In a recent incident at Alaska's Denali National Park, a construction crew was instructed to remove the American flags from their equipment, a directive that has sparked controversy.
The park official claimed that the flags were a distraction from the overall park experience.
The construction crew, employed by Granite Construction, has been working on a 475-foot-long bridge in the park as part of a $207 million Federal Highway Administration project. The bridge construction was necessitated by a rockslide in 2021, which damaged a section of the popular Denali Park Road. This road is frequently used by visitors and tour buses to reach the more secluded areas of the national park.
The construction project, which began in 2023, is currently in progress at mile 45 of the road. This spring, two mobile trucks and a piece of heavy equipment were seen flying standard-sized U.S. flags.
A contractor involved in the bridge construction, who wished to remain anonymous due to his active involvement in the project, reached out to the Alaska Watchman to share the news about the order to remove the flags.
According to the contractor, the order came from Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell. She reportedly contacted the individual overseeing the federal highways project, citing complaints about the U.S. flags. She stated that the workers must cease flying the flags from their vehicles as it detracts from the "park experience."
The contractor elaborated, "The trucks are flying these American flags, about a foot atop the trucks, about three-foot by four-foot flags, and they said they don't want this. They're saying it isn't conducive and it doesn't fit the park experience."
The decision has sparked criticism, with some questioning how someone with such views could hold the position of superintendent at a US National Park. Calls for her immediate dismissal have been made.
In response to the incident, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) penned a strongly worded letter to the National Park Service, demanding an explanation for the directive. The incident has been widely shared on social media platforms, including Libs of TikTok.
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