutionists, and the anti-intellectuals that wish to shield people from truth and knowledge.
I can't take Trump seriously. I CANT - i see that guy and I can't help but think of just some cheesy reality tv show host that's now cheesing up the executive branch. Obama obviously had a much higher IQ than Trump. Obama digested knowledge, and was willing to listen to the facts. As for trumpy - well, he wants to hide or deny facts, and obviously lacks a higher level of reasoning that is required for the office. Denying science and its role in the parks is not the sign of a higher level of intelligence. So, we begin an era of the anti-intellectuals railing against science, knowledge, and information.
Our countries educational system is already failing... I can't imagine how much worse it will get in an era where we are teetering on a fully functioning idiocracy.
Gary, I said nothing about "facts". My post was about the wisdom of tweeting anything to do with your employment. Of course I defend anyones right to do it but would also defend that employers right to fire them for doing so. And you infer far too much on my positions.
Congressman Zinke voted to: Weaken controls on air and water pollution in national parks, undermine protections for endangered species, de-fund efforts to clean up Chesapeake Bay, weaken the Antiquities Act by limiting the president's ability to designate new national monuments, has a 3% National Environmental Score from the League of Conservation Voters, and has an "F" from the NPAF for his voting record on National Parks related bills.
Zinke is in favor of "opening more public lands to oil and gas drilling, is a strong supporter of Montana's coal industry and has voted against regulations to protect waters in national parks from toxic surface mining run-off."
The only thing he seems to be against is privatizing the land or giving it to states. He does state he admires Roosevelt.
So there's that. He believes 'we' need to be prudent with regard to what we do about/with climate change.
Permalink
Submitted by Roger DeWitt on January 26, 2017 - 2:30pm.
Education, dedication, and experience must trump Luddites. A nation thanks the UNDERGROUND AGENCIES of the the people of the United States!
I just read an interesting article on Quartz media that mentioned a term from Germany in the 1930s that matches what is going on now --- Gleichschaltung.
: the act, process, or policy of achieving rigid and total coordination and uniformity (as in politics, culture, communication) by forcibly repressing or eliminating independence and freedom of thought, action, or expression : forced reduction to a common level : forced standardization or assimilation <brutal Gleichschaltung by police methods><the political Gleichschaltung of a reluctant adult population
Tonight, Drumpf strategy advisor Steve Bannon is urging loyal Drumpfians to stop reading reports in the media. He urges them to use the upcoming White House website and various forms of social media so their information "is not filtered."
2: The plot on the official BandlandsNPS twitter account thickens somewhat. @AltNatParkSer noted that the official BadlandsNPS account had been tweeting climate and climate change facts for months. I went to https://twitter.com/BadlandsNPS to confirm it for myself. Yep, climate change posts (often tied in to other events), mixed right in with their posts of wildlife, fossils, scenery, Native Americans, honoring Veterans Day, Presidents Garfield & Lincoln & Truman & TR, bat week, and various announcements and retweets of fossil friday content. I scrolled back to confirm they were tweeting about climate change before the election, not just the inaguration. I only made it as far as a 9 Oct 2016 tweet on the global carbon cycle, mostly because I kept slowing down to look at the gorgeous pics and read the posts. I now see a reason for parks to have active offical twitter feeds! Posts on other topics have resumed (through Jan 24; no tweets since then), but not climate or climate change.
"Perfectly encapsulates," is it? No, the only thing perfectly encapsulated here is ignorance of the historical record. This is already a summation of an article in Der Spiegel. Was that only six paragraphs, too? Six paragraphs and everyone is now an expert on the rise of Nazi Germany?
If you want to compare Trump to Hitler, fine. But that would take at least six books. Nor has President Trump's side of the comparison even been written yet, unless you happen to think his children are Goerbels, Goering, and Himmler
Seriously, if any of you wants to be taken seriously, you should be reading more than a single source. Trump is so unlike Adolph Hitler the parallel itself is insulting. Hitler commandeered the German state, killing thousands of people in the process--then millions after he had taken control. If Trump were Hitler, everyone on this site would be dead by now. Trump would be erasing that $12 billion parks backlog by putting all of us to work in slave labor camps.
