"Yosemite park repair planned" Associated Press, February 28, 2013
SACRAMENTO — A grove of ancient giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park is no place for a tram ride, gift shop, and asphalt parking lots, say officials who are looking to have them removed.
Park officials released a draft environmental study Tuesday on the effects of an estimated $15 million worth of changes at Yosemite’s popular Mariposa Grove. The proposal includes getting rid of the tram ride, shop, and parking lots — changes designed to restore the habitat for the nearly 500 giant sequoias there.
‘‘Today we know more about how to manage our national parks,’’ park spokesman Scott Gediman said.
Park officials hope to break ground in June on the 150th anniversary of the date President Abraham Lincoln signed the grant that set aside Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove for preservation, a first for the federal government.
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