Great Smoky Mountains National Park in fall

A reminder—if the hundreds of thousands of people now fleeing for their lives in Syria had not already made it clear—that even as he slides toward the gulf of impeachment, Donald Trump is still doing his best to destroy everything good on his way down. That includes continuing his efforts to gift every square inch of public land to someone who dropped seven figures or more into one of his slush funds. And as Yahoo News reports, that includes an ongoing scheme to turn the National Park system, also known as “America’s best idea,” into a series of greasy theme parks.

On September 24, the Department of the Interior’s skull-achingly named “Subcommittee on Recreation Enhancement” (SORE) produced the latest missive in its plan to flood parks with the requisite number of four-wheelers, roller coasters, and pancake pantries. This particular plan would call for selling off the 130 campgrounds operated by the Park Service to private companies who would provide more “services.” In the form of four-wheelers, pancakes, etc. And they have a great approach. They intend to start with the parks that are most pristine, most unspoiled, most like the genuine preserves of natural beauty they were created to be. Or, as SORE would have it, the parks “with low levels of visitor services.” Then, once they’ve demonstrated that people will pay for zip-lines and mini-golf in those locations, they’ll expand the program to the parks where the natural attractions have already been made redundant.

There’s no intention of stopping with just the National Parks. SORE will then export the program to other public lands, including national forests, wildlife areas, and just about anywhere the Bureau of Land Management roams. Only don’t expect those areas to be erecting Ferris wheels, because SORE has another idea for how to handle most public lands along with public campgrounds; Sell them. Sell them all.

One of the most interesting items about the SORE plan is that it wasn’t really written by the Department of the Interior. It was written for them. The real author of the memo, which is titled “campground modernization/expansion” is Derrick Crandall, president of the American Recreation Coalition. The American Recreation Coalition (whose longtime website appears to be mysteriously missing in action) was created in 1979 for the express purpose of “catalyzing public / private partnerships.” By which they mean making private profits from public lands. They represent the “motorized recreation industry” including makers of snowmobiles, motorcycles, boats, and RVs, as well as amusement parks and food vendors. It’s a group that doesn’t just include the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, but the Walt Disney Company. A group that sells things made to smash any moment of tranquility, together with people who have demonstrated that they can make much more money from a faux wilderness loaded with animatronic bears than anyone can get from the real thing.

That’s exactly the message they’re pushing—there’s money to be made in trashing America’s most beautiful places. And it’s happening right now.