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National Park Superintendent sparks fury as she orders construction crew to stop flying the American flag because it 'distracts from the experience'
The removal of an American flag from a construction site at Denali National Park has drawn the vitriol of netizens and a local elected official.
Alaskan Senator Dan Sullivan penned a furious letter to National Park Service Director Charles Sams III on May 24, requesting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the flag.
Sullivan claimed crews had been ordered to remove a 3 x 5 American flag from a construction vehicle at mile 45 of Denali Park Road near the Pretty Rocks Landslide.
The allegations were first published by the Alaska Watchman. The publication claimed it spoke with a contractor who said a park official ordered workers to take the flag down.
'It is absurd and defies all logic that a federal contractor, working on a project which is funded by American taxpayers, in a National Park - the week before Memorial Day - is prohibited from flying the American flag,' Sullivan wrote.
The removal of an American flag from a construction vehicle inside Alaska's Denali National Park has sparked backlash and attracted the attention of a state senator
The claims were raised by an anonymous contractor who pointed a finger at Superintendent Brooke Merrell, claiming she ordered crews to remove the flag after visitors complained
The U.S. flag is flown at several stations inside the park, as well as at the visitors' center.
Sullivan requested that the NPS 'immediately investigate this incident' and 'outline what concrete steps - be they increased training, clearer guidelines, updating policies - the NPS will take to ensure an incident like this does not happen again in American national parks.'
The contractor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, directed blame at Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell, alleging she notified the man overseeing the project of 'complaints' about the flag.
He claimed Merrell instructed workers to remove it, as it 'isn't conducive' and 'doesn't fit the park experience'.
According to the contractor, the flag was displayed without incident for weeks, with the order coming only after tour buses began passing through the area.
Due to the unverified accusations, Merrell - the first woman to serve as superintendent in the park's century-long history - found herself the target of hostility.
Critics flocked to a congratulatory Facebook post announcing her promotion in 2022, accusing her of being 'anti-American' and a 'communist.'
The hatred veered into calls for violence, including one comment reading, 'I hope this leftist POS gets mauled by a grizzly bear.'
The issue drew the attention of Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, who ordered an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the flag's removal
Sullivan, a Republican and fierce Trump ally, claimed that the NPS had 'censored' the flag and deemed the action 'an outrage' ahead of Memorial Day
DBM Contractors announced earlier this month that workers had mobilized to work on the bridge, which is set to be completed next year
The outrage sparked a Facebook invite for a 'patriotic convoy with flags' that was set to travel from a Fairbanks Walmart to the park itself on Sunday
Some conservatives were quick to politicize the issue, including the anonymous contractor himself.
'When these liberals get in charge of these parks, that’s how it is,' he said.
The incident also triggered the mobilization of a 'patriotic convoy with flags' from a Fairbanks Walmart to the park itself on Sunday.
The event organizer namedropped Merrell in a Facebook invite, writing that she had ordered 'contractors working in the park to remove there AMERICAN FLAGS from there veichles (sic)'.
Twenty-six people had vowed to attend as of Sunday morning.
Denali National Park tracks the progress of the construction at Pretty Rocks Landslide on its official website.
Last May, officials announced that the projected completion date for the earthworks and bridge foundations had been pushed to 2024. The bridge itself is scheduled to be built in 2025, and the project is expected to wrap up a year later.
DBM Contractors announced earlier this month that workers had begun installing micropiles and soil nail shoring to facilitate the construction of the bridge.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the NPS for comment and clarification.