Pushing back on Yosemite's new $100 fee for non-residents

I went to Yosemite Valley on Sunday. At the entrance station, I was asked if I and everyone in my car was a citizen or legal resident. I answered in the affirmative, but was struck by how awful it felt to be asked that question and have to answer in order to enter Yosemite National Park. It felt like the MAGA police state intruding on our beloved National Parks with its ugly, cruel, unwelcoming policies. People seeking refuge in nature should have as few barriers as possible preventing them from accessing that solace.

So I told the ranger it was a terrible question to ask. She said she had to ask it. I responded that as a citizen, I had to tell her that it was a terrible question to have to ask. She recommended that I speak to her higher ups including the Park Superintendent. So I sent a message through Yosemite's Contact Us form.

My message:

Dear Superintendent: When I entered Yosemite on Sunday, I was asked if I and everyone in my car was a citizen or legal resident. To be asked this question in the United States of America when entering a National Park felt offensive and disrespectful to our country's long-held values and traditions. In addition, the new $100 fee is regressive, targeting those who might least be able to afford it. I encourage you to remove this unwelcoming fee targeting visitors to our country and replace it with a $1 million fee for billionaires to enter the park. If I was asked if I was a billionaire, it would not have been offensive, since if I were one I would be happy to contribute less than a tenth of a percent of my wealth (which is comparable to the current policy since $100 represents a tenth of a percent of a $100,000 annual income). Changing this policy as I suggest would make our National Parks more inclusive and welcoming to all visitors and would raise far more funds in support of the Parks. Thank you for considering my comments and being welcoming to all visitors to our National Parks, no matter where they come from.

I encourage others to express similar sentiments. And I encourage National Park Service employees to resist authoritarian impulsive unwelcoming policies of the current lawless presidential administration any way they feel they can, until the day we have a Constitution and law-respecting president return to the White House.