Breaking Badlands

The rogue tweets from Badlands National Park that briefly stood up to the Trump administration

By Jenna Schnuer

January 25, 2017

filename

Courtesy of the National Park Service

Since Monday, the Trump administration has gone out of its way to muzzle U.S. agencies—placing a gag order on the EPA, dismantling governmental web pages of climate-change-related content, and forcing employees off their own Twitter accounts. But on Tuesday, the Twitter feed for Badlands National Park in South Dakota went as wild as one of its inhabitant bison. In a clear violation of White House directives handed down since inauguration, Badlands launched a tweet storm focusing on climate change that quickly went viral—earning the park the hashtag #Badasslands, and the nickname Breaking Badlands.

The park’s feed had posted on such issues prior to Trump’s inauguration. The tweets since then dramatically escalated, however, in what appeared to be an act of resistance to the administration's regressive views.

Yesterday, the tweet launched a near-constant stream of related commentary.

Many a tweeter took notice and started replying to the posts to voice their approval.

As of 3:30 P.M. MST yesterday, the feed had been scrubbed of all science-related tweets. Others dealing with park services and other “friendlier” topics were left alone (but the supportive responses and retweets are still easy to find).

In response to a “CAPTION THIS!” bit of fun that remains on the feed, many in the Twitter-verse made clear their take on the new administration.

The Badlands action came just three days after Trump officials suspended all Interior Department Twitter accounts over retweets from the National Park Service’s Twitter feed, which showed photo evidence that Trump’s inauguration turnout paled in comparison to former President Obama’s well-attended 2009 inaugural event. Yesterday, the administration put a gag order on the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop them from using social media or issuing press releases.

Calls to National Park Service offices were not returned. The Washington Post reports that an anonymous park official believes the tweets were posted by a former employee at the park who still had access to the account. This official was quoted as saying, “The park was not told to remove the tweets but chose to do so when they realized that their account had been compromised.”

In other news from the social media sphere, a self-described “unofficial resistance” alternative Twitter feed of the U.S. National Park Service gained 393K followers in less than 24 hours. The feed encourages agencies under fire to save their climate change data and champions resistance among concerned citizens.

Yes, Trump’s inauguration ushered in an age of alternative facts—and alternative feeds.

On Wednesday, several other national parks issued tweets that appear to defy Trump—and a few even appeared to have created rogue new Twitter accounts of their own.

The resistance continues.

Stay tuned for updates as this story develops.

What You Can Do

Thank Badlands Park For Continuing to Educate On Climate Change: Show the park service that you want them to continue their good work. Send a message today.