The National Park Service is expected to sign an agreement Thursday to 26,500 acres of land in Arizona, expanding by more than ten percent. The park service has sought the ranchland, which sits east of the forest, since 1999, but had struggled to reach a deal with its owner, a local car dealer. The 218,533-acre park was originally preserved in 1906 and has since become known as a hotbed of plant and animal fossils, including many dinosaurs from the Triassic era. The park’s expansion is also expected to give scientists better access to petroglyphs, archaeological sites from early humans, as well as fossils and petrified remains.
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