We’re not just protecting it for fish and wildlife conservation. We’re protecting it to ensure that the stories—past, present and future—are maintained.
David Lucas | Rocky Flats Refuge Manager
From a lush green dotted with vibrant wildflowers to a wintry mix of russet, gold and purple, the prairies hues are ever changing. It’s a sight that covered the whole Front Range in pre-Columbian times, but can now only be found in small remnants in places like the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
The 5,237 acre refuge consists of the buffer zone surrounding the Department of Energy Legacy site. A portion of it is home to one of the oldest ecosystems in America, the xeric tallgrass prairie
“It’s now considered globally rare,” said David Lucas, the refuge manager. “There’s about 27,000 acres left on the planet.”
Preservation of this grassland provides a unique opportunity to observe plants and wildlife as they were before mass human development, which has been a driving factor in its decline.
The prairie needs three things to flourish: a suitable climate, grazing and fire. It’s a delicate balance, each needing to be kept in check by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While the climate is hard to control, Lucas said that they can manage the latter two requirements fairly well.
Prairies have adapted to dry climates and need fire to return nutrients to the soil and further encourage growth. About three wildfires a year occur on the site, but prescribed burns may be used as needed. Alpha radioactivity does not reach concerning levels during these controlled fires, according to air quality data from a prescribed burn in 2000.
Among the grasslands you can see migratory Monarch butterflies, a herd of elk 300 strong and–if you’re lucky–the federally protected Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, which hasn’t been trapped by FWS for the past five years. There are hundreds more species to be spotted, knitting together a rare community of wildlife.
“The Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge is an anchor on the landscape,” said Lucas. “Without it, there would have been more houses and there would have been more development.”
1989
THE SITE WAS ADDED TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY’S NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST – THE SUPERFUND.
1995
DECOMMISSIONING AND DECONTAMINATION OF THE ROCKY FLATS SITE BEGINS.
2001
ROCKY FLATS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE ACT OF 2001 PASSED BY CONGRESS AND SIGNED BY FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH.
2004
U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE ANNOUNCED EVENTUAL PROPOSAL OF OPENING ROCKY FLATS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE TO THE PUBLIC.
2005
THE “CLOSURE PROJECT” WAS COMPLETED 14 MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
2006
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY RELEASED THE ROCKY FLATS LEGACY REPORT AND THE FORMATION OF THE ROCKY FLATS STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL TOOK PLACE.
2012
THE REFUGE SIZE INCREASED BY ABOUT A THIRD AND THE THIRD FIVE-YEAR PLAN WAS RELEASED.
2002
THE FIRST FIVE-YEAR REVIEW REPORT IS RELEASED.
People will conflate the central area with the refuge. Those two are not the same.
Lindsay Masters | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
2007
THE EPA DELISTED THE REFUGE AREA, NOT THE CENTRAL OPERABLE AREA, FROM THE SUPERFUND LIST AND AIR MONITORING WAS NO LONGER NECESSARY. THE SECOND FIVE-YEAR REVIEW PLAN WAS RELEASED.
2017
THE FOURTH AND MOST RECENT FIVE-YEAR REVIEW WAS RELEASED.
2018
ON THE 15TH OF SEPTEMBER, 10.3 MILES OF TRAILS OPENED TO THE PUBLIC.
The Rocky Flats Paradox 