Trump administration's Yosemite land exchange proposal faces opposition from officials and conservation groups
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A plan to swap park land for a private developer's access road at Yosemite is being challenged by elected leaders, park employees and environmental advocates, who warn it could set a precedent for privatizing protected areas.
The U.S. Department of the Interior is reviewing a land exchange that would allow a Nevada-based developer to build a short access road across National Park Service land to an 83-acre parcel adjacent to Yosemite National Park. The developer, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, says the road would reduce travel time to the site, which it intends to develop with homes and retail space.
The National Park Service has indicated it lacks authority to simply transfer the land and that any proposal would be subject to federal laws, environmental review and public notification, according to an Interior Department spokesperson.
Local officials in Mariposa and Tuolumne counties said they had not been consulted about the plan and learned of it only recently. State officials, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Democratic members of Congress have criticized the proposal, calling it a threat to the integrity of national parks.
"Our parks belong to all of us. These places should be protected for every generation, not sold off to ultra-wealthy friends to profit off," said Rep. Jared Huffman, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The Yosemite Leadership of the National Federation of Federal Employees Local 465 expressed strong disapproval, stating that ceding public land for private development conflicts with the agency’s mission.
Kingsbarn purchased the property, known as Hazel Green Ranch, in February 2024. The company said it has not communicated with the White House about the proposal.
Environmental groups, including the National Parks Conservation Association, warned the exchange could set a precedent for future sales of park land and pledged to take legal action to protect the area.
"This is sending the signal that any piece of land in our national parks is for sale," said Neal Desai, senior Pacific regional director for the NPCA.
The proposal follows other recent efforts by the administration to reduce federally protected land, such as plans in Utah and Texas, and has drawn criticism from park rangers and outdoor-recreation advocates.