National Parks Conservation Association demands MLB stadium rejection
Major League Baseball approached the Trump Administration about building a stadium in Grand Teton National Park, prompting an administration official to travel to the park to scout potential locations last week, according to a Washington Post report. The proposal faces immediate opposition from conservation groups demanding federal officials reject the plan.
National Parks Conservation Association Demands Rejection
The push for a ballpark inside the protected federal landscape follows a similar controversy one month prior. A Washington Sun report exposed separate discussions between the administration and a private developer concerning access to land in Yosemite National Park. In both instances, outside parties sought special treatment and unprecedented access to national park land.
Tiernan Sittenfeld, President and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association, called on the Department of the Interior to halt the initiative immediately. Sittenfeld stated that the Department of the Interior should reject the idea and publicly state that there will be no baseball stadium in Grand Teton, now or ever. Sittenfeld noted that a backpacking trip in Grand Teton as a teenager instilled a lifelong love of national parks, adding that visitors and the local community fiercely defend the iconic park.
Sittenfeld criticized the direction of the administration regarding public lands. Sittenfeld stated that it is long past time for the administration to start treating national parks with the respect they deserve, starting with full funding and park staffing, instead of more harmful proposals for private profit.
Historical Precedent and Regional Protection
Betsy Buffington, Northern Rockies Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association, emphasized the unique status of the region. Buffington stated that Grand Teton National Park is more than a pretty backdrop to drum up attention for special interests, noting that the park has left an indelible mark in the heart of everyone lucky enough to set foot there and that there is no other place like it on earth.
Buffington warned that carving out a piece of Grand Teton for special interests would turn the administration’s back on a century of enthusiastic bipartisan support. Buffington cited the legacy of national parks as, in the words of President George H.W. Bush, a common heritage borrowed from future generations which should be passed on as a precious inheritance.
The National Parks Conservation Association, founded in 1919 as a nonpartisan organization, represents more than 1.9 million members and supporters dedicated to safeguarding national parks for future generations.