Fort Verde, Tubac Presidio parks also remain open

Photos of Fort Verde (above) and Tubac Presidio (below) state parks courtesy of Arizona State Parks.

(Phoenix, AZ - March 26) - Tonto Natural Bridge is not the only park that will remain open after its closure was scheduled.  Both Fort Verde and Tubac Presidio will remain open with support from local government entities.

Arizona State Parks and the Town of Camp Verde announced today that Fort Verde State Historic Park will not close as planned on March 29.  Camp Verde Mayor Bob Burnside has agreed to provide funding from the Town of Camp Verde and Yavapai County for State Parks to keep the park open and operating for one year.

"We have signed the Intergovernmental Agreement to keep the park open another year with options for two additional one-year periods," said State Parks Executive Director Reneé Bahl.

According to Mayor Burnside, "We are committed to promoting this park which will bring visitors to Camp Verde even during the economic recession. Fort Verde is the focus of our tourism efforts to draw visitors to the downtown area. We also want to attract as many local volunteers as possible to get involved at the Fort with many new special events and activities. Already there are more than 50 volunteers working with Fort Verde, but we'll need everyone's support if we are going to keep the park open on the usual five-day schedule."

"Our Yavapai County Supervisors have been extremely supportive in partnering with us to keep the park open and we all appreciate the work that Supervisor Chip Davis has done to find funds to help on this effort," said Burnside.

"The Camp Verde Historical Society has been our partner for many years and has supported efforts to keep this State Park operating," said Bahl. "Arizona should appreciate the work this Historical Society has done to win the battle to save Fort Verde. This is the only State Park which offers a glimpse into the history of Arizona's frontier soldier's everyday life in the late 1800's and the best-preserved example of this period in Arizona's military history."

Arizona State Parks and Santa Cruz County also announced today that Tubac Presidio State Historic Park will not close as planned on Monday, March 29. Executive Director Renee Bahl and County Manager Greg Lucero have come to an agreement that the County will be able to take over the management of the park.

"We are finalizing the Intergovernmental Agreement to keep the State Park open for at least another year," said Bahl. "Our County Supervisors were extremely supportive of keeping this park operating and they will ratify their commitment to keep Arizona's first State Park open with this Agreement," said Lucero.

"Through this process we have witnessed something truly remarkable. Our County Supervisors, State Parks, and the community of Tubac worked collaboratively to save Arizona's treasure, the place where Arizona started. We have much to celebrate today," said Shaw Kinsley, President of the Tubac Historical Society.

The park will continue operations on Monday as usual with the five-day 9-5 p.m. schedule. (closed Tues/Wed.) Ultimately the County will be responsible for the operation of the Park and the exhibits that were recently renovated at the Park will not have to be moved. "We expect this to be a seamless transition that will not affect the flow of tourism into the community," said Lucero.

"We are thankful that the Tubac Historical Society has worked so diligently to bring this partnership to fruition," said Bahl. "It is a great day that we can say that the State Park which interprets the Piman community and Spanish colonization of the 1700s will be available for all to see and will continue to draw visitors to the area from around the world."