Summary
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan S3

Summary

THE ROCKY FLATS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

This document is a Final Comprehensive Conservation

Plan (CCP) for the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge

(Rocky Flats NWR). The CCP will guide management of

Refuge operations, habitat restoration and visitor

services for the next 15 years. 

The Rocky Flats site is a 6,240-acre former nuclear

defense facility operated by the U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE). All weapons manufacturing was

performed in a 600-acre area in the middle of the site

known as the Industrial Area. In 1992, the mission of the

Rocky Flats site changed from weapons production to

environmental cleanup and closure. The DOE is

completing the cleanup in accordance with the Rocky Flats

Cleanup Agreement (RFCA) under oversight by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado

Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). 

Under the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Act of

2001 (Refuge Act), the 6,240-acre Rocky Flats

Environmental Technology Site will become the Rocky

Flats NWR following certification from the EPA that

cleanup and closure have been completed. At that time,

the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) will assume

management responsibility for most of the site.

Five sequential steps must be completed before Rocky

Flats becomes a Refuge. These steps are:

1. Service completes final CCP/EIS and issues a

Record of Decision

2. DOE completes site cleanup except for

operations and maintenance (O&M) of cleanup

and long-term monitoring facilities

3. EPA certifies completion of the cleanup

4. DOE transfers land to Department of the

Interior

5. Department of the Interior establishes the

Refuge and Service begins management and

implementation of the CCP

The Service understands that some members of the public

remain apprehensive about potential public use at Rocky

Flats NWR due to the site’s history. This CCP outlines

how the Service will brief visitors about the site’s

Big Bluestem in the xeric tallgrass prairie.

© RFETS

The Refuge provides habitat for elk.

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Summary
Summary

S4 Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge 

transformation from a nuclear weapons production facility

to a National Wildlife Refuge. The Service will address

public concerns about the safety of the Refuge by

providing clear information that educates visitors about

access restrictions and public use opportunities. This

information will be available at all trailheads. The Service

also will work with the DOE to develop signage and

fencing or another means of boundary demarcation to

clearly identify all areas that will be retained by DOE and

are closed to public access.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that evaluates

and compares the CCP and three other alternatives with

respect to managing wildlife, habitats and human use of

the proposed Refuge was developed in concurrence with

this CCP and published as a separate document.

Together with this planning document, the EIS discloses

effects of restoration and visitor use on important

physical, biological, social and cultural resources.

REFUGE SIGNIFICANCE

In the Refuge Act, Congress identified the following

significant qualities about the Rocky Flats site:

• The majority of the site has generally remained

undisturbed since its acquisition by the

government.

• The site preserves valuable open space and

striking vistas of the Front Range mountain

backdrop.

• The site provides habitat for many wildlife

species, including a number of threatened and

endangered species, and is marked by 

the presence of rare xeric tallgrass prairie

plant communities.

REFUGE PURPOSE

The Refuge Act identified four purposes of the Rocky

Flats NWR:

• Restoring and preserving native ecosystems.

• Providing habitat for, and population

management of native plants and migratory

and resident wildlife.

• Conserving threatened and 

endangered species.

• Providing opportunities for compatible

scientific research.

The Refuge Act also provided some direction for

managing the Refuge. The Service is to manage the

Refuge to ensure that wildlife-dependent public uses and

environmental education and interpretation are the

priority public uses of the Refuge.

© Mauro

The Service will conserve the diversity of native fauna.
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan S5

Summary

VISION

During the initial planning process, the Service developed

the following vision statement to describe what will be

different in the future as a result of the CCP and to

capture the essence of what the Service is trying to

accomplish at the Refuge:

Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge is a

healthy expanse of grasslands, shrublands

and wetlands, including rare xeric tallgrass

prairie, where natural processes support a

broad range of native wildlife. The Refuge

provides striking mountain and prairie views

and opportunities to appreciate the Refuge

resources in an urbanized area through

compatible wildlife-dependent public uses

and education. Working with others, the

Refuge conserves the unique biotic

communities and sustains wildlife

populations at the interface of mountains

and prairies on Colorado’s Front Range.

GOALS

The Service also developed a set of goals to guide the

planning effort and Refuge management:

Wildlife and Habitat Management

Conserve, restore and sustain the biological diversity of

the native flora and fauna of the mountain/prairie

interface with particular consideration given to threatened

and endangered species.

Public Use, Education and Interpretation

Provide visitors and students high quality recreational,

educational and interpretive opportunities and foster an

understanding and appreciation of: the Refuge’s xeric

tallgrass prairie; upland shrub and wetland habitats;

native wildlife; the history of the site; and the National

Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS).

Safety

Conduct operations and manage public access in

accordance with the final Rocky Flats’ cleanup decision

documents to ensure the safety of the Refuge visitors,

staff and neighbors.

Effective and Open Communication

Conduct a variety of communication outreach efforts to

raise public awareness about the Refuge programs,

management decisions, and the mission of the Service and

the NWRS.

