Yosemite development scheme recalls admin’s other public lands sell-off efforts

THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY • September 15, 2026

In late August, NOTUS (now The Washington Sun) reported that the Trump administration has been working behind the scenes to give away a piece of Yosemite National Park to a well-connected investment firm. The unprecedented swap would allow an access road for a planned resort, and it’s a priority for political leaders atSecretary Doug Burgum’s Interior Department. The deal harks back to 19th-century robber barons’ efforts to buy up American land and resources, in the days before a strong national conservation ethic could be concretized in law and regulation. But it’s also entirely in keeping with recent proposals, statements and back-room dealings coming out of this administration, which remains fixated on the promise of privatizing, liquidating or trading away millions of acres of our shared public lands (even if they won’t quite say it out-loud).