Land bill would create Jurassic National Monument in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – New legislation from a pair of Republican Utah lawmakers would create the Jurassic National Monument at a dinosaur fossil site and create a conservation area around the rugged San Rafael Swell.

Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. John Curtis said Wednesday their sweeping new land reform bill would protect nearly 1 million acres of natural lands in central Utah’s Emery County. It has support from local officials.

Some environmental activists are planning to fight the measure. The Sierra Club, South Utah Wilderness Alliance and Natural Resources Defence Council called it a step backward that leaves some lands unprotected and allows motor vehicles into too many areas.

Bureau of Land Management says the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry that is 150 miles (241 kilometres) southeast of Salt Lake City contains the densest concentration of dinosaur bones from the Jurassic period ever found.