Trump administration reviews proposed Yosemite land swap with private developer
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The Interior Department is evaluating a land exchange that would allow a Nevada developer to build a short access road to Yosemite National Park, while environmental groups criticize the plan.
The Interior Department is assessing a proposal to swap a small parcel of land within Yosemite National Park for an equivalent-valued tract elsewhere in California, enabling Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital to construct an access road less than a mile long to the park’s western entrance. Kingsbarn, which owns the 83-acre Hazel Green Ranch adjacent to the park, would acquire replacement land and transfer it to the National Park Service, according to documents obtained by NOTUS.
A department spokesperson said no final decision has been reached and emphasized that any land exchange would be subject to federal laws, regulations, environmental review and public notification requirements. The agency added that, should the proposal move forward, it would follow established procedures to ensure transparency and public involvement.
Kingsbarn’s attorney, Lanny Davis, said the shorter route could reduce vehicle travel and emissions. Environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Association, have condemned the plan, describing it as contrary to the agency’s mission to protect the park and noting that a similar road proposal was previously rejected by a federal court.
The proposal is notable because land swaps involving National Park Service property for private development access are rare. The legal basis for the exchange under the Trump administration has not been clarified. Kingsbarn’s chief executive, Jeff Pori, has made modest donations to President Donald Trump’s campaign, though no evidence links those contributions to the administration’s consideration of the swap.