Castle Hill, the site of the 1867 transfer of Alaska, will be cared for by the maintenance staff of Sitka National Historical Park through Alaska Day of this year. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources)
Superintendent Mary Miller announces that Sitka National Historical Park has entered into a cooperative management agreement with the state to maintain a portion of Sitka’s state parks. As of June 30th, the maintenance staff of NHP has been taking care of the grounds of Baranof Castle Hill and the historic portions of Old Sitka. The agreement will continue through Alaska Day of 2015.
Miller said her staff was interested in these areas because of their historic and cultural significance to Sitka. Tour guides incorporated Caste Hill into a brand-new Russian-American walking tour this summer.
According to Miller, the rest of Sitka’s state parks have entered passive management and the outhouses closed. That includes Halibut Point Recreation Area and the boat launch and recreation areas at Starrigavan. The state sought bidders to care for the parks in June and closed their management office on July 1, 2015, due to a half a million dollar cut in the operating budget for state parks.
