Valley Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, joined a bipartisan group of 157 members of congress urging the U.S. Department of the Interior to block a proposed land transfer within Yosemite National Park to a private developer.

The letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum states that “public lands belong in public hands. Protection of public lands is a bipartisan issue, overwhelmingly supported by the American people from all walks of life.”

“At its core, this proposal appears to provide a private benefit at the expense of land that belongs to all Americans,” the letter states. “Any decision to relinquish public land to private ownership should be supported by a clear and compelling public benefit, not merely the economic interests of a private party.”

Trump Administration Pursues Yosemite Land Exchange With Private Developer

The Washington Sun, previously known as NOTUS, first reported a story about a proposed land transfer between the Interior Department and the private equity ownership of a resort just outside the national park’s Highway 120 entrance.

Kingsbarn Realty Capital, after coming into ownership of its Sanctuary at Yosemite — known for decades prior as Hazel Green Ranch — revived a request to build a private road bypassing the park’s normal entrance.

In exchange, Kingsbarn would give the government a not-yet determined piece of land somewhere in California.

Questions sent to Kingsbarn’s media contact were not returned by the time of this publication.

Previous ownership had petitioned presidents George Bush and Barack Obama for a similar deal, but those administrations denied the request. Federal judges affirmed those decisions, ruling against ownership in 2007 and against the appeal in 2012.

The Sun’s reporting states that soon after Kingsbarn took over the property, it sought approval for the new road. The deal has been in the works since 2025 and the Trump administration has been pressuring park staff to work toward approving the deal, according to the congressional letter.

More recently, the Interior Department asked Congress to use money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to help facilitate the exchange. Congressional leaders, however, say that fund exists to acquire land and protect public lands not, “sell them off to corporate developers,” the letter states.

The Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee declined to move forward on that funding.

“This transaction does not seek to expand public access to Yosemite, improve visitor services, or address transportation deficiencies in park access,” the letter states. “Rather, this land exchange seeks to merely cut down on driving time for a select few on private property.”

No Identified Property for Exchange Indicates Deal Not for the General Public: Congress

Furthermore, the congressional letter states that developers have not said what properties they would exchange for developing forest land. Despite not having a property identified, the Interior Department told congress in its request for funds that the exchange was a “priority.”

Federal law, 54 U.S.C. § 102901, allows the Interior secretary to exchange certain federally owned property for nonfederal property in the same state. The properties must be approximately equal in value, or cash may be used to make up the difference.

Any interested party may request a public hearing in the area of the properties to be exchanged.

For lawmakers, the desire to move forward without having a property selected further indicates that the deal is not intended to benefit the general public.

“This gives further credence to the notion that this exchange is not being done in the public interest, but rather solely to benefit a private developer,” the letter states.

Read the Congressional Letter Below: