Yosemite National Park land transfer proposal sparks protests

The Trump administration is evaluating a proposal to transfer a strip of land within Yosemite National Park to a private real estate developer. The plan involves ceding approximately 400 meters of federal land to Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a Nevada-based investment and development firm.

In exchange for the land or an easement, the National Park Service would receive an equivalent piece of land elsewhere in California. The developer intends to construct a road connecting a 35-hectare parcel adjacent to the park in the Stanislaus National Forest to a service road within Yosemite, providing direct access to ancient sequoia groves.

The proposal has drawn significant criticism from California lawmakers and conservation groups. Senator Alex Padilla stated that national parks should not belong to political allies and argued that projects must be chosen on merit rather than connections to administration officials. While the Department of the Interior confirmed that negotiations have occurred, it denied any political pressure and stated that any advancing proposal would follow established federal procedures regarding transparency and public participation.