Dear readers—We have promised you we will not write about the topic of Politics (you read too much of it, you don’t need any more here) . . . and have NOT broken that promise UNTIL THIS POST.
We received an email from Public Land Warriers this week which reads:
“This just broke last night (26 Sep26): the Trump administration is actively pushing a plan to carve up Grand Teton National Park to build a massive commercial baseball stadium.
They look at one of the most iconic, pristine mountain ranges on the face of the earth—a sanctuary for grizzly bears, elk, and native trout—and all they see is a prime real estate parcel for concreate bleachers, a sea of asphalt parking lots, and blinding stadium floodlights.
It turns out they wont stop until every national park in America is paved over and turned into a commercial strip mall.”
How the Trump administration views the national parks and related legislation. We found this idea horrendous. We were unfamiliar with ‘Public Land Warriers.’ To make sure what they wrote is a fact we contacted a friend at the National Parks Conservation Association in Washington DC for confirmation. They confirmed and provided copies of the two press releases they issued on the topic
Considering that the Trump administration is bulldozing portions of Big Bend National Park to build his wall in the park and roads through the park and (per the National Wildlife Federation) “it (the Trump administration) is weakening key environmental protections like the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by chipping away bits and pieces until they are practically useless,” as well as (per Battleground Blue) firing “thousands of U.S. Forrest and National Park Service workers,” we consider moves like this illegal and hugely wrong-headed.
Happy Ending. Happily, this post does NOT end requesting you please call your U.S. Senators and U.S. Congressperson requesting they please vote “No” if this were to come up for a vote. Nor does it end with a request for a donation. We have been advised the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred, notified President Trump they thought it was a bad idea and wouldn’t support it.
NPCA’s response to my confirmation inquiry. NPCA confirmed the information from Public Land Warriers had been true. However, they advised that: MLB chose to withdraw the idea of a stadium in Grand Teton.
Press Releases. Additionally they provided copies of two press releases they issued on the topic:
-“No Baseball stadium in Grand Teton, Now or Ever. It’s long past time for this administration to start treating our national parks with the respect they deserve.”
-“Swing and a Miss: Grand Teton Safe at Home After MLB Withdraws Proposal. ‘The bases were loaded with opposition, and this news is a grand slam for Teton county communities and the enduring legacy of Grand Teton National Park:--NPCA Grand Teton Senior Program Manager, Allison Michalski”
Public Land Warriers. Having confirmed the accuracy of this story (originally reported by the Washington Post) we looked into who was the organization named Public Land Warriers? It turns out Public Land Warriers “is an advocacy organization founded by conservationist and political figure, Ryan Busse.” Busse is a former firearms executive and democratic politician having lost the 2024 Montana governorship and now running for Zinke’s seat in the U.S. House.)
NPS funding. (Per an AI overview): “The Trump administration has not completely defunded the National Park Service, but it has implemented severe budget restrictions, cancelled third-party grants and cut staffing levels according to reports compiled by the National Parks Conservation Association.”
Federal Government Responsibility. Writing about the creation and protection of this heritage and these lands, (speaking about Yellowstone but similarly applicable to what has become Grand Teton National Park) July 2026 Heather Cox Richardson warned against the “wanton destruction of fish and game. . . or destruction for the purposes of merchandise or profit” saying that it was “the responsibility of the federal government ”to protect natural resources from those who would plunder them for profit.”
Why publish this Post? The reason we went ahead and published this post is this represents exactly how President Trump and his allies feel about the national parks and how important it is to NOT vote in any more Republicans who either are his or might be his allies. To any position! (He has already bulldozed fully grown trees in Big Bend National Park to make room for his wall and roads. We’ve been advised by Public Land Warriers that: “Just two weeks ago, the Trump administration slashed Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante [National Parks] by over 90%” . . . . “According to public records, at least nine mining claims have already been staked inside the former boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.”
Grand Teton National Park—I took this photo (August, 2014: whole family celebrating Mary’s birthday) of the mountain range the Park protects. The mountain range is 10 million years old. The rock that makes up the range is 2.7 billion years old, (half of the age of the earth,) formed by tectonic plate collision.
Moose in the Park--Drinking from a pond beside one of their 250 miles of hiking trails in the Park. I believe this is one of my all time best photos . . . . the moose centered, Grand Teton almost centered, seeing more of the moose in his reflection, the mountains in the background, the trees and underbrush in the foreground framing the photo.