The US government is considering giving away a small part of Yosemite National Park to a private developer. The plan has sparked outrage. It is not the only attack on protected lands.
In Big Bend National Park, Texas, Trump sent bulldozers along the border on August 4. The goal: stop migrants. But locals are furious. Ranchers, environmental groups, and Native Americans all oppose it. Indigenous people say the work threatens sacred sites. Residents fear flash floods. Work has been suspended until at least mid-September.
Then came Yosemite. A developer wants to build a short road on a strip of land inside the park. This would cut a 50-minute detour. Federal courts rejected the same request in 2012. A former official said: “If it can happen to Yosemite, it can happen anywhere.”
Trump also slashed protected areas at Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bear Ears in Utah. He reduced their size tenfold on July 13. He said the land holds vital resources for national security. He had already cut them in his first term. Biden restored them. Now Trump has cut them again.
Utah’s governor welcomed the move. He said the question is how best to protect the land. But a month later, The New York Times reported at least nine mining claims had been filed on the newly unprotected land. The administration says nothing is decided. But even a small move would set a precedent.
Reference
Le Monde, “Donald Trump multiplie les attaques contre les parcs nationaux américains,” published August 31, 2026. https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2026/08/31/yosemite-big-bend-utah-trump-multiplie-les-attaques-contre-les-parcs-nationaux-americains_6761902_3244.html