Do you see any of that around? Any brown shirts? Any SS? Surviving Hitler, my family in Germany lived a true terrorist state. You mean President Trump has an army of his own? Standing with him in front of the cameras, I see some lovely young people, not SS.
But yes, the media, shortcutting history, has turned everything into a mockery. Get that story out! Get people angry. You sell more newspapers that way. In the past, my colleagues and I have debated this long into the night, and now you see why most historians have a healthy mistrust of any media. Did it really happen that way? Who says? The reporter from Der Spiegel writing a story on deadline? What does he or she know about German history, either?
Hitler is nothing to joke about. As a nation, we are already divided enough without mocking the historical record. It takes ten years to write a good work of history, and even then they are imperfect. Fine, you don't like Donald Trump, and it may turn out that neither do we all. But he didn't steal the election. Hillary Clinton lost it. And in this spiteful "article" we find another reason why.
Permalink
Submitted by Jackie Addison on January 31, 2017 - 3:35pm.
Keep it up!! Hurrah for altUSNPS! And as for Washington overlords, I have a single finger more powerful than the lot of you. I use it to vote with.
Permalink
Submitted by Kellie Etherson on February 1, 2017 - 7:00pm.
I have never been more proud of the National Park Service! Thank you for all that you do and keep up the good work!
Permalink
Submitted by Rusty Shackleford on February 1, 2017 - 10:31pm.
Meanwhile, the communications office at the NPS headquarters scrambles to create an action plan. I believe this is the same office that got rid of a few contracts to promote citizen journalism and have park employees run their web/social media. I wish somebody would take ownership for once and level the playing field. However, I have a feeling the leadership will turn a blind eye, just like they did when Mike Caldwell swindled almost 20K in federal funds. Had that been a maintenance employee, interpreter, or an mechanic. We all know where they would be. I doubt they would be a working in a reassigned role while reporting to their superintendent as special assistant.
National parks and their natural resources belong to you. The National Parks Traveler works to ensure you know how these essential places are being cared for.
Comments
Keep the faith!! Thank you!!!'n
Viva la resistance
Awesome - love it!
There are some brave people out there! Excellent!
Not surprising you folks would endorse the theft of government assets.
This is getting ridiculous. This administration is coming off like a bunch of clowns, and it's getting hard to take them seriously.
Theft of government assets? Pound sand. It is a PRIVATE endeavor.
I think that's awesome! I think it's even more awesome that their following has doubled since I started following them this morning. And for you grumblers out there, I guess you are glad that the administration (and I use that term loosely) wants to dumb us all down and keep us in the dark by actively closing down sites and banning information that would help us make our own decisions. Maybe there will be an altEPA twitter site out there soon. Next, they'll be telling people it's ok to spray graffitti in the national parks (alt art) and it's just fine to step off the well-maintained park trails (alt hiking paths) because there are no such things as fragile ecosystems and even if there are, what effect would they have on us anyway if they were to be destroyed.
As with any fascist regieme, they will try to suppress the truth with lies...or should I say "alternative facts."
Thank you for believing in us to believe in you...
Bravo! Must resist the Borg!
Is that not the NPS logo they are using? Do they have rights to that?
Who said anything about being scared? What is pathetic is that you would cheer on the theft of government property. I'm sure you would be the first to complain and call for the shut down of the account if someone was using the logo to expose the manufacturing of the numbers and the plethora of inaccurate AGW predictions.
His and Putin's idol/puppet in the WH can't resist a negative tweet or song or comment without an emotional overeactio.
Sorry, but its not the "official NPS" account. So, whatever floats your boat. I'm not cheering this either, but if they start posting facts and scientific related information related to parks, then maybe i'll listen. I'm willing to give anything a listen if it is going to inspire and make me think about subjects in a new manner.. If you must know, I don't take you seriously either and think you are a misguided narcissitic boomer that obviously needs to find a new hobby. You also don't inspire me, nor tingle my brain with information that I would find useful, while you constantly troll this site into oblivion.
If trump wants to supress facts and data, then I will refuse to take him or his administration seriously either, and will then seek out "alternative means" to achieve knowledge.
Who said anything about being scared?I just noted the theft of federal property which you seem to condone. You would likely be the first to complain and screem for the shutting down of the account if somebody used the logo to distribute information about the manufacturing of temperature data or the plethora of failed AGW predictions (the real science). Heck remember the Yosemite trademarks? Everyone here had a hissy fit and DNC arguably had a legal right to those.
Which is the point. They are using the official NPS logo and are not the "official NPS" account. They can tweet anything they want, but I am not going to condone their misappropriation of the logo.
hurrah! I have resisted responding to any comments on any threads on this site because of ecbuck. But, now I just donr care if he picks on me. And, I also want to say that I am a big fan of Lee Dalton. I admire all of the articles he has written for this publication. Let the tr and freedoms ring.
Really, you good people are starting to sound ridiculous. Life is more than a protest march. In World War II, the "resistance" meant people who died for their beliefs. I hardly think President Trump is asking any of you to die for yours. But yes, it's hard to forget all of that marching, now to equate Donald Trump with the college president. Call to arms! We're marching on the Administration Building! Bring doughnuts and cut class.
On the national parks, President Trump is with you, if not totally convinced of climate change. But here is another eye-opener for you. Among the 50 "shovel-ready" projects he seeks to fund, he includes the Fort Mojave Solar Power Plant in Arizona. Not that I believe everything I read in the newspapers, but here is a link to that: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article1...
It's but five days into the administration, and you think you "know" Donald Trump. I don't know him; I thought he was against wind and solar. Obviously, he is more concerned with putting Americans back to work, and yes, will fund some wind and solar projects to accomplish that. Resistance? What are you resisting? He's doing exactly what you want, that is, if you happen to believe that climate change justifies wind and solar at any cost.
"We'll fight climate change denial!" Well, it doesn't look like denial to me. It rather looks like more of the same--another giveaway to corporations, if this time hedged by the insistence that American workers must benefit, too. We'll see.
Al - at this point, after the past few months, you no longer have the professorial authority or altitude you left behind in the late 80's in academia. You are just, denials aside, another enabler and apologist for Trump. You don't know my life; don't tell me what or not to fear or trust. It really doesn't help when you minimize the millions of marchers world wide united in their opposition to Trump. Pat them on the head, compare them to a sophmoric sit-in - they will bring Lysistrata to life for you
"In accordance with 36 CFR Part 11, no entity outside the Service may use the Arrowhead without approval from the Director or the Director’s delegated representative."
https://www.nps.gov/policy/DOrders/DO-52D--45-day.pdf
Thanks, Sara! How about just flipping it upside down, like the flag, as a symbol of distress?
A couple of previously crucified NPS employees, Rob Danno and Teresa Chambers, offer excellent advice for those brave souls behind this resistance:
"Remember, the Agency holds all the cards in personnel situations and rarely are they interested in learning, improving and changing direction due to the conflict you are highlighting. In fact, the substance of your complaint will often fade and be overtaken by the process of them securing your demise. Don't allow yourself to gain a false sense of security, which may come from knowing you are in the right. It simply doesn't matter to a corrupt and vindictive manager; it's about winning and exercising control."
http://www.workingnet.com/thunderbear/302.html
(scroll to the blue highlights)
Tahoma is right. There are ways of quietly resisting without getting fired. We do, however, need people with courage to stand up to Drumpf. Just be careful that you don't sacrifice your career and your family's security.
