Out in the vast wilderness of America’s greatest national parks, one would hope to find solace from the noise of politics and reprieve from the divisive ideological battles tearing our country apart. But even here, among the beautiful scenery of Yellowstone and the granite cliffs of Yosemite, bureaucracy has intruded on the few spaces where Americans look for peace while enjoying nature.

In the past, leaders in Washington, D.C., have sought to rewrite the mission of the National Park Service (NPS) to include diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. No longer is the NPS simply concerned with conserving natural wonders and telling of their beauty and history. Now, the agency is compelled to follow divisive messaging and race-centered ideology in its work. This infiltration of DEI into the NPS is just one example of how our nation’s most important institutions have gone “woke.”

During the last days of his second term, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum titled “Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Our National Parks, National Forests, and Other Public Lands and Waters.” The memorandum stated:

“The purpose of this memorandum is to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to experience and enjoy our public lands and waters, that all segments of the population have the chance to engage in decisions about how our lands and waters are managed, and that our Federal workforce, not just the sites it manages, is drawn from the rich range of the diversity in our Nation.”

It further directed agencies to expand “training on unconscious bias, diversity and inclusion, and flexible work policies,” requiring such training for senior leadership and management positions.

On its way out, the Obama administration chose to burden one of the nation’s most prized institutions, turning our beautiful parks into hot spots of divisiveness through race- and sex-based ideology.

Does an NPS ranger really need “unconscious bias” and DEI training to give an informational tour of the vast canyons of Zion?

Obviously not.

The administration put politics and “woke” ideology at the forefront of its final agenda, causing lasting harm to America’s frontiers by injecting divisive narratives into places where everyday Americans go to escape them.

It’s no surprise that President Joe Biden, Obama’s vice president, took similar actions in his administration.

In March 2024, Biden issued an “Executive Order on Recognizing and Honoring Women’s History.” Its stated goal was to recognize the role of women and girls in U.S. history, including through the government’s interpretation of historic and cultural sites. The order directed the interior secretary to produce a report that would “adopt an intersectional approach” and “reflect diversity in factors such as gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, Tribal affiliation, disability, age, geography, income, and socioeconomic status.”

Rather than honoring our nation’s greatest female leaders, the administration emphasized the need to highlight lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex Americans.

What does this have to do with our national parks and our shared history?

Nothing.

The Biden administration continued the Obama-era effort to inject DEI ideology into America’s institutions. How much longer will we accept this infiltration from the bureaucracy?

Some actions have been taken to reverse course. The Trump administration revoked Obama’s 2017 memorandum promoting DEI in America’s protected lands. That is one step toward eradicating divisive ideology from our government agencies, institutions and public lands.

It’s time to continue these efforts and fully undo the destructive actions taken by past administrations.

These spaces of serene land and natural beauty must be kept free from radical political ideologies, partisan agendas, and divisive narratives that harm Americans.

Dylan Coombs serves as a spokesman at Americans for Museums.