The morning mist lifts over the granite domes of Yosemite Valley. Campers unzip tents, coffee cups in hand, and study the trail map posted near the visitor centre. That map, along with dozens of interpretive panels explaining the park’s geology, wildlife, and indigenous history, has long been part of the ritual. For many, those signs are as essential as the trails themselves – they shape how a landscape is understood.
In recent years, that layer of interpretation has become a point of contention. A policy directive from the previous administration called for the removal of materials deemed “negative” or “woke,” a move that left some park staff and frequent visitors uneasy. According to reporting from the time, the directive targeted signs referencing climate
