The National Park Service is negotiating a land exchange that could hand a stretch of Yosemite National Park to a private real estate firm, according to a document submitted to Congress. The agency confirmed it is 'working with the landowner on a land exchange' that would allow a company to connect its property to a park service road, opening the door to commercial development inside one of America's most visited national parks.
According to the document, the landowner would need to 'purchase property inside the park or within other NPS units in California' as part of the swap. Separately, the Interior Department told a Senate office that the exchange is a 'priority,' a characterisation that has drawn scrutiny given the political sensitivity of ceding parkland.
