Contributed by Randi Perlman, APH Member
Spring Migration Celebration
4/21/2018 – 6PM
Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats
Elks Lodge
2600 N Barrys Resort Dr. Wasilla
Tickets: $60 Individual, $110 Couple
Every time you cross the “flats” on your way to or from Anchorage and drive through the beautiful vistas, either side of the road is often dotted with the birds of the season, foraging moose or other Alaskan creatures. You are only seeing a tiny fraction of all that Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge has to offer. And no group can tell you more about the Hay Flats’ cultural and natural history than Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats (APH).
APH is a 501(c)(3) non-profit citizens' organization, dedicated to conserving the natural and cultural resources of Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge by fostering responsible use and stewardship through public awareness, education and enhancement projects.
Since the spring of 2004, this enthusiastic, hardworking group of Palmer Hay Flats neighbors, users and supporters have worked together to clean up, beautify and enhance the spectacular settings you can find in the refuge. Their efforts to promote responsible use and enjoyment of this local resource “gem” have helped bring many more users to the refuge and provided an educational experience along the way.
Join Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats at their Spring Migration Celebration on Saturday, April 21, 2018, 6pm at the Elks Lodge on beautiful Finger Lake in Wasilla. In addition to door prizes, raffle, silent and dessert auctions, dinner will be authentic Italian cuisine by Marian Romano of Nonna’s Osteria, and the keynote speaker will be former long-time Fish & Game Wildlife Biologist Rick Sinnott, who amassed countless amazing wildlife stories over his 30 years of service.
Tickets for this fundraiser are $60 individual, $110 couple and can be purchased online through PayPal at www.palmerhayflats.org, by phone at 907-357-8711 or at Steve’s Toyo Stove Repair on Knik Goose Bay Road in Wasilla.
This year’s theme, “Migration Celebration”, highlights the annual wildlife migration through the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge.
Funds raised at the celebration will go towards future improvements at the refuge, including:
• Erosion control to save the 1,000-acre Cottonwood Creek nesting marsh
• Elevated handicapped/disabled veterans' trail at the Cottonwood Creek marsh
• Rabbit Slough boat launch improvements, and
• Scout Ridge trail improvement for stroller/wheelchair access
Accomplishments of the members and volunteer board already completed include:
• Educational kiosks, benches, restrooms, picnic pavilion, wildlife viewing tower and handicapped accessible mile-long loop trail around Reflections Lake
• Trail, restrooms and improved parking at Cottonwood Creek
• Improved parking with boat launch at Rabbit Slough
• Annual trash clean-up of access sites and adjoining Glenn Highway
• Wildlife Wednesdays series at Mat-Su Community College, and now at the Matanuska Experiment Farm
• Summer & Winter Family Fun Days at Reflections Lake
• Educational walks with O.L.E. classes
From hunting to hiking, birding to photography, wildflowers to wildlife, there are endless possibilities to be found in YOUR state game refuge. Don’t be a stranger. Visit the refuge this spring and summer and see for yourself, visit www.palmerhayflats.org to learn more about this magnificent gem right in the midst of the Mat-Su Valley and join us for our Spring Migration Celebration. You’ll be glad you did.
If you’d like to provide a raffle, door prize or auction donation, all donations are fully tax-deductible. The APH 501(c)(3) non-profit Federal Tax ID number is 20-3556229. Donations are gratefully accepted and appreciated!
