The Palmer arboretum

It’s the south-side tree park, officially known as the —Myron F. Babb Arboretum, located at the junction of E. Fireweed and S. Gulkana Avenues. It’s only a third of an acre but it is full of various old trees and shrubs, many of which are labeled. Fortunately, the city has recently created a parking lot and provided a sweet little picnic table. Plus there are some sitting benches in the wooded space. It is practically a secret garden. And because this arboretum is kind of tucked away, it feels more precious.

Research says there are over 150 trees and shrubs here. I didn’t see that many but there were white spruce, blue spruce, maple, mountain ash, bird cherry, paper birch and larch. Shrubs include lilac, rose, cotoneaster, and honeysuckles. There are some crab apple trees and many of Palmer’s older trees are actually descendants of the original tree stock which was planted, established and nurtured decades ago.

Originally this area, (plus the Kremlin two-story cement building—across the street—and the eight simple little colony cottage houses) was part of the Palmer Agricultural Experiment Station. The Station was a research project studying the productivity of cold-weather crops. The experiment station was completed in 1949 and included a shop and several large greenhouses as well. It was part of a deliberate effort to deliver cheaper and fresher food to the growing population.

Dr Myron Babb was a research scientist who was dedicated to agricultural advancement and knowledge. The sign says he established the arboretum in order to test woody species. Babb happened to live in the station house closest to the arboretum and was that home’s first resident. Eventually the arboretum was named after Dr. Babb. The trees kept growing. Folks recall that this woody location was the best “hide and seek” spot in Palmer for many years. With time though, it started to run wild. The history is unclear here but eventually the Northland Pioneer Grange Number 1 took care of maintenance and plans. More recently Boy Scouts, the United Way, and Palmer High School FAA group would assist with some occasional grooming, pruning and cleaning. And all this time the trees just continued to grow. It is now reestablished and considered a “working classroom and community display” of woody species research. It’s a great spot. Visit it.

Palmer Leafers: It’s leafing season and here is a nice, new leafing trail to collect leaves: it starts at Gulkana. It goes past the arboretum, past the end of the airport, through the “runway” protection area, through a nice field, into the woods between the middle school and the fire training center—which connects with the pedestrian trail along Cope Industrial Way. The trail will soon be paved. In this time of leafing, there is a good selection of leaves available.

Palmer Leaf Collection—It’s a good year for leaves. They may not be as dramatic as some years, but they are plentiful and there is a good variety. The big old gold cottonwood leaves are beautiful. The small skinny firewood reds are slivers of fire. Birch are singularly lovely. The giant pushki plant leaves are major splashes but they have stickers and thornes on the stem and on their backs. Low growing bush plants have clusters and stems of leaves— rusty and reddish in color and look a bit like corduroy. If you’re a seasonal leaf collector, check this out. And let the aroma of autumn and the colorful leaves stimulate your senses.

Uh….What about Palmer?—The following is a quote from Wasilla Sun Mountain Real Estate Developer, Cameron Johnson in the current issue of Alaska Business Weekly: “There really isn’t anything else in the Valley that has that walkability factor, where you can walk out your front door and walk to the gym, go shopping, have lunch, go to the bank and everything is within walking distance.”

Hmmm. Well, Cameron, actually this walkability factor is readily available in Palmer and we all know it. What’s more, in Palmer there are lots of cool, specialty shops, senior housing, boutique stores, professional offices, homes and none of the chain label stores or sea of asphalt parking lots. Oh, and Palmer has schools, parks, breweries, restaurants, post office, and medical facilities in it’s walkable community. Perhaps Cameron should travel east and take a peak at Palmer. Of course we wish Wasilla well with their 32-acre “Shoppes at Sun Mountain Development,” but building a vibrant community requires more than money.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff on the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net