America’s 250th anniversary and why history matters in our parks

Aaron is joined by Alan Spears from the National Parks Conservation Association to discuss his recent testimony before Congress about the Trump administration’s efforts to erase difficult histories from national parks and historic sites. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Alan makes the case that telling the full story of our past is patriotic. He warns about the consequences of sanitizing history and explains why telling complex stories strengthens our democracy. Plus, new documents reveal Interior official Karen Budd-Falen may be violating ethics agreements by working on grazing policy despite her family’s extensive ranching operations on public lands. News This Top Interior Official Is Working On Grazing Policy — An Issue She Was Disqualified From — Public Domain National parks employees say SFGATE has been blacklisted by the Interior Department — SFGATE Historic Front Range ranch near Continental Divide to be preserved as state wildlife habitat — Denver Post Resources Watch this episode on YouTube Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org Music: Purple Planet Featured image: President’s House Site at Independence National Historic Site in Philadelphia, National Park Service The post America’s 250th anniversary and why history matters in our parks appeared first on Center for Western Priorities .

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America’s 250th anniversary and why history matters in our parks is an episode from Go West, Young Podcast by Center for Western Priorities.

This episode is 45:46 long.

This episode was published on Mar 19, 2026.

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