National Park staff ordered not to reveal deaths as part of new policy, report says
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Set us as preferred 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.
In a statement to The Times, an Interior Department spokesperson said the “narrative” that the agency is trying to obscure information “is false and reflects a significant mischaracterization of the Department’s guidance.” An internal memo, circulated in December 2025 and first reported by The Washington Post this week, states that Department of the Interior employees, including National Park Service staff, are not permitted to confirm deaths that take place in federal park facilities.Only “appropriate authorities” can confirm a fatality after coordinating with the communications office and notifying the decedent’s next of kin, the Post reported, citing the memo.
The memo did not specify what agency would be tasked with confirming deaths, according to the Post.Politics The push to cut the park system even further has underscored ongoing questions about how smoothly parks can operate as warm weather and summer vacations draw tourists.The Department of Interior did not respond to a request from The Times asking to review the memo.
But as reported by the Post, it states that the department “shall not confirm the severity of injuries” and “may state only that an individual was transported and the method of transport.” Staff are permitted only to confirm that an incident happened, the general location where it occurred and that authorities are responding, according to the Post.This month, Park Service staff have offered only minimal details about two deaths at California national parks, including a fatality Saturday at Yosemite in which a young man perished after f...