Even locals are discovering Palmer Hay Flats again

PALMER — Asia and Mariah Reabroi know they’ve had it much better than their friends in California this past month. The twin 14-year-olds have spent the past 30 days visiting their aunt and uncle Katherine and Jim Lamm of Palmer.

Saturday, the pair enjoyed a mild 60-degree summer day on the water taking their first canoe ride while much of their home state was sweltering in a heat wave. They were part of a small but enthusiastic crown gathered at Reflections Lake for the first Palmer Hay Flats Summer Festival, an event put on by Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats and sponsored by Mat-Su Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.

The girls said they enjoyed the canoe ride, but admitted, “It was pretty scary, because it kept on shaking,” Asia said. “We were afraid of falling over into the water.”

Sporting a bright red “Alaska Grown” sweatshirt, Mariah said she’s enjoyed visiting Alaska, adding her friends in California are a little jealous. “Oh, it’s really beautiful here and the weather is nice.”

Enjoying the outdoors is what Alaska in summer is all about, Jim Lamm said. He also praised the efforts of Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats in rehabilitating the area around Reflections Lake.

“I hunt out at the hay flats and I want to support the group,” he said. “We donated some money and we’re doing some of the events here. They’re doing a pretty good job. I’m hoping they get the Cottonwood Creek (bridge) done before duck season.”

That rehabilitation has been an investment of about $1 million and countless volunteer hours of work, said Monica Gilpin, executive director for Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats.

“What this place was before was a place where a lot of irresponsible use was going on,” she said. “A lot of dumping, shooting, that sort of thing. So, we’ve broken away from that crowd and are attracting a more responsible crowd.”

That’s where events like Saturday’s summer fest come in. Along with a new highway sign guiding motorists to the turnoff for the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge and Reflections Lake, the area is beginning to become known as a favorite stop even to locals, Gilpin said.

That would include Palmer resident Erin Lausier, who brought her 6-year-old granddaughter, Brooklyn, to the fair.

“It looked like a good day to do something and go canoeing, and Reflections Lake is nice,” she said. “This is great, the walking paths are great and the accessibility is very easy to get to. I’ve never been out here before. I’ve been on the other side, but I’ll definitely come back here.”

As Lausier commented on the beautiful weather, young Brooklyn was busy slathering a rainbow of paint onto a wooden fish. Among the vendors at the summer festival was a booth where kids could purchase a birdhouse or fish to paint for $5.

“I’m painting a fish!” Brooklyn exclaimed. “It’s a salmon. I’m putting red and purple and blue and gold and silver on it.”

She adds that she’s never seen a salmon, but when she’s done painting her fish (and a portion of a picnic table in the process), “I’m going to hang it on my wall!”

Getting the word out that the hay flats are a great place to visit now is part of her group’s goal, Gilpin said. Along with improvements already made over the past six years, Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats plans to be busy in the near future with more upgrades, including erecting a wildlife viewing tower and placing a replica dogsled and information about the Iditarod Historical Trail, and Susitna Rotary is building a picnic pavilion.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.