Tag Archives: department-of-interior

Appeals Court stops judge’s order to restore signs at Acadia

In a victory for the Trump administration, the US Court of Appeals in Boston on Thursday granted a temporary block of a federal judge’s order to restore signs on climate change, civil rights, and diverse communities at Acadia National Park and other national parks around the nation.

The Appeals Court decision also clears the administration to move ahead with extracting signs and displays on climate change, black history and other items that could “inappropriately disparage Americans,” as described in the president’s executive order, jeopardizing exhibits at the Nature Center at Acadia and an exhibit at the Schoodic Institute for being cleared. The lower court judge had ordered the administration to stop taking further action to remove interpretive materials pending further litigation in the matter.

The Appeals Court agreed to a request by the Interior Department and the National Park Service and granted a stay on US District Court Judge Angel Kelley’s June 12 order to reinstate the signs at Acadia and other parks by July 3.

The National Park Service stored away 10 signs, including nine on climate change and one on the Wabanaki tribe, behind a building after the Trump administration ordered them removed from Cadillac Mountain and the Great Meadow.

These 10 tripod signs, including nine on climate change and one on the Wabanaki tribe, stored last year behind a building near outhouses and an old canoe by Acadia National Park, can remain hidden for now as a result of a US Court of Appeals ruling. The signs were put out of sight after the Interior secretary ordered them removed from Cadillac Mountain and the Great Meadow, saying they promoted improper partisan ideology.

The decision is a victory for the US Interior Department and the National Park Service and a defeat for the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, including the National Park Conservation Association and the Union of Concerned Scientists, which filed a lawsuit against Interior and the NPS in February, alleging Interior and the NPS violated certain federal laws by ordering the materials and signs at Acadia to be taken down.

The Appeals Court will now hear the appeal of Kelley’s decision by the plaintiffs. The Appeals Court said that the Interior Department “met its burden” in asking for the stay of the order to restore 10 tripod signs at Acadia and interpretive items at other parks. Continue reading →

Government shutdown at Acadia could close Cadillac access

UPDATE: Department of Interior on Wednesday released a plan for Acadia National Park and other national parks to operate during a government shutdown that started on Wednesday after Congress failed to approve a bill to fund the government at the start of the new fiscal year. In a release, the National Parks Conservation Association says the DOI plan calls for parks to be largely left open with minimal staff. The DOI plan does not urge parks to discourage visitors. Campgrounds, most of the Park Loop Road at Acadia, entrance stations, viewpoints and trails to remain open. The park’s shuttle system, buses called the Island Explorer, operated as usual.

A federal government shutdown at Acadia National Park could hit on Wednesday, closing at least some parts of the national park during one of its busiest months of the year and hurting local businesses.

The Hulls Cove Visitor Center at Acadia National Park would likely be closed during a federal government shutdown. The flag, photographed flying at half-staff on Sept. 12, was lowered under a proclamation by President Donald Trump, to honor the memory of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated Sept. 10.

The shutdown of the federal government would come on Wednesday, Oct. 1, if Congress remains deadlocked on a bill that would extend federal appropriations beyond the end of the 2025 fiscal year on Tuesday. In past shutdowns, thousands of federal workers were put on furloughs, including employees at Acadia, but this year there could also be extensive firings of workers under a plan by President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget.

President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet on Monday with leaders in Congress from both political parties in attempt to reach an agreement that would prevent a government shutdown at Acadia and much of the rest of the federal government.

How would Acadia be affected by a federal government shutdown?

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8 fired, adding to staff shortages at Acadia National Park

Update 2/28/2025: Statement from National Park Service was added to this story.

Eight full-time employees at Acadia National Park have been suddenly fired, sparking a local backlash and raising concerns about further cuts to services for the public because of staff shortages at Acadia.

Ironically, Acadia and partners recently hosted in-person and virtual resume workshops to boost hiring for the upcoming busy season. (NPS image)

The terminations at Acadia are among 1,000 probationary employees who were terminated at the National Park Service across the country as part of President Donald J. Trump’s widespread cuts in the federal government. The 1,000 employees had worked for the NPS for less than a year.

Many people are upset about the staff shortages at Acadia in the wake of the terminations. The terminations constitute almost 10 percent of the approximately 90 permanent employees at the park.

“The whole thing is a complete tragedy…not just for the national parks but for the individuals who staff the parks,” said Maureen Robbins Fournier, a former longtime seasonal ranger at Acadia National Park. “Real people, not numbers.”

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Interior Secretary Sally Jewell shares agenda, personal notes at Acadia National Park

It didn’t receive a lot of attention, but U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell revealed some nuggets about her agenda for National Parks — and her personal life – during a sweeping speech at Acadia National Park.

US Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. Department of the Interior photo.

In her remarks at the Schoodic Education and Research Center on Aug. 15, Jewell touched on a wide range of topics, including the challenges of stingy federal spending on parks, the need to start preparing a new generation of potential rangers and other National Park personnel, the scary effects of global warming on federal lands and the important role of the parks as science classrooms for youths.

Jewell, 58, the former CEO of REI, a national outdoor retail company, started on a personal note.

She said that her visit to Acadia National Park on Friday brought back memories of the first time she traveled to the Maine park 37 years ago. Continue reading →