150 Years Old Welcome to Yosemite! -...

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© 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick 150 Years Old Welcome to Yosemite! Have you ever visited Yosemite National Park in California? Yosemite became our third national park in 1890, but it was the first protected wild land in the world. In 1864, 150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, setting aside land for recreation and preservation for all Americans. This week, The Mini Page talks with a ranger at Yosemite National Park to find out more about the park’s history and what’s going on there now. The Yosemite Grant Act was signed in 1864, as the Civil War raged in the United States. Images of the valley and grove by photographer Carleton Watkins were important in influencing President Lincoln to sign the act. You can see some of the photos that Lincoln viewed as he considered the future of Yosemite here: bit.ly/1we5BTL Native people As long as 9,000 years ago, native Americans were living in the area where Yosemite National Park is now. Two tribes, the Paiute (PIE-yoot) and Miwok (MEE-wahk), along with other related tribes, lived in the area. A rush for gold In the mid-1800s, Americans began rushing to California, where they hoped to find gold. While the Yosemite area never produced a large amount of gold, people traveling through the Sierra Nevada mountains noticed the beautiful valley and enormous trees. Some people saw chances to make money. They thought the giant sequoia (seh- KWOY-ah) trees could be used for lumber, and animals could be hunted for their meat and hides. A giant sequoia tree in Yosemite National Park. The trees grow up to 280 feet high. Working for preservation One “forty-niner,” as the gold- seekers were called, was Galen Clark. He loved the grove of sequoia in Yosemite Valley and later wrote newspaper articles and worked to preserve the area. Other photographers, artists and scientists visited and joined in the movement to protect the valley in its natural state. A bill in Congress In 1864, the junior senator from California, John Conness, introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress to preserve the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove, where the sequoias grew. President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, and management of the area was given to the state of California. An early supporter of Yosemite, Galen Clark stands in front of the Grizzly Giant Tree in Mariposa Grove. He was named the first guardian of Yosemite. images courtesy NPS

Transcript of 150 Years Old Welcome to Yosemite! -...

Page 1: 150 Years Old Welcome to Yosemite! - NIEonlinenieonline.com/coloradonie/downloads/minipage/minipage12.3.14.pdf · photographer Carleton Watkins were important in influencing President

© 2014 Universal Uclick

from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick150 Years Old

Welcome to Yosemite!Have you

ever visited Yosemite National Park in California? Yosemite became our third national park in 1890, but it was the first protected wild land in the world.

In 1864, 150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, setting aside land for recreation and preservation for all Americans.

This week, The Mini Page talks with a ranger at Yosemite National Park to find out more about the park’s history and what’s going on there now.

TheYosemiteGrantActwassignedin1864,astheCivilWarragedintheUnitedStates. ImagesofthevalleyandgrovebyphotographerCarletonWatkinswereimportantininfluencingPresidentLincolntosigntheact.YoucanseesomeofthephotosthatLincolnviewedasheconsideredthefutureofYosemitehere:bit.ly/1we5BTL

Native people As long as 9,000 years ago, native Americans were living in the area where Yosemite National Park is now. Two tribes, the Paiute (PIE-yoot) and Miwok (MEE-wahk), along with other related tribes, lived in the area. A rush for gold In the mid-1800s, Americans began rushing to California, where they hoped to find gold. While the Yosemite area never produced a large amount of gold, people traveling through the Sierra Nevada mountains noticed the beautiful valley and enormous trees. Some people saw chances to make money. They thought the giant sequoia (seh-KWOY-ah) trees could be used for lumber, and animals could be hunted for their meat and hides.

A giant sequoia tree in Yosemite National Park. The trees grow up to 280 feet high.

Working for preservationOne “forty-niner,” as the gold-

seekers were called, was Galen Clark. He loved the grove of sequoia in Yosemite Valley and later wrote newspaper articles and worked to preserve the area. Other photographers, artists and scientists visited and joined in the movement to protect the valley in its natural state. A bill in Congress

In 1864, the junior senator from California, John Conness, introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress to preserve the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove, where the sequoias grew. President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, and management of the area was given to the state of California.

