There's a place in West Boise that you may not know about — you may have even driven by it and not noticed it. The Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve is a place to relax and reflect on everything the Treasure Valley has to offer.
The City of Boise has more than 90 parks but none really like a plot of land that use to be a gravel pit. Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway said Roger Hyatt donated the land to the City of Boise in the 1990's. The city then worked with other agencies to create some fifty acres of a bike free, dog free area for everyone to enjoy off of McMillan and Maple Grove.
"You wouldn't know it was here unless you know that it's here," Holloway said. "Also what makes Hyatt Hidden Lakes special is the filtration system, that takes the water runoff from nearby neighborhoods.We are always looking to partner with A.C.H.D. We have smaller systems in a number of our parks for instance Ester Simplot has the same filtration system."
Martha Brabec is the foothills restoration specialist for the city and says certain types an annual grass that were introduced in the 1950's to control erosion are now over running native plants. It's something the city keeps a close eye in public reserves like Hyatt.
"So it's not just for us to look at that's a big part of it but you're thinking of wildlife as well I think a lot of people look at in the lower foothills and areas like this and say how green and beautiful however unfortunately a lot of the green stuff in invasive," said Brabec.
So next time you're in the neighborhood, stop by for awhile, but remember no bikes or dogs.
