Rocky
Mou tai
A se al
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
Just
10
miles
o theast
of
De ve ,
Colo ado,
the
Rocky
Mou tai
A se al
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
is
ow
a
vast
u ba
wildlife
sa ctua y
whe e
biso
g aze,
bald
eagles
fly
ove
lakes
a d
black-footed
fe ets
live
i
the
g assla ds.
Cove i g
about
15,000
ac es,
the
efuge
is
home
to
mo e
tha
330
species
of
mammals,
bi ds,
eptiles,
amphibia s
a d
fish.But
the
la dscape
o ce
had
a
ve y
diffe e t
pu pose.
Acco di g
to
U ive sity
of
Colo ado,
De ve ,
i
1942,
du i g
Wo ld
Wa
II,
the
US
A my
selected
about
17,000
ac es
of
fa mla d
i
Comme ce
City
fo
the
p oductio
of
chemical
weapo s
a d
ocket
fuel.
F om
the
1950s
th ough
the
1980s,
facilities
at
the
A se al
we e
also
leased
to
Shell
fo
pesticide
p oductio .Decades
of
chemical
ma ufactu i g
left
the
la d
a d
g ou dwate
heavily
co tami ated.
Mo e
tha
600
chemicals
we e
ide tified
at
the
site,
which
was
placed
o
the
Supe fu d
Natio al
P io ities
List
i
1987.Millio s
of
pou ds
of
toxic
waste
we e
dumped
at
the
A se al
ove
the
yea s,
while
seve al
majo
spills
we e
eco ded.
A
1947
spill
eleased
about
100,000
gallo s
of
be ze e.
I
1978,
a othe
i cide t
i volved
58,864
gallo s
of
dicyclope tadie e
(DCPD),
alo g
with
87,000
gallo s
of
othe
solve ts,
pesticides
a d
metals.
Pollutio
also
eached
g ou dwate .
Du i g
the
1960s,
chemicals
we e
disposed
of
th ough
deep-well
i jectio ,
a
p actice
that
co t ibuted
to
g ou dwate
co ce s
a d
was
suspected
of
t igge i g
ea thquakes.Wildlife
was
affected
too.
Thousa ds
of
mig ati g
wate fowl
died
afte
exposu e
to
polluta ts,
while
badge s
we e
fou d
with
high
levels
of
dield i ,
a
toxic
pesticide.
Resea ch
also
fou d
that
Ame ica
kest els
esti g
i
co tami ated
a eas
had
lowe
ep oductive
success.
Biso
he d
at
Rocky
Mou tai
A se al
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
(Pictu e:
U cove
Colo ado)
Natu e
eclaims
A se al
Eve
du i g
the
yea s
of
i dust ial
activity,
wildlife
co ti ued
to
use
the
A se al.
A
majo
tu i g
poi t
came
i
the
1980s,
whe
a
bald
eagle
oost
was
discove ed
o
the
p ope ty.
At
the
time,
bald
eagles
we e
listed
as
e da ge ed
i
the
U ited
States.The
discove y
helped
demo st ate
the
site’s
pote tial
as
a
wildlife
habitat.
I
1992,
Co g ess
desig ated
the
a ea
as
a
atio al
wildlife
efuge,
a d
much
of
the
la d
was
eve tually
t a sfe ed
to
the
US
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Se vice
as
clea up
p og essed.The
clea up
i volved
emovi g
co tami ated
soil,
est icti g
access
to
polluted
g ou dwate
a d
ma agi g
waste
so
that
people
a d
a imals
could
ot
come
i to
co tact
with
it.
I
ma y
affected
a eas,
co tami ated
soil
was
emoved
to
depths
of
up
to
10
feet
a d
placed
i
two
haza dous-waste
la dfills
o
the
p ope ty.Whe e
waste
could
ot
be
emoved,
it
was
placed
be eath
la ge
e gi ee ed
cove s
desig ed
to
p eve t
exposu e
a d
educe
the
isk
of
g ou dwate
co tami atio .
Co tami ated
g ou dwate
is
also
pumped
out
a d
t eated,
acco di g
to
E vi o me tal
P otectio
Age cy.P ai ie
dogs
also
played
a
impo ta t
ole
i
the
esto atio .
Thei
colo ies
fo m
the
fou datio
of
much
of
the
efuge’s
food
chai ,
but
some
we e
located
i
heavily
co tami ated
a eas.
Those
colo ies
we e
elocated
to
safe
pa ts
of
the
site.
Su ise
ove
De by
Lake,
Rocky
Mou tai
A se al.
(U cove
Colo ado
photo)
A
ew
la dscape
The
clea up
cost
about
$2.1
billio
a d
took
15
yea s.
A ou d
1,000
ac es
emai
u de
US
A my
ma ageme t,
i cludi g
a eas
co tai i g
waste
a d
g ou dwate
t eatme t
facilities.The
t a sfo matio
has
also
ope ed
the
la d
to
public
a d
commu ity
uses.
Comme ce
City
a d
a
spo ts
e te p ise
busi ess
have
i vested
mo e
tha
$120
millio
i
the
p ope ty.
The
wide
a ea
ow
i cludes
public
ope
space,
a
civic
ce t e,
a
high
school
a d
a
socce
complex.Mea while,
the
efuge
has
become
o e
of
the
la gest
u ba
wildlife
efuges
i
the
U ited
States
a d
att acts
ea ly
500,000
visito s
each
yea .Its
wildlife
is
ow
o e
of
the
clea est
sig s
of
the
site’s
ecove y.
Biso ,
mule
dee ,
white-tailed
dee ,
bald
eagles,
p ai ie
dogs
a d
black-footed
fe ets
live
ac oss
the
g assla ds.The
black-footed
fe et,
o e
of
the
most
e da ge ed
mammals
i
the
U ited
States,
has
also
bee
ei t oduced
at
the
efuge.
Its
successful
ei t oductio
has
fu the
st e gthe ed
the
site’s
impo ta ce
as
a
wildlife
habitat.Acco di g
to
US
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Se vice,
bi dlife
cha ges
with
the
seaso s.
Sp i g
b i gs
mig ati g
so gbi ds,
i cludi g
wa ble s,
fi ches
a d
Bullock’s
o ioles,
while
g eat
blue
he o s,
Ame ica
avocets
a d
s owy
eg ets
gathe
a ou d
the
wetla ds.
Summe
b i gs
wildflowe s,
p ai ie
g asses
a d
bu owi g
owls
esti g
i
aba do ed
p ai ie
dog
bu ows.
I
autum ,
coyotes
a d
dee
move
th ough
the
g assla ds
as
mig ati g
wate fowl
etu
to
the
lakes.
Wi te
b i gs
bald
eagles
that
shelte
i
cotto wood
t ees
ea
the
wate .
