The July RN&R is on newsstands now!
In last month’s Outdoors column, we mentioned billboards that feature a photo of Death Valley National Park, and say, “Heat deaths rise, safety staff cut. Made possible by DOGE.” A nonprofit advocacy group, More Perfect Union, placed them to encourage opposition to DOGE’s national park budget cuts.
A reader who asked to remain anonymous emailed me, saying the assertion that “heat deaths rise” is inaccurate.
He is correct. Since DOGE announced the initial cuts in February, heat-related deaths in Death Valley National Park (where temperatures soared to 129 degrees last summer) have fallen, not risen, at least according to information released by the feds. The park announced two heat-related deaths in 2024 on its news releases page, and none so far in 2025.
Still, there is plenty of reason for concern over national park staffing and safety. In a June 23 report, a Joshua Tree National Park ranger told NPR, “This is the time of year when people die in the desert. … We’re at risk of having those kinds of tragedies occur because there’s fewer people out protecting you.”
While the spirit of the billboard message was accurate, the actual statement was untrue. The difference may seem like a quibble, but I see it as a symptom of a serious problem. As the reader alluded, More Perfect Union’s casual approach to facts was more likely to stoke the confirmation bias of people who already agreed with them—than to convince anyone who didn’t. He made it clear that the group did not earn his trust.
We should have fact-checked the photo. And in this era of off-the-charts polarization and floods of misinformation, everyone should be checking their facts all the time.
In other news, it’s time to visit vote.renonr.com to vote for your favorite local people, places and things in our annual Best of Northern Nevada readers’ poll. Voting is open until Sunday, July 20, and we’ll let you know in our September issue who all of the winners are!
Thank you RNR for clarifying this mistake!