YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Officials at Yosemite National Park are getting a head start on next year's 150th anniversary with a new website that will contain information about celebrations, events and projects.

Park officials announced on Friday that the site was up and running. The interactive site allows visitors to share their Yosemite stories and read about the park's rich history. It will guide visitors to celebrations in the park and in surrounding communities.

The Yosemite Grant Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864 granted the area that is the headwaters to the Merced River to the State of California. The act is considered the genesis of America's national park system.

The bill protected Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees from loggers and livestock operations.