Denali National Park draws dispute over alleged takedown of American flag

An American emblem flies astatine Denali National Park (NPS Photo/Ken Conger)

Denali National Park and Preserve unit recovered themselves astatine nan halfway of a conflict complete nan American emblem connected Memorial Day, aft Alaska’s inferior U.S. legislator claimed that they had asked a building unit successful nan parkland to region a emblem from a vehicle.

Sen. Dan Sullivan posted connected Facebook Saturday astir nan alleged incident, calling it an “outrage” to perceive of during nan Memorial Day weekend. He shared a missive he had sent to National Park Service Director Charles F. Sams III astir nan encounter, which reportedly took spot during work connected a bridge astatine nan Pretty Rocks landslide adjacent Mile 45 of nan Denali Park Road.

“One of nan vehicles progressive successful nan building had a 3 x 5 ft American emblem affixed to it while moving connected nan project,” Sullivan wrote. “For reasons that stay unclear, personification astatine nan National Park Service (NPS) caused nan building unit to region nan American emblem from nan vehicle.”

But parkland officials said that relationship of nan incident was “false,” successful a Sunday consequence connected Facebook that had received much than 700 comments by Monday afternoon.

“At nary clip did an NPS charismatic activity to prohibition nan American emblem from nan task tract aliases associated vehicles,” parkland officials wrote. “The NPS neither administers nan span task contract, nor has nan authority to enforce position aliases policies related to nan statement aliases contractors performing nan work.”

The station went connected to statement that nan emblem is visible astatine galore locations successful nan park, and that “we invited its show this Memorial Day play and each day.”

Sullivan’s missive called connected Sams to analyse what happened and rumor guidance to guarantee that “an incident for illustration this does not hap again successful American nationalist parks.”

“I cannot conceive of a national rule aliases regularisation that mandates this,” Sullivan wrote.