Kathrine Frich
Politicians are quickly organizing to stop the transfer.
America boasts some of the most famous protected landscapes on the planet.
Citizens naturally expect these wild places to stay untouched forever.
But behind closed doors, a quiet government push to alter the map is sparking massive political outrage.
A fight for the park
The controversy centers on Yosemite National Park. According to Common Dreams, the Trump administration wants to hand a quarter-mile strip of California land to a private developer.
The Washington Sun cited by RawStory recently reported that federal workers faced intense political pressure to finalize this land swap. A real estate investment firm called Kingsbarn Realty Capital allegedly runs the hidden project.
The developer owns 83 acres just west of the park boundary. They want the public land to build a short connecting road, giving their private property incredibly rare access to a main Yosemite route.
Lawmakers push back
Politicians are quickly organizing to stop the transfer. Over 150 members of Congress sent a formal letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Tuesday to block the deal.
The bipartisan group called the famous landscape “a cornerstone of the National Park System and is one of California’s crown jewels,” Common Dreams noted.
The representatives stated their clear opposition to the move. “We are extremely concerned that the Department of the Interior is considering selling off portions of the park to private development, and we strongly oppose the proposed land transfer,” the letter read.
They argued the swap only helps a few wealthy individuals save driving time. The lawmakers wrote that “at its core, this proposal appears to provide a private benefit at the expense of land that belongs to all Americans.”
Dangerous new precedent
Environmental organizations are also sounding the alarm. A huge coalition of more than 150 advocacy groups sent their own message to the interior secretary.
Laiken Jordahl from the Center of Biological Diversity did not hold back. “Trump wants to carve off a chunk of Yosemite so a private equity firm can turn it into a playground for billionaires,” he said.
The groups reminded Burgum of his own past words. During his confirmation hearing, the secretary previously claimed that “we need to support and protect every single inch” of the national parks.
Campaign finance records add another layer to the story. Common Dreams reported that Kingsbarn CEO Jeff Pori is a donor to the current president’s campaign.
Sources: Rawstory, Common Dreams, The Washington Sun
