Buckeye leases land from BLM for a park

Buckeye is leasing nearly 8,700 acres to transform the desert lands into a camping hub complete with picnic areas, campgrounds and hiking and equestrian trails. The town has signed a lease agreement with the Bureau of Land Management to develop 8,675 acres in the far West Valley into a regional park over the next 25 years. Buckeye plans to annex the land and begin constructing access roads to develop what for now is being called Buckeye White Tank Regional Park. After 25 years, if BLM officials are satisfied with what Buckeye has done with property, they will transfer ownership to Buckeye. Buckeye leased the land at no cost under the federal Recreation and Public Purposes Act, enacted by Congress in 1954. "It is a rather large acquisition, but the parcel was isolated from other blocks of public land. We had no interest in that land," said Jim Andersen, a land-realty specialist for the BLM. Under the plan, the entrance to Buckeye White Tank Regional Park will be at the end of Watson Road, about 2 miles north of Interstate 10 and south of Maricopa County's White Tank Mountain Regional Park. The nearly 8,700 acres border White Tank Mountain Regional Park, an area already made popular by the lure of scenic desert hiking, campsite grounds and wildlife. Buckeye officials hope to partner with the county and create trails that will interweave with existing trails at the White Tank Mountains. "We haven't decided on a final name for Buckeye's park," said Robert Wisener, Buckeye conservation and project manager. "We do want the trail systems together and to get a general number of mountain-biking, equestrian and hiking trails."

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