Overview
- An internal Department of the Interior memo issued in December directs Interior employees, including National Park Service staff, not to confirm deaths or the severity of injuries and limits what incident details may be released.
- The guidance applies to all Interior bureaus and covers fatalities, suspected fatalities, serious injuries, and emotionally sensitive incidents while saying only unspecified "appropriate authorities" may confirm a death.
- Last weekend multiple deaths in parks — including incidents in Sequoia and Yosemite — were reported by local authorities and media but had not been posted on DOI or NPS channels, prompting alarm from rangers and advocates.
- A Forbes review found the NPS public mortality database stopped categorizing causes on March 24, 2025 and showed no entries after Feb. 20, 2026, highlighting growing gaps in public record sharing.
- Interior officials say the guidance aims to standardize communications and protect privacy and next-of-kin notification, but staff, ranger groups, and former officials have pushed back and no formal policy clarification or reversal has been announced.