Safe Summer Kick-Off slated for May 2 at Palmer Depot

The Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation will be joining Revel Treks and Tours for their first annual Safe Summer Kick-Off event on May 2 at the Palmer Train Depot. This free event is designed to educate and inform the community on ways they can have fun and be safe outdoors in the Valley this summer.

“I think there’s a big community of folks where there are barriers and intimidation factors on getting outside,” Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation Executive Director Taylor Raftery said. “The people that have been up here, have lived the lifestyle, they know what to do. Their summers are packed full. We wanted to figure out a way to reach those folks [newcomers] specifically.”

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., attendees can peruse a variety of partner booths and learn more about how they can make the most of the Valley’s multitude of outdoor opportunities. There will be activities available for everyone in the family to stay engaged and educate themselves on safe outdoor recreation this summer.

“It seems like a lot of the feedback that we get from community members is feeling like they lack skills to recreate safely,” Revel Treks and Tours Owner Kierre Childers said. “We wanted to create an event that addresses that barrier in hopes that you can start the season off with all these great resources and feel more confident recreating this coming season.”

One of the goals from this event was to bring a more interactive element for the community. A series of seminars will be hosted throughout the day to include topics on wildlife safety, emergency preparedness and response, wilderness first aid, cold water boating safety and outdoor risk management.

“The access to five free seminars is huge,” Childers said. “The fact that you can hear from a local expert on all of these skills in one spot, in one day, is pretty amazing.”

Other contributing organizations include Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers, Mat-Su Water Rescue, Palmer Museum of History and Art/ Visit Palmer, American Heart Association, Mat-Su Borough, Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, Alaska Office of Boating Safety, Onward and Upward, National Outdoor Leadership School and Lekker Coffee and Baking Co.

The Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation has been operating since 2011 and providing grants for local organizations and governments to improve recreational opportunities in the Mat-Su since 2014. In 2025, the foundation generated just over $700,000 in grants to local organizations.

“Our overall goal is that the visitors and residents of the Mat-Su can live active, healthy lives by providing that access to the outdoors,” Raftery said.

While much of the foundation’s work revolves around grant making and assisting with managing project grants, the mighty two-person team works hard to engage with the public about outdoor recreation opportunities.

“We want to make sure that people are able to access and use them,” Raftery said.

Working with other local businesses and organizations like Revel Treks and Tours helps them to accomplish that goal. Events like the Winter Speaker Series, the Frost Fest in the fall and Winter Discovery Day during the winter have been a huge success in the foundation’s educational outreach and transitioning into offering summer opportunities was the next step. This meets the foundation’s mission of being a resource and facilitating with other businesses and organizations to get information to the public, helping to spread the word and make connections about the new opportunities the foundation is creating for more to enjoy.

There will be free first aid kits for the first 50 people to attend the event and the American Heart Association will have free CPR kits and live demonstrations available. This event was sponsored by the Mat-Su Health Foundation, a longtime supporter of Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation. Palmer-based State Farm Insurance Agent Erik Christensen has provided a donation for vendors and presenters.