Two bills were introduced into Congress in 1970 to determine if Capitol Reef should become a national park. The Department of Interior officials recommended that 254,000 acres be set aside as a national park. They also recommended a ten-year grazing phase-out period, to protect and conserve the land. A year later, the legislation, An Act to Establish the Capitol Reef National Park in the State of Utah, became Public Law 92-207 when it was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971. A formal dedication ceremony took place on April 7, 1972, with Utah Governor Calvin Rampton, Representative K. Gunn McKay, Senator Frank Moss, and National Park Service Midwest Region Director J. Leonard Volz in attendance, among others.