On June 30, 1864, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, establishing Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove as the first federally protected wild places in the nation. This visionary act, the first time in history that a tract of wild land was set aside by a government to preserve it for the enjoyment of all its citizens, planted the seed of an idea that spread around the world: that the wonders of nature are not only an inheritance, but also a responsibility. American Indians had stewarded the Mariposa Grove for over 3000 years, including using fire to manage giant sequoia habitat, and contemporary tribal groups maintain vibrant cultural and spiritual connections to the grove while partnering with the National Park Service to protect this sacred landscape. The Yosemite Grant also led to the creation of the California State Park system in 1864, and management of the grove later passed from the state of California to the U.S. Army Cavalry and finally to the National Park Service in 1916, which now protects Yosemite among more than 400 sites for present and future generations.