House Approves Ackerson Meadow Land Transfer Bill
A proposal to redraw federal management boundaries around Ackerson Meadow has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives, moving a Yosemite-area land transfer one step closer to becoming law.
The House approved H.R. 8454 on Sept. 14 by voice vote. The legislation would transfer management of approximately 160 acres of Stanislaus National Forest land to Yosemite National Park and approximately 170 acres of park land to the national forest. All of the land would remain federally owned. Bill text
Rep. Tom McClintock, a California Republican, introduced the House bill. Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla introduced the Senate companion, S. 2881, giving the proposal sponsors from both parties. Senate legislation
The purpose is to simplify management where national park and national forest boundaries divide the landscape. For agencies and people who use the land, those boundaries determine which rules apply and who administers permits and other authorizations.
Grazing is one reason behind the proposed change. The Congressional Research Service explains that transferring land currently used for cattle grazing to the Forest Service would place it under an agency whose multiple-use management framework accommodates that activity. Congressional summary
The House committee-reported bill also preserves valid existing rights and the terms of existing permits, leases, easements and other authorizations. Responsibility for administering them would move to the agency receiving the land. Bill provisions
Ackerson Meadow has already been the focus of a major conservation effort. The National Park Service describes it as the largest mid-elevation meadow in Yosemite and an important wildlife corridor, with habitat for species including the great gray owl and little willow flycatcher.
The meadow was purchased from private owners and donated to Yosemite in 2016. An extensive network of erosion gullies had drained wetlands and threatened additional meadow habitat after more than a century of water diversion, farming, ranching and timber harvesting, according to the Park Service.
Yosemite, Stanislaus National Forest, American Rivers and Yosemite Conservancy partnered on restoration completed in June 2025. The work restored wetland hydrology to 94 acres of former wetlands and protected another 84 acres of existing wetlands. Monitoring continues. National Park Service restoration overview
That restoration is already complete; the pending legislation addresses which federal agency would manage the specified parcels going forward.
As of Sept. 16, the House bill had been received in the Senate and placed on its legislative calendar. House passage alone does not authorize the transfer. The legislation still must complete the remaining congressional and presidential steps before becoming law. Current legislative status
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Feature Photo: Ackerson Meadow in a National Park Service file photo. A bill approved by the House would exchange management of federal parcels between Yosemite National Park and Stanislaus National Forest.
Credit: National Park Service.