Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Rocky Mountain Arsenal, part of the Colorado Front Range National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is a 16,000-acre wildlife refuge in Adams County near Denver. The refuge is located on the site of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which manufactured chemical weapons for the US Army from WWII through Vietnam. The site was closed in 1985 and became a National Wildlife Refuge in 1992, undergoing an extensive cleanup of pollution. Today, the refuge is home to more than 300 species of wildlife, including prairie dogs, migratory birds, ferrets, deer and an introduced herd of bison. The refuge features several miles of trails and a wildlife drive.

Wildlife:

Prickly poppy

Tenpetal blazing star (Mentzelia decapetala ) is a night-blooming flower.

Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa ) is an important food source for monarch butterflies.

Western ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii )

Grasshoppers are common throughout the refuge and make a wing-flash when they fly.

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

Blog Entries:

24-Aug-2019: Rocky Mountain Arsenal

External Links:

US Fish and Wildlife Service website: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/rocky_mountain_arsenal/