Fort Tejon Historical Association Chair Lana Bailey with U.S. Dragoons Private Dave Held preparing for Fourth of July at the fort, which has been given a reprieve this year to stay open and active for the public.
By Patric Hedlund
Fort Tejon State Historic Park will stay open this year, despite a death sentence issued by Sacramento in May 2011.
California State Parks officials announced on June 28 (after The Mountain Enterprise had gone to press) that 65 of the 70 state parks marked to be closed by last Sunday because of California’s budget crisis will remain open, for now.
The state legislature voted a $41 million allocation to preserve the parks. Governor Jerry Brown line-vetoed all but $11 million of that, but it is enough to keep the doors open at Fort Tejon and 64 other parks. Five parks will close, although beaches will remain accessible to the public.
Agreements with local governments and nonprofit groups have helped find ways to preserve operations at 40 of the threatened parks. Negotiations to help with parking, security, rangers and other services are in process for 25 others, including Fort Tejon.
The Fort Tejon Historical Association (www.forttejon.org) is in such a negotiation. The agreements are all temporary. The state park system could be facing more closures in 2013 and 2014.
Element Power, Inc., which is building solar facilities in the Western Antelope Valley, is reported to have made a donation of $100,000 to the Fort Tejon Living History education program for this year.
This is part of the July 06, 2012 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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