A group of nature enthusiasts is making it very clear that they're not on board with Starbucks' idea to bring a new location to Yosemite National Park. According to The Fresno Bee, Yosemite Hospitality is working with the coffee chain to bring its coffee and specialty drink items to the Food Court at the Yosemite Valley Lodge. But a lot of people — around 15,000, to be exact — are expressing their concerns online.
"Multinational corporations have no place in our National Parks," reads a Change.org petition that's been signed by more than 15,000 people. "The opening of a Starbucks in Yosemite Valley opens the door to further undue development. The Park will lose its essence, making it hardly distinguishable from a chaotic and bustling commercial city."
The petition, titled "Stop Starbucks in Yosemite," was created by a user called Concerned Citizen, and it's been rapidly racking up supporters since its inception. It also urges Yosemite Hospitality to consider tapping a local coffee shop instead. (If Starbucks were to make its way to Yosemite, it wouldn't be a store that stands on its own, rather a smaller location in the lodge's food court.)
"National parks are some of the only free, clean, beautiful and pollution free places we have left," writes one supporter in the comments. "Multi-billion dollar corporations don't belong!"
According to the petition, most of the job postings for the Yosemite Valley Lodge Starbucks have been taken down since the creation of the petition. The only job that remains is this position for a Store Manager, though, as of now, the description reads that that job is also no longer available.
Delish has reached out to Starbucks for comment, though we haven't received a response at this time.
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