Yosemite National Park Celebrates 150th Anniversary
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) - Yosemite National Park is celebrating the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Yosemite Grant Act, which protected Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Reps. Tom McClintock and Jim Costa were among those expected to be on hand for Monday's commemoration at the park.
The event also included a groundbreaking ceremony for a project to restore Mariposa Grove, which consists of 500 mature giant sequoia trees that are among the oldest living organisms in the world.
The project calls for removing parking and other asphalt in the grove to help the trees reproduce.
Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act in the midst of the Civil War.
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