Yosemite land swap talks confirmed by developer lawyer

President Donald Trump's administration is considering a Yosemite National Park land exchange that would let a private developer build an access road from an 83-acre property just outside the California park to one of its entrances, a lawyer for the company told AFP.

The National Park Service has held talks with Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital over the possible road and a land exchange elsewhere, lawyer Lanny Davis said. NOTUS first reported the discussions, saying the proposal involved transferring a roughly quarter-mile strip of park land.

Davis said the direct road from the Hazel Green area would shorten trips that now require a longer route on unpaved forest roads. He said the proposal would be allowed under federal law, would provide Yosemite National Park with another parcel and “will not reduce the land area of the park.”

The Interior Department said negotiations had taken place but rejected NOTUS's report that there had been political pressure to reach a predetermined outcome. It said any land exchange or access proposal involving National Park Service land would have to follow federal law, environmental review and public notification rules. “No final decisions have been made,” the department said.

The proposal has drawn opposition from conservation groups, park employees and Democrats. The National Parks Conservation Association called it an unlawful “attack,” and Mark Rose, the group's senior Sierra Nevada program manager, described it as a secretive deal targeting Yosemite. The Yosemite NPS Employees Union said it was “appalled” by the proposed transfer of public land for private interests.

NOTUS reported that Kingsbarn CEO Jeff Pori has business connections to people close to Trump. Federal election records show Pori has donated to the Republican National Committee and Trump-aligned fundraising committees.

A previous proposal to build a road through Yosemite when the 83-acre parcel had a different owner was rejected under the George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden administrations, NOTUS said. Former owner Lewis Geyser sued and lost in a lower court in 2007 and on appeal in 2012.

Yosemite, first protected in 1864, is known for its granite cliffs, glaciers, waterfalls, sequoia trees and wildlife. Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California said the park “must be protected from further development” and said opponents would fight the proposal again.