Photos: Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge

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Grass blows in the wind near Rabbit Slough in the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge on Tuesday, April 14, 2015.

When the Alaska Legislature created Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge in 1975, its boundary encompassed mostly publicly owned wetlands between the upstream end of Rabbit Slough and the mouth of Cottonwood Creek.

Wetlands don't respect surveyed boundary lines. Although the wetlands on private property were part of the same complex and were just as valuable as those afforded protection, they were not included in the refuge.

Now 40 years old, the 45-square-mile refuge has grown into one of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough's most popular destinations for hunters, anglers and birdwatchers. The refuge is managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Since the late 1980s the State of Alaska has acquired six once-private parcels in and adjacent to the refuge through purchases and donations. Several additional parcels were gained in trades with the Mat-Su Borough. A bill winding its way through the legislature seeks to add these additional parcels to the refuge. All told, House Bill 153 could add nearly 3,000 acres to the refuge.

Read more: Adding parcels to Palmer Hay Flats may be 'for the birds,' but it makes a lot of sense