U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Rocky Mountain Arsenal - FWS

U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceRockyMountainArsenalNationalWildlife RefugeInterpretiveWildlife Drive

WelcomeThis goose,designed by J.N.“Ding” Darling,is the symbolof the NationalWildlife RefugeSystem.Welcome to Rocky Mountain ArsenalNational Wildlife Refuge, where morethan 330 species of mammals, birds,reptiles, amphibians, and fish thrive.This 15,000-acre expanse of shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie is oneof the largest urban refuges in thecountry and is a place where wildlifecomes first.The refuge has a rich and variedhistory, which includes the transitionfrom farmland to a U.S. Armywartime and chemical munitionsmanufacturing site to a wildlifesanctuary. This special place offersmany ways to reconnect with nature:a self-guided Wildlife Drive, natureprograms, environmental educationfor students, wildlife viewing tours,and seasonal catch-and-release fishing(the first Saturday in April throughNovember 30), and more than 10miles of easy hiking trails.The Refuge was a former U.S. Armychemical munitions manufacturingsite that underwent a safe andcomprehensive environmentalcleanup. The EnvironmentalProtection Agency, the ColoradoDepartment of Public Health andEnvironment, and Tri-County HealthDepartment oversaw and approvedthe cleanup. Portions of the WildlifeDrive go through or near sites thatwere part of the environmentalcleanup. Extensive cleanup wasconducted to transition this site toa national wildlife refuge and thecleanup is protective of people andwildlife. Some areas remain underthe management of the U.S. Armyfor the protection of remedy facilitiesand are closed to visitors. Pleaseobserve all posted signs.

About theWildlife DriveWe invite you to learn about theRefuge and its wildlife by touringthe 11-mile Wildlife Drive, whichtakes between 45 minutes to onehour to complete. The interpretiveinformation in this brochurecorresponds with the mile markersalong the Wildlife Drive. One-waytravel begins after Mile Marker2, and ends just before MileMarker 10.The Wildlife Drive is open yearround from sunrise to sunset, withthe exception of Thanksgiving Day,Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.The speed limit is 30 miles per houron all Refuge roads. Follow the carand directional arrow symbols,stay on paved roads, and observeall posted signs such as “Stay inVehicle” or “Area Closed” signs.Be sure to watch for pedestriansat hiking trail crossings.Along the Drive you may see allkinds of wildlife including bison,deer, coyotes, songbirds, waterfowl,and hawks. Pull off to the shoulderwhen stopping to view wildlife.To see more wildlife, we recommendyou use your vehicle as a viewingblind. Practice good wildlife viewingethics by remembering that if yourbehavior is affecting wildlife, thenyou are too close, and consider thosewho follow you want to see wildlifetoo. For your safety, remain in yourvehicle when driving through thebison pastures, which are markedwith signs and cattle guard crossings.Bison are unpredictable animalsand need lots of space, especiallyduring calving season, which isMay through September.

Along the DriveTo start the Drive, leave the VisitorCenter and turn east on 64th Avenue.Watch for mule deer, songbirds, andblack-tailed prairie dogs as you drivethrough the short-grass prairie.At the stop sign, continue east tostart the Wildlife Drive.Ahead on your left, is Lake Ladora,which has a 1.8-mile loop trailaround it. Watch for red-wingedblackbirds, geese, gulls, doublecrested cormorants, and migratingwaterfowl such as northern shovelers,gadwalls, mallards, and ringedneck ducks.Showy milkweed, with its brightpink flowers, dot the lakes’ edgethroughout the summer. Milkweedis the only plant Monarch butterflieswill lay eggs on and is the primaryfood source for the caterpillars.Milkweed also provides importantnectar for butterflies and bees.Catch-and-release fishing ispermitted at Lakes Ladora andMary from the first Saturday inApril through November 30 onTuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.For more information, please seethe Refuge’s fishing rules andregulations on the website.Just past the fence line,Lower Derby Lake is toyour left and a parkinglot is on your right.This is the Refuge’slargest lake at 72 acres.The viewing platformis a great spot to seemigrating and seasonalwaterfowl such as Americanwhite pelicans, shorebirds,blue herons, and cormorants1

in the spring and summer. In thewinter, bald eagles use thecottonwood trees for nighttimeroosting. During the daytime theyhunt for fish on the icy lake.Notice the trees in a row to yourright as you drive along the road.More than 180 families grew cropsand raised their families on this land.They planted a variety of trees toserve as windbreaks for their homes.Look closely and you may spot muleor white-tailed deer lying in theshade, a coyote in the distance,or songbirds in the tree tops.Follow the car anddirectional arrow symbol,turn left on PotomacStreet to continue on theWildlife Drive. This is whereone way travel begins. Thegrasslands to your rightprovide habitat for NorthAmerica’s largest mammal,the American bison, whichwere reintroduced to theRefuge in March 2007.Mature males (bulls) weigh up to2,000 pounds and females (cows)weigh up to 1,200 pounds. Bisonwalk up to 18 miles a day eating24 pounds of native grasses. Thisis one of their many pasturesthroughout this expansive Refuge.2Bison are natural lawnmowersof the prairie and are rotated todifferent pastures to stimulatethe grasslands. Please stay inyour vehicle as bison are wildand unpredictable animals.Bison pastures are marked withsigns and cattle guard crossings.