An early supporter of Yosemite, Galen Clark stands in front of the Grizzly Giant Tree in Mariposa Grove. He was named the first guardian of Yosemite.

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Ready Resourcesfrom The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick

The Mini Page provides ideas for websites, books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week’s topics.

On the Web:• nps.gov/yose/historyculture/index.htm• nps.gov/yose/forkids/index.htm• bit.ly/1qJXF7bAt the library:• “Yosemite National Park” by Nate Frisch• “The Camping Trip That Changed America” by Barb

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E T N A R G L H V W T H X O FT D A N S I R N A L A C Z L PO L T C N E A T E B O B C A TY O I C F I E V I N B W I K PO G O I D R E T S E Q U O I AC L N R F S U E A N T W X E RN O A A O A R R O E I G V M KC U L O T V R I U M K R A L CG L R E E D L E T I M E S O Y

Words that remind us of Yosemite are hidden in the block above. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: BEAR, BOBCAT, CLARK, CONIFER, CONSERVE, COYOTE, DEER, FOX, GOLD, GRANT, GUARDIAN, HABITUATE, LINCOLN, LION, MIWOK, MUIR, NATIONAL, PAIUTE, PARK, ROOSEVELT, SEQUOIA, WATERFALL, YOSEMITE.

Yosemitefrom The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick

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Who Lives Here? You probably hear the word “icon” all the time as you use smartphones and other electronics. An icon is a symbol — something that represents something else. One of the biggest icons of Yosemite National Park is the giant sequoia tree. Also called redwoods, these enormous trees have been standing in Yosemite for more than 1,000 years. Sequoias are conifers (KAHN-ih-furs), trees that have cones and needles or slim, scaly leaves. Their branches point downward so that snow will slide off without breaking them.

Bears Yosemite was once home to grizzly bears, which are native to California. But grizzlies were hunted to extinction in Yosemite. The last grizzly was shot there in the 1920s. Today, more than 300 black bears live in the park. Officials have worked to make sure that bears eat natural foods, not human foods. Special metal boxes have been added to campgrounds for storing food and other good-smelling products, such as toothpaste and sunscreen.Waterfalls While they’re not animals or plants, Yosemite’s waterfalls are also icons of the park. Many of the falls are fed with water from melted snow, so they dry up by autumn.

A sign in Yosemite National Park warns visitors not to feed wild animals or try to get close to them.

Other Yosemite animals Mule deer look for food throughout the national park. Mountain lions and bobcats are native to the area, although bobcats are more active during the winter. Coyotes and gray foxes also live in the park and hunt smaller animals, such as gray squirrels and chipmunks. Peregrine falcons, owls and blue jays can be seen throughout the park, too.

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Meet Yuja Wang Yuja Wang is a pianist whose latest album is “Yuja Wang Piano Concertos/Rachmaninov, Prokofiev.” She plays under the label Deutsche Grammophon. Yuja, 27, was born in Beijing, China, and grew up surrounded by music. Her mother is a dancer, and her father plays percussion, or instruments that create a beat when they are struck. She started taking piano lessons when she was 6 years old and played in her first concerts when

she was 7. She continued studying piano in special music schools. When she was about 12 to 14 years old, she traveled each summer to a special music program in Canada as part of an artistic exchange program between Canada and China. When she was 15, she moved to Philadelphia to study music. She now lives in New York City when she is not traveling to play with orchestras throughout the world.

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You’ll need:• 2 medium-sized zucchini squash • 1/4 cup low-fat milk• cooking spray • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese• 1 egg white • 1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbsWhat to do: • 1 cup ranch dressing1. Cut zucchini lengthwise in half, then crosswise in half.2. Continue to slice wedges in half, making 16 sticks from each zucchini (32 in all).3. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.4. Whisk egg white and milk until blended.5. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a separate bowl.6. Dip zucchini sticks in egg mixture and then coat with bread crumb mixture.7. Put zucchini sticks in one layer on baking sheet.8. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 30 minutes.9. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping or as a side dish.You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.

