Discussion · House of Representatives
Kevin Kiley Independent
“I am asking the Secretary of the Interior to stop any plan to sell land in Yosemite National Park for private development. This land belongs to the public and must stay protected.”
“``Inalienable for all time.’’ Those were the words of Abraham Lincoln in signing the Yosemite Grant in 1864. A few decades later, Theodore Roosevelt commented: There is no place in the world more beautiful than Yosemite. So it has come as a shock to many of us with recent reporting suggesting that there has been an effort underway over the last year to sell off a piece of the park, in direct contradiction of President Lincoln’s words. The plan apparently is to provide greater access for private development, with no improved public access to the park itself. Now, this is of enormous practical importance to those of us in California. Yosemite is not that far from some parts of my district. I grew up in the Sacramento area, so it is a bit of a drive there. But, nevertheless, it is impossible to conceive of California without Yosemite. Visits to Yosemite formed an important part of my childhood, climbing Half Dome, experiencing the absolutely breathtaking, unmatched beauty that President Roosevelt referred to. The idea that suddenly the park is going to be opened up for private development or to be sold off is something that we absolutely cannot let happen. It is also a matter of importance in a much larger sense, because when President Lincoln dedicated this land as part of the Yosemite Grant, it was really what formed the basis of the entire National Park System that came after. Remember, this was in the middle of the Civil War. The Nation was at once being torn apart, but also knit together through large-scale development projects, the railroads, homesteads. But this was a moment where President Lincoln said: There are some places that are so sacred, they must forever be put in public trust. They must belong only to the public. This attempt to privatize a portion of Yosemite is not only an attack on this national treasure but on the entire system that it gave birth to and to the values of conservation and stewardship that are now such an important part of the American character. What is more, this is not an isolated incident. We have seen other attempts to undermine these principles of protecting our public lands. We saw an attempt in H.R. 1 last year to sell off public lands without even meaningful local input. Fortunately, a few of us stood up and opposed that, and we were able to get it out of the legislation. I am joining a bipartisan, bicameral letter with my Senate colleagues, Senators Schiff and Padilla, urging the Secretary of the Interior to put a stop to any effort when it comes to selling off any part of Yosemite. We need to make sure that President Lincoln’s words are honored now and forever, which is that this national treasure is inalienable for all time.”
``Inalienable for all time.’’ Those were the words of Abraham Lincoln in signing the Yosemite Grant in 1864. A few decades later, Theodore Roosevelt commented: There is no place in the world more beautiful than Yosemite. So it has come as a shock to many of us with recent reporting suggesting that there has been an effort underway over the last year to sell off a piece of the park, in direct contradiction of President Lincoln’s words. The plan apparently is to provide greater access for private development, with no improved public access to the park itself. Now, this is of enormous practical importance to those of us in California. Yosemite is not that far from some parts of my district. I grew up in the Sacramento area, so it is a bit of a drive there. But, nevertheless, it is impossible to conceive of California without Yosemite. Visits to Yosemite formed an important part of my childhood, climbing Half Dome, experiencing the absolutely breathtaking, unmatched beauty that President Roosevelt referred to. The idea that suddenly the park is going to be opened up for private development or to be sold off is something that we absolutely cannot let happen. It is also a matter of importance in a much larger sense, because when President Lincoln dedicated this land as part of the Yosemite Grant, it was really what formed the basis of the entire National Park System that came after. Remember, this was in the middle of the Civil War. The Nation was at once being torn apart, but also knit together through large-scale development projects, the railroads, homesteads. But this was a moment where President Lincoln said: There are some places that are so sacred, they must forever be put in public trust. They must belong only to the public. This attempt to privatize a portion of Yosemite is not only an attack on this national treasure but on the entire system that it gave birth to and to the values of conservation and stewardship that are now such an important part of the American character. What is more, this is not an isolated incident. We have seen other attempts to undermine these principles of protecting our public lands. We saw an attempt in H.R. 1 last year to sell off public lands without even meaningful local input. Fortunately, a few of us stood up and opposed that, and we were able to get it out of the legislation. I am joining a bipartisan, bicameral letter with my Senate colleagues, Senators Schiff and Padilla, urging the Secretary of the Interior to put a stop to any effort when it comes to selling off any part of Yosemite. We need to make sure that President Lincoln’s words are honored now and forever, which is that this national treasure is inalienable for all time.