We will need you to begin leading the parks again in four years.
Thunderbear where are you??!! {{{{Hey! I missed the link to Tbear in Tahoma's post. Somehow I missed reading that issue. Thanks, Tahoma.}}}}}
And Pedergraham, thanks for the generous compliment. Please never be afraid to exercise your right to be heard. I'll bet you have many good and interesting things to add to this site. Please don't allow yourself to be bullied. Ignore them and forge on. We have one in the White House and it will be very important for patriotic Americans to stand up and be heard if necessary.
Say again, Rick? Don't tell you what to fear or trust? Well, you're telling the rest of us to fear and mistrust our president. How about taking your own advice?
1: I'm partial to BadHombreLandsNPS @BadHombreNPS mostly for the name.
2: EC is absolutely correct, given all the "visual identity program" rules on the arrowhead, all of these #AlternativeNPS sites need to stop using the NPS arrowhead. Someone needs to photoshop a parody arrowhead, perhaps with the Sequoia cut and falling (even though the wood is too brittle to be merchantable), or perhaps the bison upside down or being shot in a pen. That would be a parody arrowhead and fair use. [As should be the arrowhead with a black band or "Alternative" across it, but that's not very creative, and perhaps harder to defend in court.]
3: I'm not involved with any of these feeds. I don't even look at them during work hours or from GFE. But yes I do have offline backups of ~7TB of historic climate data.
4: In my job I continue to do science to inform management (& interpretation) of park natural resources. I do not expect anyone to tell me I have to stop. I will be as disciplined as necessary to stay within the law. The natural resources I've committed to transfer unimpaired to future generations are more important than short-term gratification, although others with other jobs and allegiances may make different judgement calls.
4: My personal, outside of working hours, public contributions have been in terms of tools for doing better natural resource science. They turn out to be used a lot by FS, state, tribal, & Canadian colleagues who can't see my content inside the DOI firewall. However, I may start putting science results up on my personal sites, too. When I do, I will make sure all NPS data are already available to the general public, which makes it legal in my capacity as a private citizen.
5: I find Al's assertion that President Trump is a supporter of National Parks "if not totally convinced of climate change" disingenuous at best, and #AlternativeFacts at worst, except it isn't a fact, just a assertion without any evidence or argument by someone who I used to respect as a historian. Historians provide evidence or argument for their claims and interpretations. There is no evidence that President Trump is even partially convinced of climate change, or even interested in empirical evidence one way or the other.
I suggest they just invert the Emblem - maybe reverse the lettering - and post it like the American Flag as a "distress" signal...
I've read only part of Thunderbear 302 --- only as far as the beginning of the Safety Message. But I'll finish it before bedtime.
P.J. Ryan is a genius. His writings should be spread as far and wide as possible.
I wonder if there is any way they could be syndicated or something so they might be reprinted in newspapers around the country -- or world for that matter?
Does anyone out there know if or how that could be done?
===========
Tomp's advice above sounds great. Love the idea of an alt.arrowhead with environmental symbols in distress. Is there an artist in the crowd?
Tomp2, I have a salient fact--Ryan Zinke, who in Congress openly expressed his love for the national parks. Now, tell me what fact you have? None that I can see, except your assertion that I am the one being "disingenuous."
Now, sign your name and we'll talk. In the meantime, I don't want or need your "respect." Stand up and be counted, I believe the saying goes. Anyone can talk from his backside, as you are doing here. "There is no evidence that President Trump is even partially convinced of climate change?" Okay, we may agree that a newspaper is hardly "evidence," but this is more than you have.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/17/trump-warming-to-rea...
Don't want to believe the Chinese? Ah, but everyone was so willing to believe the Russians. In short, you will believe what you want to believe. A "recovering academic" indeed.
Thanks for the reminder about Thunderbear, Lee! I hadn't read him in several years. A good way to unwind with a few laughs after a stressful day (completely unrelated to the new administration).
