195 acres added to the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge

WASILLA— The Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge recently expanded with an additional 195 acres thanks to the Great Land Trust’s fundraising efforts to purchase an inholding in the Refuge and donate the parcel along Lower Palmer Slough to the State of Alaska to be managed by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game as part of the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge for access, habitat, and recreation.

The acquisition of this 195-acre property helps to make the Refuge a contiguous block of public

Lands, according to a recent press release.

“Acquisition of the property maintains public use of these lands that otherwise could have been

closed by the private owner. It helps us with management of the Refuge and minimizes potential confusion with regards to public use of the lands within the borders of the Refuge,” Refuge Manager with the Division of Wildlife Conservation at ADF&G, Doug Hill stated in the press release.

This recent addition comes two years after Great Land Trust purchased and transferred a 236-acre parcel upstream from the Lower Palmer Slough parcel.

Great Land Trust compiled a prioritization to rank the conservation value of private lands along

salmon streams in the Mat-Su Borough in 2010. The Lower Palmer Slough parcel was ranked in the top 100 of the list due to factors such as prime salmon habitat, connectivity to other protected lands, intact wetlands, and public access.

“Because of this early effort to identify lands important for conservation and strategic outreach and fundraising efforts over the following years, we were able to complete this project, secure permanent public access, and ensure that the land will be protected for future generations,” Great Land Trust Executive Director Ellen Kazary stated in the press release.

Great Land Trust has completed a number of other projects in and around the Refuge in addition to the two acquisitions along Palmer Slough.

They facilitated the purchase of 160 acres to be added to the Refuge, which eventually became the Rabbit Slough access point for the Palmer Hay Flats in 2005.

They purchased nearly 1,000 acres along the northern border of the Refuge, creating public access to this previously private land in 2014 and creating a new trailhead and a one-mile-long boardwalk along Wasilla Creek. The majority of funds for that project came from the Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund.

The Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge consists of coastal and freshwater wetlands, tidal sloughs and mudflats, lakes and streams, and upland birch forests and spans 28,000 acres, according to the press release.

The area is an important habitat for moose and home to tens of thousands of migrating shorebirds and waterbirds. It’s also designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.

According to the press release, the Knikatnu Native peoples of Upper Cook Inlet historically occupied the area and surrounding lands, and evidence of their settlements can still be found in the bluffs along the Hay Flats.

The Refuge is now a widely used destination for outdoor recreation and wildlife viewing, and its proximity to Mat-Su Borough and Anchorage attracts residents from both communities for bird watching, canoeing, hiking, salmon fishing, waterfowl, and moose hunting.

Snow machining, cross-country skiing, fat tire biking, and ice skating are popular activities on the frozen wetlands during the winter. It’s also a popular location for local fat tire biking and Nordic skating group excursions.

For more information visit www.greatlandtrust.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com