A recent policy change has ordered National Park staff not to confirm deaths or details about severe injuries at U.S. national parks. The Trump administration claims the policy is not meant to conceal information from the public, but rather to create a consistent approach to incident communications.
Policy Details
An internal memo circulated in December 2025 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.
Critics of the new policy argue that communicating basic information about deaths at parks is necessary to make visitors aware of possible risks so they can take precautions. For years, the Park Service would frequently issue news releases on its website within days of a death.
From 2014 to 2019, an average of 358 deaths were reported annually in national parks, according to public data. The figures include motor vehicle crashes, drowning, falls, instances of suicide and homicide, as well as deaths stemming from a medical issue.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