We will not go silently!
Please take the fake news to the underground where it belongs. The climate change scam is over but please feel free provide your alternative views and data on your own dime and time.
if, by any chance, the DT administration should defund national parks, I would still pay any amount to go to them. They are our national treasure.... Keep on Brothers and Sisters.....
YOU KEEP ON KEEPING ON ! KUDOS TO WHOEVER !
Agree or disagree with the viewpoint I can’t imagine anyone in the private sector tweeting against their employer and have any expectation of keeping their job. Put yourself in the place of having employees criticize your business (or you) in their off hours. Or, what would your view be if NPS employees under Obama were tweeting how global warming was a farce, how the parks were overfunded and mismanaged? Would you keep those employees? I wouldn’t nor should Trump.
The BNP employees are to be congratulated for their principled and courageous stand to uphold the ideals and traditions of the National Park System. Hopefully the National Park Service will stand beside them in the commitment to scientific evidence and service to the owner public of our national parks. The NPS is first and foremost the servant of the PEOPLE. The current POTUS must not be permitted to undermine the parks. He is the president - not an emporer. How about a T-shirt, "BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK EMPLOYEES SUPPORTER!"
Tweeting facts? Come on. Get real, Wild Places - once again, this is getting ridiculous.. If you support anti-intellectualism or stand against science, then more power to you. Then you stand in the corner of the de-evolutionists, and the anti-intellectuals that wish to shield people from truth and knowledge.
I can't take Trump seriously. I CANT - i see that guy and I can't help but think of just some cheesy reality tv show host that's now cheesing up the executive branch. Obama obviously had a much higher IQ than Trump. Obama digested knowledge, and was willing to listen to the facts. As for trumpy - well, he wants to hide or deny facts, and obviously lacks a higher level of reasoning that is required for the office. Denying science and its role in the parks is not the sign of a higher level of intelligence. So, we begin an era of the anti-intellectuals railing against science, knowledge, and information.
Our countries educational system is already failing... I can't imagine how much worse it will get in an era where we are teetering on a fully functioning idiocracy.
Gary, I said nothing about "facts". My post was about the wisdom of tweeting anything to do with your employment. Of course I defend anyones right to do it but would also defend that employers right to fire them for doing so. And you infer far too much on my positions.
Congressman Zinke voted to: Weaken controls on air and water pollution in national parks, undermine protections for endangered species, de-fund efforts to clean up Chesapeake Bay, weaken the Antiquities Act by limiting the president's ability to designate new national monuments, has a 3% National Environmental Score from the League of Conservation Voters, and has an "F" from the NPAF for his voting record on National Parks related bills.
Zinke is in favor of "opening more public lands to oil and gas drilling, is a strong supporter of Montana's coal industry and has voted against regulations to protect waters in national parks from toxic surface mining run-off."
The only thing he seems to be against is privatizing the land or giving it to states. He does state he admires Roosevelt.
So there's that. He believes 'we' need to be prudent with regard to what we do about/with climate change.
Education, dedication, and experience must trump Luddites. A nation thanks the UNDERGROUND AGENCIES of the the people of the United States!
I just read an interesting article on Quartz media that mentioned a term from Germany in the 1930s that matches what is going on now --- Gleichschaltung.
Interesting and scary.
Gleichschaltung
plural
Gleichschaltungen
\-ˌtu̇ŋən, -təŋ-\
: the act, process, or policy of achieving rigid and total coordination and uniformity (as in politics, culture, communication) by forcibly repressing or eliminating independence and freedom of thought, action, or expression : forced reduction to a common level : forced standardization or assimilation <brutal Gleichschaltung by police methods> <the political Gleichschaltung of a reluctant adult population
Tonight, Drumpf strategy advisor Steve Bannon is urging loyal Drumpfians to stop reading reports in the media. He urges them to use the upcoming White House website and various forms of social media so their information "is not filtered."
