Court Weighs In On Yosemite Land Dispute

Coulterville, CA — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a developer’s efforts to build a new road into Yosemite National Park.

The Associated Press reports that the court sided with environmental groups and ruled against the lawsuit filed by Lewis Geyser. The Solvang developer argued that he has rights to a pair of stage coach era dirt roads that connect his property to Yosemite. The 83 acre land is located near the town of Coulterville. The two unused dirt roads connect with Highway 120, near Crane Flat, in the park.

The AP reports that Geyser wanted the federal government to give him an easement over a quarter-mile section of Yosemite land between his property and Highway 120. When the feds refused, Geyser filed a lawsuit in 2007. The Court of Appeals ruling is the latest in the ongoing legal dispute.