HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The State Land Board has finalized the purchase of land for a new dinosaur museum and research center in Malta.

The board Monday approved spending $92,000 for the site of the future Great Plains Dinosaur Museum. The land off U.S. 2 is near the Phillips County Museum.

The Malta area has been the site of several finds significant in the dinosaur world. Discoveries include a well-preserved brachylophosaurus dubbed "Leonardo," now housed in a former automotive shop called the Dinosaur Field Station.

Prior to Monday's meeting, Gov. Brian Schweitzer expressed his "strong support for this extraordinary project that will finally allow 'Leonardo' to be shown in a museum worthy of a 77 million year old."

Plans call for a museum and research center with a large exhibit hall, a small theater, climate-controlled storage and a paleontology laboratory.

Construction costs are estimated at more than $3 million.