Comments from national park ‘snitch signs’ have been released. They’re wild.

The Interior Department’s effort to root out “negative” portrayals of American history at national parks has instead become a forum for criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the National Park Service.

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This week, the agency published more than 35,000 public comments to its Freedom of Information Act library that were submitted through a nationwide reporting system created to flag content at park sites that the administration said disparaged Americans. Instead of receiving tips on historically inaccurate signs or trail issues, the agency was bombarded with visitors badmouthing the administration and the reporting effort as a whole.

“It is totally unAmerican to ask our fellow citizens to report on each other for anything that might not be glowingly laudatory toward our nation’s history or current leadership,” read one comment. “This is a sad parody of what the USA stands for, and makes it look like our country is led by a bunch of delicate snowflakes that can’t stand the idea of anyone suggesting we are anything but totally perfect.”

“History is supposed to be uncomfortable. It is supposed to be difficult and raise conflicting feelings,” read another. “The mere fact that the Secretary of the Interior would seek to erase history because it doesn’t conform to his and the current administration’s desires is disgusting and reprehensible.”

Hundreds of commenters also singled out Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, blaming him for politicizing the Park Service and attempting to sanitize American history.

“Secretary Burgum, hands off our history AND our land,” read one comment. “The underfunded staff of NPS are doing a great job in providing essential services, protecting our history and beautiful natural landscapes for future generations. Instead of undermining them, you should support them!”

Many of the comments were less focused on specific exhibits and more on what visitors saw as larger threats facing the Park Service, including staffing shortages, funding cuts and efforts to downplay aspects of American history involving marginalized groups.

Commenters repeatedly urged the administration to focus on maintaining trails, hiring rangers and protecting public lands instead of policing interpretive signs.

“They were already understaffed prior to the Trump administration,” wrote one commenter about Yosemite National Park. “The staff cuts & job losses that have occurred since under DOGE have been absolutely devastating. I cannot imagine the stress that current NPS staff face and how morale must be impacted, particularly given record visitation and the looming threat of a further reduction in force.”

In the comments, there was overwhelming support for groups that have often been the targets of conservative politicians, like the LGBTQ community and Native Americans.

Comments frequently defended the inclusion of LGBTQ history at sites like Stonewall National Monument, where several visitors criticized the removal of references to transgender people from park materials earlier this year. Others expressed concern that the administration was attempting to erase or minimize the experiences of marginalized groups under the guise of promoting patriotism.

Many submissions also focused on how parks interpret Native American history, particularly at sites connected to forced displacement, boarding schools and tribal history. Commenters defended exhibits discussing the treatment of Indigenous communities and warned against sanitizing the violence tied to westward expansion.

Others specifically referenced slavery and civil rights history at parks across the South, arguing that confronting painful parts of the nation’s past is central to the Park Service’s educational mission.

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Of course, not all of the submissions were serious.

The comment portal also became a target for jokes, memes and apparent attempts to overwhelm the reporting system with nonsense — a less pointed form of rebellion against the initiative.

Some visitors complained about failing to spot Bigfoot at national parks. Others submitted poems, internet copypasta, comments written in binary and multiple versions of the “Bee Movie” script. One commenter vented about how much they dislike Taylor Swift.

“I’m pretty sure I saw some brown people at this park,” read a comment from Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.

“Devils Tower is made out of mashed potatoes by aliens and I saw no information regarding that fact! Do better Doug Burgum!” read another.

“The occupant is a Nazi,” someone wrote during a visit to the White House and President’s Park, while another reported a “fecal odor” throughout the building.

One of the strangest entries was a lengthy fictional story about a sentient taco joining Space Force.

Others were much more succinct: “Take down the snitch signs,” a Lassen Volcanic National Park visitor wrote.

The flood of absurd and unrelated submissions underscored how quickly the reporting tool evolved beyond its original purpose, becoming less a mechanism for historical review than an open public message board.

The Park Service did not respond to questions from SFGATE about whether the collected comments were useful or if the agency had targeted any exhibits, signs or materials to be changed based on the public feedback.