Future Utahraptor State Park names manager

Josh Hansen is the new manager for the recently designated Utahraptor State Park north of Moab. Hansen began working at the Utah Department of Natural Resources in 2017 at Red Fleet and Steinaker State Parks in Vernal, Utah. “Steinaker has quite a bit of bone laying around, both paleontological and archaeological,” Hansen said in a presentation to the local Gastonia Chapter of the Utah Friends of Paleontology on July 28. The new park will have a strong emphasis on the unique fossils found on the site. Before joining the DNR, Hansen worked for the Department of Corrections for 12 years, and also has an extensive background in construction, which will be helpful as new park facilities are designed and built.