Best known for colorful deposits of fossil wood, Petrified Forest National Park preserves so much more. Set aside in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt as a national monument, the park has grown over the last century. Redesignated as a national park in 1962, Petrified Forest continues the trend to protect even more internationally significant resources.

The Beginning
The wonders of Petrified Forest were recognized early. U.S. Army Lt. Amiel Whipple, surveying for a route along the 35th Parallel passed down a broad sandy wash in the red badlands of the Painted Desert. Impressed with the deposits of petrified wood visible along the banks, Whipple named it Lithodendron ("stone tree") Creek, the large wash that bisects the Wilderness Area of the park today.

December 2-Camp 76…Quite a forest of petrified trees was discovered to-day…They are converted into beautiful specimens of variegated jasper. One trunk was measured ten feet in diameter, and more than one hundred feet in length….
~~ Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple, 1853

Lester F. Ward, a paleontologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, published a Report on the Petrified Forest in 1900, extolling the amazing geological and paleontological resources of the region. These petrified forests may be properly classed among the natural wonders of America, and every reasonable effort should be made not only to preserve them from destructive influences but also to make their existence and true character known to the people….

Planning for the Future
Through the influence of many people, Petrified Forest was set aside as a national monument. Initially the main resource was the petrified wood, but over the century, as more land was added, and more research took place, Petrified Forest became known as a living laboratory for many fields. The beautiful views, wilderness area, and increasingly rare native grasslands also became part of the legacy preserved by Petrified Forest.

The Petrified Forest National Park 1993 General Management Plan proposed adding 97,800 acres to the park to protect internationally significant paleontological deposits, nationally significant archeological sites, and the view shed as seen from Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area, including both the north and south units. The existing park boundaries were based primarily on survey lines rather than resource boundaries. The proposed expansion would incorporate, for preservation and study, fragile resources which are as significant as those already protected within current park boundaries.

Legislation
Based on threats to resources within the park, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) listed the Petrified Forest National Park on its list of Top Ten Most Endangered Parks in 2000.

In 2002, Arizona Republicans Representative J.D. Hayworth and Senator John McCain prepared bills to expand Petrified Forest. The plan was to add 140,000 acres, more than doubling the 93,500-acre park.

A historic opportunity exists to alleviate major threats to these nationally significant resources and preserve them for our posterity….Time is of the essence to ensure the long-term protection of these rare and important resources for the enjoyment and educational value for future generations. -Senator McCain, 2002

The act's short title was "Petrified Forest National Park Expansion Act of 2002''. The purpose of this Act is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire 1 or more parcels of land (1) to expand the boundaries of the Park; and (2) to protect the rare paleontological and archaeological resources of the Park.

In 2004, President George Bush signed legislation authorizing the expansion Petrified Forest National Park boundaries to include approximately 125,000 acres of adjacent federal state and private lands. These lands contain significant geological, paleontological, cultural, natural, and scenic resources. The expansion areas are a checkerboard of Federal, State and private lands, reflected from the complex history of the region. Private land owners in these areas have indicated their desire to sell their lands.

On May 18, 2007, the Bureau of Land Management transferred administrative jurisdiction of approximately 15,228 acres of public lands to the National Park Service. In 2010, an appropriation of $4.5 million was made for the acquisition of the expansion lands.

Researchers' Paradise
Bill Parker, physical scientist/paleontologist for the park notes that the park is adding 26,496.16 acres of badlands, grasslands, and riparian area-very scenic with abundant wildlife in the grasslands and riparian areas-miles of cliffline with the potential for archaeological sites.

He added that at least a third of the badland exposures are from the Blue Mesa Member which is rich in fossil plants and vertebrates. A good percentage is Sonsela Member with some petrified wood deposits. There are also many outcrops of the Petrified Forest Member that has not been explored but has a high fossil potential.

In the past the Sonsela and Blue Mesa outcrops have been preliminarily explored by research teams from University of California, Berkeley, the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History, and University of Texas, Austin. A good number of fossils including numerous phytosaur skulls have been recovered from these deposits. Preliminary surveys by park staff show a high fossil potential for many of the exposures that may even surpass some of the richest areas in the park.

Historically the park has been expanded south to north, while the main resource rich exposures run east to west. Acquisition of these lands by the park brings some of the most fossil rich areas into the park for protection and future paleontological research. The fossils on these lands will add greatly to our understanding of life on earth during the Late Triassic and provide research opportunities for years to come.-Bill Parker, paleontologist, 2011.