AUGUSTA — Signs explaining climate change and Native American history could soon be reinstalled in many national parks, including on top of Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor.

A federal judge ruled Friday that the Department of Interior’s removal of the signs represented an effort to rewrite history “with a white-out pen.”

“History cannot be faithfully told while excluding the experiences of communities whose contributions, struggles and achievements form an important part of our Nation’s story,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley.

In response, an Interior Department spokesperson told Spectrum News that the decision was issued by “a Biden appointed judge.” 

“The Department is looking at our appeal options,” the spokesperson said via email.

According to the ruling, parks have until July 3 to reinstall the signs.

In the decision, Kelley wrote that because the federal government sought to remove the signs prior to the country’s 250th anniversary, it is “important that our shared history be honestly told and fully restored by the 250th Anniversary to properly honor the remarkable achievements of the United States.”

Across the country, signs explaining slavery, climate change, LGBTQ civil rights and Native American history were ordered removed last year.