Associated Press - July 26, 2009 4:24 PM ET

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) - A 200-acre ranch on the Agua Fria National Monument north of Phoenix was saved from the auction block this month by a national conservation group.

The ranch was two days away from being sold when the Trust for Public Land completed a deal to step in and save it from potential development.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is planning to try to get federal acquisition money through the Land and Water Conservation Act as early as October 2010 to buy the historic ranch.

Other groups such as the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Audubon Society also are interested in helping to buy the ranch.

The ranch and monument are home to endangered fish and contain prime pronghorn antelope habitat.

Information from: The Daily Courier, http://www.dcourier.com

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