U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Completed Plan Contacts
The Service completed this plan
in 1996.
REFUGE EMAIL
rockymountainarsenal@fws.gov
REFUGE ADDRESS
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
5650 Havana Street, Building 121
Commerce City, Colorado 80022
REFUGE TELEPHONE
303 / 289 0232
REFUGE WEB SITES
www.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal
Rocky Mountain Arsenal refuge profile
Comprehensive Management Plan
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Colorado
Description
A comprehensive management plan is a plan done before Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, which requires the Service to prepare comprehensive conservation plans.
The comprehensive management plan sets the management and use of Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge for 15 years.
The purposes of the refuge are (1) to conserve and enhance populations of plants, fish, and wildlife including waterfowl, raptors, songbirds, and other waterbirds, (2) to conserve species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act and species that are candidates for such listing, (3) to provide maximum fish- and wildlife-oriented public uses at levels compatible with conservation and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, (4) to provide opportunities for compatible scientific research, (5) to provide opportunities for compatible environmental and land use education, (6) to conserve and enhance land and water to conserve and enhance the natural diversity of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats, (7) to protect and enhance aquatic habitat, and (8) to fulfill international treaty obligations of the United States for fish, wildlife, and their habitats.
- Established by the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act of 1992.
- Comprises 17,000 acres.
- Located in Adams County, Colorado, near Commerce City.
The refuge is a large natural area—almost 27 square miles of open land—yet it is only 10 miles from downtown Denver. It is both a wildlife refuge and a Superfund cleanup site. Once short-grass prairie, the area became farmland and then an army arsenal (chemical weapons plant) and finally a wildlife refuge. The Service will manage the area as a refuge after the site cleanup.
The following are major actions in the comprehensive management plan:
- Manage wildlife and habitat to contribute to ecosystem management.
- Interact with communities and organizations through outreach and cooperative agreements to create mutually beneficial partnerships.
- Develop environmental education and outreach programs for urban communities to nurture an appreciation of nature.
- Provide opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreational activities.
- Use the refuge for research compatible with refuge management.
- Develop a support system to provide facilities, funding, and resources to meet refuge purposes.
Documents
Comprehensive management plan (CMP)
CMP 1996 (26 MB PDF)
By section, for faster download:
Contents, introduction/overview (2 MB PDF)
Chapter 1, the site and its context (8 MB PDF)
Chapter 2, vision and goals (4 MB PDF)
Chapter 3, development plan (5 MB PDF)
Chapter 4, environmental consequences (5 MB PDF)
Chapter 5, planning process (2 MB PDF)
Appendixes (3 MB PDF)
Planning process documents
Notice of availability of draft environmental impact statement 1995 (PDF)
Notice of intent to prepare a CMP 1994 (PDF)