This just appeared in Salt Lake's Deseret News :
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865671955/Fierce-BLM-critic-Mike-Noel...
2 tiny updates.
1: Most of the altNPS sites have updated their artwork away from the NPS visual identity arrowhead.
https://twitter.com/AltNatParkSer has a nice version with a brown tree and howling wolf instead of the bison.
https://twitter.com/MordorNPS has another version
2: The plot on the official BandlandsNPS twitter account thickens somewhat. @AltNatParkSer noted that the official BadlandsNPS account had been tweeting climate and climate change facts for months. I went to https://twitter.com/BadlandsNPS to confirm it for myself. Yep, climate change posts (often tied in to other events), mixed right in with their posts of wildlife, fossils, scenery, Native Americans, honoring Veterans Day, Presidents Garfield & Lincoln & Truman & TR, bat week, and various announcements and retweets of fossil friday content. I scrolled back to confirm they were tweeting about climate change before the election, not just the inaguration. I only made it as far as a 9 Oct 2016 tweet on the global carbon cycle, mostly because I kept slowing down to look at the gorgeous pics and read the posts. I now see a reason for parks to have active offical twitter feeds! Posts on other topics have resumed (through Jan 24; no tweets since then), but not climate or climate change.
To all of you wannabe German historians out there. I assume this is the article you're talking about:
https://qz.com/895436/gleichschaltung-the-german-word-that-perfectly-enc...
"Perfectly encapsulates," is it? No, the only thing perfectly encapsulated here is ignorance of the historical record. This is already a summation of an article in Der Spiegel. Was that only six paragraphs, too? Six paragraphs and everyone is now an expert on the rise of Nazi Germany?
If you want to compare Trump to Hitler, fine. But that would take at least six books. Nor has President Trump's side of the comparison even been written yet, unless you happen to think his children are Goerbels, Goering, and Himmler
Seriously, if any of you wants to be taken seriously, you should be reading more than a single source. Trump is so unlike Adolph Hitler the parallel itself is insulting. Hitler commandeered the German state, killing thousands of people in the process--then millions after he had taken control. If Trump were Hitler, everyone on this site would be dead by now. Trump would be erasing that $12 billion parks backlog by putting all of us to work in slave labor camps.
Do you see any of that around? Any brown shirts? Any SS? Surviving Hitler, my family in Germany lived a true terrorist state. You mean President Trump has an army of his own? Standing with him in front of the cameras, I see some lovely young people, not SS.
But yes, the media, shortcutting history, has turned everything into a mockery. Get that story out! Get people angry. You sell more newspapers that way. In the past, my colleagues and I have debated this long into the night, and now you see why most historians have a healthy mistrust of any media. Did it really happen that way? Who says? The reporter from Der Spiegel writing a story on deadline? What does he or she know about German history, either?
Hitler is nothing to joke about. As a nation, we are already divided enough without mocking the historical record. It takes ten years to write a good work of history, and even then they are imperfect. Fine, you don't like Donald Trump, and it may turn out that neither do we all. But he didn't steal the election. Hillary Clinton lost it. And in this spiteful "article" we find another reason why.
Keep it up!! Hurrah for altUSNPS! And as for Washington overlords, I have a single finger more powerful than the lot of you. I use it to vote with.
I have never been more proud of the National Park Service! Thank you for all that you do and keep up the good work!
Meanwhile, the communications office at the NPS headquarters scrambles to create an action plan. I believe this is the same office that got rid of a few contracts to promote citizen journalism and have park employees run their web/social media. I wish somebody would take ownership for once and level the playing field. However, I have a feeling the leadership will turn a blind eye, just like they did when Mike Caldwell swindled almost 20K in federal funds. Had that been a maintenance employee, interpreter, or an mechanic. We all know where they would be. I doubt they would be a working in a reassigned role while reporting to their superintendent as special assistant.