Proposed Bill Would Create ‘Utahraptor State Park’ Near Moab
Feb 27, 2021, 10:16 AM | Updated: 11:06 am
A new bill in the legislature would create Utahraptor State Park in the Dalton Wells area near Moab, Utah. (Courtesy Grand County Commission)
(Courtesy Grand County Commission)
MOAB, Utah – A bill moving through the legislature would create a new state park near Moab named after the Beehive State’s official state dinosaur, the Utahraptor.
The bill was proposed by Rep. Steve Eliason. The Utahraptor State Park would protect the Dalton Wells and Willow Springs areas, a 6,500-acre area about 14 miles north of Moab and just west of Arches National Park.
The park would be near a large deposit of dinosaur bones on the eastern side of the state.
The chair of the Grand County Commission, Mary McGann, said the county has worked with Sovereign Lands for three years on a way to protect the area.
McGann said Dalton Wells has suffered damage due to a lack of roadways and restroom facilities.
The county lacked the resources to properly care for the area, she said, and has passed a resolution in support of the new state park.
If passed, Utahraptor State Park would be the 44th state park in Utah, and would allow for the addition of trails and campgrounds.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
