Donald Trump has nominated Scott Socha, a hospitality executive, to lead the National Park Service (NPS). Socha’s company, Delaware North, once sued to claim trademark rights over names like “Yosemite National Park.” This nomination comes as the NPS faces staffing cuts and political pressure to change how history is presented at park sites. Traditionally, the NPS has been led by people with conservation experience, often promoted from within the agency. Socha worked for 27 years at Delaware North, a company managing food and hotels in seven national parks. Since 2017, he has developed businesses near national parks. His nomination still awaits Senate approval. Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill said, “The private park concessionaire executive [Scott] Socha has zero experience in public service or conservation. Instead, he’s made a career out of extracting maximum profit from our national parks, not protecting them, making it abundantly clear he’ll be doing the bidding of special interests and corporate interests.” Delaware North is famous in conservation circles for a trademark lawsuit. After losing a $2 billion contract to operate Yosemite’s hotels and restaurants in 2016, Delaware North sued, claiming intellectual property rights to names worth over $50 million, including “Yosemite National Park,” “Ahwahnee Hotel,” and “Curry Village.” The landmarks were briefly renamed but restored after a 2019 settlement. Aaron Weiss, deputy director for the Center for Western Priorities, said, “Senators must approach this nomination with the utmost skepticism given Scott Socha’s history and the current state of our national parks. Our public lands belong to all Americans, not the concessionaires who try to trademark and cash in on the names of our nation’s crown jewels.” Socha’s nomination has stirred concern over the future management of America’s treasured national parks and the influence of corporate interests in public lands.