John,
Yosemite National Park should never become a bargaining chip for a private real-estate developer. But National Park Service officials are reportedly considering a land exchange that would give Kingsbarn Realty Capital control of roughly a quarter-mile strip inside Yosemite so the company can construct a much shorter road to its 83-acre property outside the park.
Kingsbarn’s property already has access. What the company wants is something far more valuable: a shortcut directly through Yosemite. That road could support future private development on the property, which has been discussed for a resort that could include a hotel, stores, restaurants, and homes.
Trump’s tax law already delivered roughly $900 billion in new tax breaks to corporations. Public lands should not become the next corporate giveaway.
Send a message to Sec. of Interior Doug Burgum and the National Park Service and tell them to keep Yosemite out of corporate hands.
This is hardly some unavoidable problem the federal government suddenly needs to solve. The previous owner fought for essentially the same access for years. The Bush administration refused. The Obama administration refused. The owner went to federal court and lost, then appealed and lost again. Kingsbarn bought the land in 2024, knowing the history. Now the Trump administration is reconsidering the deal anyway.
That tells us something about who gets heard in Washington. Working people pay their fair share in taxes to support public institutions and resources, including the protection and maintenance of our national parks. Wealthy corporations and investors have lawyers, lobbyists, and political connections to push the government for deals that make their private assets more valuable.
Tell Interior Sec. Doug Burgum and National Park Service leadership to reject the Kingsbarn land exchange, protect Yosemite from private development, and keep our national parks in public hands.
Together, we’re demanding the federal government reject any proposal to transfer, exchange, or otherwise give Yosemite National Park land to Kingsbarn Realty Capital for the construction of a private access road.
Thank you for taking action today,
Liz Zelnick
Director of Advocacy and Campaigns
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
-- David's email --
John,
The Trump administration is trying to carve off part of Yosemite National Park to benefit a private real-estate developer. National Park Service officials have been exploring a deal that would hand over roughly a quarter-mile strip of protected parkland to Kingsbarn Realty Capital, which owns 83 acres immediately outside Yosemite.1
Kingsbarn wants to build a new private road through the park connecting its property to a central Yosemite route. The company’s land already has access, but the existing route is longer and less convenient. A shortcut through Yosemite would give the property exceptionally rare private access to one of the most treasured national parks in the country, potentially serving future development that could include a hotel, restaurants, stores, and homes.
They have tried this before and been told NO. The property’s previous owner spent years trying to secure essentially the same road through Yosemite. The Bush and Obama administrations refused to pursue the deal, and the owner ultimately lost in federal district court and again on appeal. Kingsbarn bought the property anyway. Now, under Trump, the door is suddenly back open.2
This is what a government for corporations and the wealthy looks like. Working people pay taxes that help protect and maintain Yosemite and our entire national park system. At the same time, Trump and his allies have showered wealthy corporations with tax breaks, including roughly $900 billion in corporate tax giveaways in their most recent tax scam.
Now, a private investment firm is asking the federal government to turn publicly protected land into a commercial advantage. The public pays. Corporate interests get the favors.
Tell Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and National Park Service leadership: Reject this corporate land grab and keep Yosemite protected from private development.
Opposition is already growing. Conservation organizations, National Park Service employees, members of Congress, and lawmakers from both parties have spoken out against the proposal. California lawmakers have warned about the precedent this could set, and even Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has joined Democratic senators in opposing efforts to carve up Yosemite for private development.
This fight is bigger than one quarter-mile strip of land. If corporate developers learn that national park boundaries become negotiable whenever there is enough money to be made, Yosemite will not be the last target. National parks cannot become another asset that wealthy investors try to squeeze for private profit, just like they exploit tax loopholes and use armies of lobbyists to rig government policy in their favor.
Our national parks are maintained for the public, and their stewardship must also respect the Indigenous peoples whose connection to these lands long predates the federal government. They should never become bargaining chips for private developers looking to make neighboring real estate more profitable.
Tell Secretary Burgum and the National Park Service: Keep Yosemite out of corporate hands and reject any deal that gives Kingsbarn Realty Capital parkland for its private road.
Together, we’re fighting for a government that serves the public, not corporations and wealthy investors.
David Kass
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
1 Trump administration pushing to hand parcel of Yosemite land to private developer – report
2 Yosemite Is Facing More Development. It's Already Overtaxed.
3 Fortune 100 Profits Jumped By $100 Billion Over Past Year
