It will be years before the historic Canoa Ranch property owned by Pima County is open to the public for regular visits.
But next week you can get an overview of the past and future of the site at a public meeting and during a rare tour.
A presentation of the five-year-old master plan and an update on what's been done so far to protect the historic structures will be given during a Pima County meeting at 11 a.m. Friday in Green Valley.
Pima County bought the 4,800-acre ranch property, about 25 miles south of Tucson, in 2001 with the goal of making it a public site and nature refuge.
Bond funds in 2004 paid for site improvements that are wrapping up this year, but "the ranch is still in poor shape," said Kerry Baldwin, Pima County's Natural Resources Division manager.
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The major goal is implementing the Canoa Ranch Master Plan, approved five years ago, which calls for:
• Preserving and restoring historic buildings and wildlife habitat.
• Building a visitor parking lot, visitor center, gift shop, restaurant, museum and interpretive sites.
• Opening a heritage area, a living history ranch, a 30-acre equestrian center and a special-event campground.
In the past five years, about a dozen buildings have been stabilized or partially renovated. But some buildings haven't been used for 30 years, and "these historic buildings need constant maintenance," Baldwin said.
"Pack rats make use of the buildings more than we do," he said, and about 500 resident bats have returned to roost in supposedly bat-proof buildings.
A bat house will be built next month to relocate the bats.
Other projects coming later this year include spending the last $500,000 of the 2004 bond money on drainage, power, water and restroom projects and more repairs to historic buildings. That work could allow the site to open for public tours a few times a year.
The Natural Resources Division is requesting a $170,000 allocation in next year's county budget to hire a maintenance worker and pay for materials.
Baldwin said it will probably be after a future bond election before significant work can be done at the site.
If you go
Public meeting
What: A presentation about the site's past and future at a joint meeting of the Canoa Ranch Committee and the Parks and Recreation Commission.
When: 11 a.m. Friday.
Where: Green Valley Community Performance and Art Center, 1250 W. Continental Road.
Public tour
What: A 45-minute walking tour of Canoa Ranch
When: 1 p.m. Friday
Getting there: Take Interstate 19 to the Canoa exit, head north on the frontage road and follow the "Canoa Event" signs.
Special advisories: No transportation will be provided between the meeting and the tour site. The tour route lacks rest areas and other facilities.
History of Canoa Area
600s to 1700s - Hohokam and O'odham people lived there
1770s -Â Spaniards, including Father Kino and De Anza, stopped at the site
1800s - The Ortiz, ElÃas and Herreras families are established; the Canoa Hotel is the site of the Tarbox massacre, an Apache raid that left the hotel manager and others dead. Cattle ranching and farming begin with Frederick Maish and Thomas Driscoll.
Early 1900s - The Manning family acquires and ranches the land
1967 - Water rights are sold to Phelps Dodge
1997 - Pima County voters approve the purchase of the site
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 573-4346.
