FRESNO, Calif.—A U.S. lawmaker accused Yosemite National Park of breaking federal law by adding 400 acres for a wildlife preserve without clearing it through Congress, but federal park officials said Friday that he’s misinterpreting the law.
The addition of wetlands, grassy meadows and forest on Yosemite’s western boundary marks its largest expansion in nearly 70 years. Any significant amount of land added to a national park needs congressional approval, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop said in a statement to The Associated Press.
“The Park Service acted outside of its authority, and we will require them to account for their actions,” said the Utah Republican, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, which has oversight of public land.
Bishop’s staff says inquiries have just begun into how Yosemite acquired the land without oversight and what steps Congress will take next.
National Park Service spokesman Jeffrey Olson said the congressman is misreading the law. The land was donated, so it doesn’t require congressional approval like acquisitions using federal funding, Olson said in a statement.
Yosemite announced this week that the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit conservation group, bought the land from a private owner for $2.3 million and donated it to the park.
Officials said they will preserve the land as habitat for wildlife such as the great grey owl, the largest owl in North America and listed as endangered by California wildlife officials.
Bishop said he does not want Yosemite to give back the land but wants answers. He said federal law requires approval of additions to a national park that are more than 200 acres and worth over $750,000.
