(AFP) – President Donald Trump’s administration is considering giving away a section of the renowned Yosemite National Park to a private developer. An investigation published Friday by NOTUS, a news outlet, said the government has spent over a year quietly working to transfer a roughly quarter-mile strip of the park to a company linked through a web of other entities to Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital. It is the latest move by the Trump administration to roll back conservation protections of public lands.
In July, the president slashed two Utah national monuments by more than 90 percent, and this month his administration moved to end a rule barring logging and road-building in national forests. A Kingsbarn-controlled limited liability company purchased an 83-acre plot just outside the park in 2024, and Kingsbarn CEO Jeff Pori wants to build a road connecting the property to one of Yosemite’s thoroughfares — giving the land “exceptionally rare private access,” NOTUS said, citing people familiar with the discussions. In exchange, the National Park Service would receive land of equal value in another part of California that has yet to be determined.
In a statement to AFP, the Interior Department appeared to confirm that negotiations had taken place but denied any political pressure to reach a predetermined outcome. “Any land exchange or access proposal involving National Park Service lands would be subject to all applicable federal laws, regulations, and Departmental policies, including required environmental review and public notification processes,” the agency said, adding: “No final decisions have been made.” “If a proposal advances, the Department will follow established procedures to ensure appropriate coordination, transparency, and public involvement consistent with federal law.”
Federal election records show Pori has donated frequently to the Republican National Committee and Trump-aligned fundraising committees. Kingsbarn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy organization, called the move an unlawful “attack.” “The Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle America’s conservation legacy are now taking aim at Yosemite with this secretive, backroom deal,” said Mark Rose, the group’s senior Sierra Nevada program manager. The Yosemite NPS Employees Union said it was “appalled” by the ceding of public lands for private interests, calling the proposed trade “antithetical to what we stand for” as stewards of the park.
There was a previous proposal to develop a road through Yosemite when the 83-acre parcel outside the park had a different owner. That plan was rejected by the administrations of both Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama. Courts rejected appeals by the then-owner, Lewis Geyser.
First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains is internationally acclaimed for its spectacular granite cliffs, glaciers, waterfalls, sequoia trees, and wildlife. Rose said the park was already facing an overcrowding crisis from years of lodging expansion in the area and the Trump administration’s decision this year to scrap a vehicle registration system to limit traffic.
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California, a fierce critic of Trump, said in a statement: “Yosemite is one of California’s natural wonders, and must be protected from further development. The courts struck this project down once, but this administration appears hellbent on moving forward in the face of opposition from the public, Congress, and the courts. But the only thing the administration cares about is whether there is money involved. We will fight this again.”
– Issam AHMED
© 2024 AFP
