Parsons Preserve Status update

John Parsons (right) and Camp Verde Community Development Director Steve Ayers at the dedication of Parsons Preserve in April 2019. (VVN/file/Vyto Starinskas)

By Vyto Starinskas

Originally Published: January 25, 2023 12:05 a.m.

(NOTE: This article appeared in the Verde Valley News editions of the "Camp Verde Bugle" and "The Verde Independent".  It is Copyright 2023 by Verde Valley News.)

CAMP VERDE – John Parsons’ dream is $45,000 closer to reality.

The Camp Verde Council chipped in to make improvements to Parsons Preserve, the 40-acre nature preserve on the Verde River open to the public.

The Parsons Preserve is both a preserve and a recreation spot with hiking trails and other amenities, according to Community Development Director Steve Ayers.

But the preserve development was delayed to accommodate an extensive project to armor up pillars of the Interstate 17 bridges, which are near the casino, Parsons explained. The preserve is near the base of the interstate pillars.

The $45,000, approved by the council in October, will develop an unpaved road into the park property; a fenced-off parking area and signage, Parsons said.

This “shows a real commitment on the part of Camp Verde Town Council to make the Parsons Preserve a destination attraction,” Parsons said. “The Verde River riparian corridor is a birder’s paradise.”

The preserve was dedicated in April 2019 by the Parsons family, city staff and supporters of the Verde River.

A longtime Arizona conservationist, Parsons is best known in the Verde Valley as “Mr. Verde River” for protecting the cherished waterway and educating people about it.

Ayers said the contractor for the ADOT project, Vastco, bladed in an entrance road and flatten out a parking area after they finished the work on the I-17 bridge pillars.

“Over time, the planned improvements will significantly enhance the experience of visiting the preserve,” Parsons said.

“Once it is accessible, it will begin to receive steady usage for those seeking to be near The Verde River.” He said it’s a small preserve, so the hiking trails will be short.

Ayers has said the preserve will be a nature area with hiking trails, a parking area, a place to launch kayaks and canoes in the river and a place to enjoy nature.

Most of Parson’s Preserve is prone to flooding and not suitable for high development and intensive use, Parsons said. Fortunately, these same characteristics make it perfect for wildlife watching and quiet recreation such as bird watching and nature walks.

Parsons thanked Ayers for his advocacy for the preserve and Wayne Ranney for suggesting the idea many years ago.

Parsons has led efforts to protect the Verde River since the 1980s and has encouraged rafting, kayaking and other recreation on the fragile waterway threatened by over-development and invasive species growth.

Parsons said he would be forever grateful to have such a nice nature preserve bearing his name.

The $45,000, approved by the council in October, will develop an unpaved road into the park property; a fenced-off parking area and signage. (Courtesy of the Town of Camp Verde.)