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3Slow down and stop at the 30 mphspeed limit sign. Looking straighteast is the bald eagle nest. It sitsin the tallest tree and can be seenwithout binoculars after the leaveshave fallen. Bald eagles mate forlife and this pair has been using thisnest since 2002. When an eagle is fiveyears old, its head and tail feathersturn white, and its beak and eye colorturn yellow. Bald eagles, once anendangered species, were discoveredwintering on the site in the 1980s,which prompted the transformationto a national wildlife refuge.Also to the east is the originalreintroduction site of the endangeredblack-footed ferret in 2015. Ferretsare nocturnal and fossorial meaningthey are active at night and spendmost of their life underground.They are skilled at pursuing andcapturing prairie dogs. They rely onprairie dogs for food and shelter, andtherefore have an unbreakable linkto the health of prairie dogs. Lossof prairie dog habitat is one of themain reasons the black-footed ferretalmost became extinct and remainsan endangered species.Stop by the live ferret exhibitlocated behind the Visitor Centerfor a rare opportunity to see thesecharismatic mammals Wednesdaysthrough Sundays from 9 am – 4 pm.Ahead, you will cross over theFirst Creek Bridge. In the spring,listen for frogs and toads in thewetlands; watch for swallows dartingthrough the cattails catching insectsduring the summer months, and lookyear-round for white-tailed deerlaying down beneath the trees. Pleasecontinue to stay in your vehicle, asyou are still in the bison pasture.

4Look west to enjoy a magnificentview of the Rocky Mountains andFront Range. Near the top of thehill you will cross over a cattleguard and are now exiting thebison pasture.As you look around, notice theexpansive short grass prairie.This habitat was altered bymore than 100 years of humanactivity, such as farming and wartimemunitions manufacturing, allowingweeds to crowd out the nativegrasses. Through extensive cleanupefforts, followed by seeding a varietyof native grasses and wildflowers,and prescribed burns to remove theweeds, this area is now supportinghealthy native grasses. Small nativebirds like grasshopper sparrows,horned larks, and lark buntingsnest in this area.Ahead on your left is a formerU.S. Army Bunker, which servesas a reminder of the site’s past tosupport wartime production. Duringthe Army manufacturing yearsthis bunker was used to watch thelaunching distance of test munitionsmade at the site. The building has aheavy steel door, the glass is about1 inch thick, and the protrudingpipes were used for ventilation inan otherwise sealed building.Although this area underwentenvironmental cleanup, it isimportant that visitors observe allposted signs such as “Stay in Vehicle”and “Area Closed”. Visitors in thisarea are required to stay in theirvehicle. Due to the site’s munitionshistory, use the following basic rules:“If you didn’t drop it, don’t pick it up”and report any unknown objectto Refuge staff.

5Ahead on your left are two U.S.Army landfills that hold old buildingdebris and soil from the cleanup ofthe Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Thebuildings were used intermittentlyfrom World War II through theCold War to support wartime efforts,as well as to destroy munitionsmade at the Arsenal. By 2003, allmanufacturing buildings weredemolished and the landfills wereclosed by 2008. This area is notpart of the Refuge; it is monitoredand maintained by the U.S. Armyand stands as a reminder of theconservation success story andtransition from a former militarysite into a national wildlife refuge.Please continue along the roadand observe all posted signs.Around you are activeunderground “towns” builtby the black-tailed prairiedog. A collection of cone-shapedmounds among the low grassesindicate a colony. The moundsprovide an elevated lookout postfor the prairie dogs to watch forpredators, such as coyotes,hawks, and eagles. Theyalso keep rain, water,and snow melt from entering theburrows. The low grasses providenot only food and water, but alsocover from predators.8As you continue driving ahead,watch for perched raptors like thered-tailed hawk, Swainson’s hawkin the summer, and ferruginous hawkin the winter. They are daytimehunters of the prairie dog.The burrowing owl, one of thesmallest owls in North America,can be seen in the vicinity of the

prairie dog town. In late spring,these owls migrate from Mexico tothe Refuge. They spend the summerraising their young in abandonedprairie dog burrows. The owls areabout 9-inches tall with long-spindlylegs, brown spotted feathers,and yellow eyes. Active during theday, burrowing owls eat moles andmice during late spring and earlysummer. Later, they switch to insects,especially grasshoppers and beetles.Ahead, you will be entering anotherbison pasture area. Please stay inyour vehicle.9On your left is the bison corral, whichis used to conduct the annual healthcheck-up on the bison. All animalsare micro-chipped and, as theypass through the corral,biologists collect specificgenetic and healthinformation for eachanimal. This informationdetermines which bisonwill stay on the Refuge orbe transferred to other nationalwildlife refuges or conservationherds to keep the gene pool diverse.Behind the corral is Rattlesnake Hill.This hill provides a scenic overlook ofthe entire Refuge and can be accessedby turning left onto RattlesnakeHill Road.One-way travel ends as you exitthe bison pasture. When you reachthe stop sign, continue straight onHavana Street.