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Tubac Presidio State Historic Park was closed in July and August 2002 for 31 days because of state budget problems, but that's nothing compared to a decision made Friday.

The Arizona State Parks Board voted to close the Tubac park starting March 29 for an undetermined period. Patagonia Lake State Park will likely remain open, but it and eight other parks are now dependent on having the agency finding $3 million by June, the end of the fiscal year.

"It was with a heavy heart and reluctantly that the board took this action," Rene Bahl, executive director of Arizona State Parks, said in a telephone interview. "They had no choice."

The Legislature in December took away $8.6 million from the parks budget to assist in balancing the state budget. State parks have lost more than half of their funding since summer.

The vote also means that three state parks will be closed Feb. 22, five state parks will be closed March 29 and five state parks will be closed June 3.

In Tubac, representatives of 11 organizations came together Jan. 12 to talk about protecting the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park after it is closed, and to discuss whether local groups might be able to work with the state to re-open the park through volunteer labor and donations.

"We can't stop the park from being closed. But we need to look at how we preserve the park in the short term until it can be re-opened. We want to keep it from falling into disrepair or seeing vandalism," said Carol Cullen, who moderated the meeting.

The representatives asked Cullen, former executive director of the Tubac Chamber of Commerce, to speak for them Friday in Phoenix, which she did as a volunteer. Among the groups are the Tubac Historical Society, the Anza Trail Coalition of Arizona, the Tubac Rotary Club, the Santa Cruz Valley Citizens Council, the Tubac Chamber of Commerce, the Tubac Center of the Arts, "A Park for Tubac," the Tubac chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Association, the Tumacacori National Historical Park, the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance and the Tubac Community Center Foundation.

Representatives of the 11 groups said they intend to work on a plan that can be reviewed by Arizona State Parks to see if the park can be kept open.

Bahl said it cost the agency $193,000 during the 2009 fiscal year to run the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. She said that's a "ballpark" figure for the future operation, but that without significant money it's unclear if or how a plan based on volunteer manpower would work.

Changes since the 2009 fiscal year include that the park's staff has dropped to two employees from three, and the park is open five days a week, down from seven. Entry fees are due to rise from $3 to $4 per adult on March 1.

The park board meeting in Phoenix Friday drew crowds of concerned people. Cullen said that 38 people spoke during "call to the public," each limited to three minutes. When she spoke, she explained that many people in Tubac want to help keep the park open.

"Our economic viability depends on this park," she said. But because Tubac isn't a city or town, it "makes a difference in how the state interacts with us." She said she asked that the agency find a way to work with the groups even though they don't represent a local government. Cullen said the response from a few individual board members who spoke to her was encouraging.

During the telephone interview after Friday's meeting, Bahl was asked what she envisioned if the park in Tubac must be closed after all.

"We don't have a firm plan yet for Tubac," she said. "The last thing we want to do is to close the park." But, she said, if that occurs, she believes the agency would try to "create solutions and work with the community. The priority would be to secure the resources."

Bahl was asked what it would take to get all the state parks re-opened in the future. One idea that has been developed, she said, it to propose a mandatory $9 annual addition to the vehicle registration fee and it would provide sufficient revenue. She said a bill would have to be introduced which would require a two-thirds approval in the Legislature. Alternately, the legislature, with a 50 percent-plus-one vote, could approve sending the proposal to the voters in November.

Other potential remedies, some requiring statutory or budgetary changes, to maximize the agency's budget were recommended to the state parks board and several of those were approved.

Cullen said State Rep. Pat Fleming, D-District 25, which includes Rio Rico, Nogales and Cochise County, pulled together legislators who want to help protect the parks. Fleming, in a press release, said she anticipated those would include Rep. Barbara McGuire, D-Kearny (District 23), Rep. Lynne Pancrazi, D-Yuma (District 24), House Democratic Whip Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix (District 14), House Democratic Leader Pro Tem Jack Brown, D-St. Johns (District 5), Rep. Tom Chabin, D-Flagstaff (District 2) and Rep. Chris Deschene, D-St. Michaels (District 2).

Another state park in Santa Cruz County, Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, will "continue to be managed passively and on an on-call basis through Patagonia Lake State Park," according to the agency.

The nine parks that are staying open for the time being will require $3 million, Bahl said. The agency is looking for something "short term such as some type of loan which would be repaid." In addition to Patagonia Lake State Park, the other parks in that group are Buckskin Mountain State Park, Catalina State Park, Cattail Cove State Park, Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area, Kartchner Caverns State Park, Lake Havasu State Park and Slide Rock State Park.

The local group's next meeting is planned for Jan. 21, at 1 p.m. at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park was Arizona's first state park and was dedicated Sept. 29, 1958. The park preserves the ruins of the oldest Spanish Presidio site in Arizona, San Ignacio de Tubac, established in 1752. The park also preserves and interprets one of the oldest Territorial Schoolhouses and the park exhibits the hand press used to print the first newspaper in Arizona in 1859.

By Kathleen Vandervoet, Special to the Santa Cruz Valley Sun News

Reach the writer at kathleenvan@msn.com.

PLANS FOR STATE PARKS

Closing Feb. 22: Homolovi Ruins, Lyman Lake and Riordan Mansion

Closing March 29: Fort Verde, Roper Lake, Tombstone Courthouse, Tubac Presidio and Yuma Territorial Prison

Closing June 3: Alamo Lake, Lost Dutchman, Picacho Peak, Red Rock and Tonto Natural Bridge

Remain open: Buckskin Mountain, Catalina, Cattail Cove, Dead Horse Ranch, Fool Hollow, Kartchner Caverns, Lake Havasu, Patagonia Lake and Slide Rock

Remain open with alternative funders: Yuma Quartermaster Depot

Parks closed last year (will remain closed): Jerome, McFarland, Oracle, Sonoita Creek and Verde River Greenway

Source: Arizona State Parks