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Rookie Cookie’s Recipe Zucchini Stix

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Cole: Why are baseball players useful on camping trips?

Chip: They are good at pitching the tent!

All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category?

Candy: What will happen if you eat crackers in your sleeping bag?

Corey: You will get a “crumby” night’s sleep!

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Chester: Why did the little girl get upset when the camping trip was over?

Cooper: She heard it was time to break camp!

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Mini SpyMini Spy is hiking with Alpha Betty in Yosemite

National Park. See if you can find: q bell q saw q fishq number 6 q letter A q letter B q batq dragon q whale q seal q dogq letter E q number 3 q snail q starq lima bean q ice pop q man in the moon

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Amanda Leveille stops pucks cold — that’s her job. Amanda is the starting goalkeeper for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s ice hockey team. The junior from Canada has played a big role in the Gophers’ success during her three seasons, including back-to-back trips to the national championship game. In addition, from Feb. 17, 2012, to Nov. 17, 2013, the Gophers recorded 62 straight wins to establish the longest-ever winning streak in collegiate hockey history — men’s or women’s. As Minnesota began this season, early matchups with the top-ranked, archrival Wisconsin Badgers loomed. Amanda and the Gophers traveled to the No. 1-ranked Badgers’ home ice in mid-October for a two-game series and promptly swept their hosts with a 4-1 win and a 2-1 victory in overtime. Shortly afterward, Minnesota regained the nation’s No. 1 ranking. When Amanda isn’t putting in time “between the pipes,” she’s an active hospital volunteer.

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Height: 5-7Age: 20

Hometown: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

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Keeping Yosemite

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

The Mini Page thanks Scott Gediman, ranger and public affairs officer, Yosemite National Park, for help with this issue.

Next week, The Mini Page is all about the art of glassblowing.

As more people traveled to Yosemite, businesses sprang up to serve them. Roads were built for stagecoaches and, later, cars. Hotels were built. Hotel and restaurant owners needed food for their guests, so cattle grazed in the valley and orchards were planted for fresh fruit. All these developments changed the natural ecosystems within the park. Muir arrives John Muir, a naturalist and conservationist, arrived in Yosemite in 1868 and began writing about how the area’s wildlife were being destroyed by development. Yosemite became a national park in October 1890, but the original Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove stayed under California control, with fewer rules than the national park.

In 1903, Muir traveled through the area with President Theodore Roosevelt, and in 1906, Roosevelt signed the bill that folded the original grant land into the national park.

A modern approach As scientists and others learned more about conservation, management of the park changed. The newest hotel in the park was built in the middle of the 20th century, and cattle no longer graze in the valley. As Park Ranger Scott Gediman said: “We are learning to balance 4 million visitors a year with protection” of the park.Saving the giant sequoias Among other efforts, the Mariposa Grove is undergoing a large restoration project. Sequoia trees have very shallow roots, and the roads and parking lots in the grove were affecting new growth of the trees. The project will remove a parking lot, road and gift shop. Future visitors will ride a shuttle to the grove. Park officials hope this will improve the grove’s natural flow of water and make the area quieter and more special.

Putting traditions to rest Two old Yosemite traditions were stopped when officials realized their effect on the environment. • Feeding the bears. Park visitors in the 1930s sat on bleachers and watched as workers dumped discarded food and garbage into a large pit. Bears would come and eat the food. But this caused the bears to become habituated, or used to, human food. Their taste for our food became a problem when bears became unafraid of humans and got dangerously close.

John Muir(1838-1914)

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President Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir pose on a rock at Glacier Point in May 1903.

The Wawona Hotel was the first built in Yosemite, in 1879. The hotel is still open today.

• Firefall. In the 1920s, people gathered in the evenings to watch as campfire embers were pushed off the cliff of Glacier Point. The red-hot coals would fall down the granite walls and land on boulders. In 1968, the park stopped the Firefall because it seemed not to encourage visitors’ appreciation of natural wonders.

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