Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge

The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Act of 2001 began a process to finalize the reclamation of the land and secure its natural state into the future. In April 2005 a Comprehensive Conservation Plan was published in the Federal Register; it outlined habitat restoration plans for the next 15 years. The refuge is scheduled to partially open next year and be in full operation about 2012. It will have hiking trails, interpretive signs, and limited hunting. Approximately 1,000 acres in the center of the site will be maintained by DOE for long-term surveillance and maintenance while the remaining 5,200 acres will be transferred to the Department of the Interior.

The Xeric Tallgrass Prairie is a rare grassland type believed to be a remnant from the ice age and is perhaps the largest contiguous remnant of this grassland type in North America. This area is identified by species such as big bluestem, little bluestem, prairie dropseed, Indian grass, and switchgrass. Because of the prairie’s proximity to the mountains, the species composition is influenced by mountain muhly, Porter’s aster, blazing star, scurfpea, and Canada bluegrass.

The Site:
• 6,266 acres within 50,000 acres of publicly owned open space.

Habitat zones:
• tallgrass prairie;
• mixed prairie grasslands (mixed-mesic grassland, xeric needle and thread grassland, reclaimed mixed grassland); and
• riparian corridors and wetlands (marsh, wet meadows, upland shrublands).

The wildlife:
• Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, Black-tailed Jack Rabbit, Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer;
• Painted Turtle, Prairie Rattlesnake;
• Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Western Meadowlark, Killdeer, Warbler; and
• Aragos Skipper (rare butterfly).

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