Internal memo orders staff not to reveal deaths in national parks: Washington Post
The policy applies across Interior bureaus and covers fatalities and serious injuries, after parks logged about 350 deaths a year, park data show.
- The Interior Department issued a December memo instructing National Park Service staff and other employees that they "shall not confirm a death" or disclose serious injuries, reversing the agency's long-standing practice of releasing information regarding fatal incidents.
- Under the new guidance, staff must state only that an "incident occurred" and responders are on scene, leaving death confirmation to "appropriate authorities." Interior Department press secretary Aubrie Spady said this creates a "more consistent approach to incident communications" and is "not intended to conceal fatalities."
- Current and former employees told the Washington Post the policy creates delays and awkward workarounds, such as describing a pilot as being "transported to the local coroner's office" instead of confirming he died. Staff argue timely information helps visitors understand risks.
- After a weekend with fatalities in Sequoia, Yosemite, Organ Pipe Cactus, and Great Smoky Mountains, the Interior Department had not publicly acknowledged any of them—an apparent result of the December memo.
- National parks receive more than 300 million visitors annually, with an average of about 350 people dying in parks every year from accidents, medical emergencies, and environmental hazards, according to National Park Service data.
18 Articles
18 Articles
New Trump Admin Policy Prevents Public From Knowing About Deaths at National Parks
A recently revealed memo issued by the Interior Department late last year directs staff of the department, including within the National Park Service (NPS), not to alert or even confirm to the public when deaths have occurred at national parks. The current policy is a marked shift from past practices. According to several current and former NPS employees, who spoke to The Washington Post… Source
Los Angeles Times
National Park staff ordered not to reveal deaths as part of new policy, report says
The Trump administration is reportedly ordering staff not to confirm deaths or details about severe injuries at U.S. national parks — but officials are adamant the policy is not meant to conceal information from the public.
Fast Company
BizTocA new national parks policy is drawing backlash after a deadly weekend
The National Park Service has a new policy about reporting deaths that happen in some of the nation’s most wild places. According to a memo issued in December and recently viewed by The Washington Post, park staff and other workers are no longer authorized to confirm details about injuries and deaths that befall the park’s more than 300 million annual visitors. Serious accidents and fatalities are uncommon but not unheard of in the parks, which…
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