Working with Others

Foster beneficial partnerships with individuals,

government agencies, non-governmental organizations,

and others to promote resource conservation, compatible

wildlife-related research, public use, site history, and

infrastructure.

Refuge Operations

Based on available funds, provide facilities and staff to

fulfill the Refuge vision and purpose.

© Mauro

Quality wildlife viewing opportunities will foster

appreciation of the Refuge’s diverse habitats.
Summary

S6 Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge 

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

Throughout the planning process, the Service has solicited

input from the public. Public involvement in the planning

process ensured that interested and affected individuals,

organizations, agencies and governmental entities were

consulted and provided opportunities to participate.

Public involvement has:

• Informed the public about Rocky Flats NWR

(planning updates, website, public meetings,

presentations).

• Provided public input on key issues.

• Provided help in determining management

direction of Rocky Flats NWR.

THE REFUGE’S RESOURCES

The Rocky Flats site is located at the interface of the

Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. The western half of

the site is characterized by the relatively level Rocky Flats

pediment, which gives way to several finger-like drainages

that slope down to the rolling plains in the eastern portion

of the site. 

A diverse mosaic of vegetation communities is found at

Rocky Flats. Two of these vegetation communities, the

xeric tallgrass prairie and the tall upland shrubland, are

considered to be rare in the region. Other vegetation

communities include riparian woodland, riparian

shrubland, wetlands, mesic mixed grassland, xeric needle

and thread grassland, reclaimed mixed grassland, and

ponderosa pine woodland. 

Many areas of the Rocky Flats site have remained

relatively undisturbed for the last 30 to 50 years, allowing

them to retain diverse habitat and associated wildlife.

These wildlife communities are supported by the regional

network of protected open space that surrounds Rocky

Flats on three sides and buffers wildlife habitat from

urban development. Preble’s meadow jumping mouse

(Preble’s), a threatened species, occurs in every major

drainage on the Refuge, as well as wetlands and shrubland

communities adjacent to the Rock Creek and Woman

Creek drainages. A resident herd of about 160 deer

inhabit the site and elk are occasionally present. 

Cultural resource surveys have identified and recorded 45

cultural sites or isolated artifacts at Rocky Flats. None of

the identified cultural resources are recommended as

eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic

Places. However, the Lindsay Ranch within the Rock

Creek drainage provides opportunities to interpret the

early history of settlement and ranching on the prairie. 

The Rocky Flats site is located at the intersection of

Jefferson, Boulder and Broomfield counties. The site 

is surrounded by open space to the north, east and west,

and urban development to the northeast and southeast.

Other nearby land uses include mining operations, wind

energy research, and water collection and storage

facilities.

Working with others on wildlife-related research is a

Refuge goal.

A field of wildflowers.

© Mauro

© Mauro
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan S7

Summary

ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE CCP

AND EIS

The legislation establishing Rocky Flats NWR requires

that the Department of Energy (DOE) retain jurisdiction,

authority and control over portions of the Rocky Flats site

necessary for cleanup response actions. DOE anticipates

that it will need to retain land in and around the current

Industrial Area in order to maintain institutional controls

and protect cleanup and monitoring systems. 

Management alternatives for the DOE-retained lands were

not considered in the EIS because the lands will not be

part of the Refuge and the Service will not have authority

to decide how those lands should be managed. The

Service is recommending a fence that allows wildlife

movement be built around the retained area to distinguish

Refuge lands from DOE jurisdiction. The DOE does not

anticipate transferring any lands that would require

additional safety requirements for either the Refuge

worker or the visitor. 

OVERVIEW OF THE CCP

Four alternatives were developed following the public

scoping process and a workshop involving the planning

team and Service staff. The EIS analyzed the

environmental consequences of each alternative.

Alternative “B,” entitled “Wildlife, Habitat, and Public

Use,” was selected as the preferred alternative and

adopted by the Service as the final Comprehensive

Conservation Plan. 

The CCP emphasizes both wildlife and habitat

conservation along with a moderate level of wildlifedependent public use. Refuge-wide habitat conservation

will include management of native plant communities,

removal and revegetation of unused roads and stream

crossings, management of deer and elk populations, 

and protection of Preble’s meadow jumping mouse

habitat. Restoration will strive to replicate pre-settlement

conditions. 

Visitor use facilities will include about 16 miles of trails, a

seasonally staffed visitor contact station, trailheads with

parking, and developed overlooks. One trail down to the

Lindsay Ranch will be open soon after Refuge

establishment, while the remainder of the public use

facilities will open after 5 years, when restoration is well

underway. Most of the trails will use existing roads.

Public access will be by foot, bicycle, horse, or car. A

limited public hunting program will be developed in

collaboration with Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW). 

On- and off-site environmental education programs will

focus on the prairie ecosystem and will primarily target

high school and college students. 

The Service will provide compatible scientific research

opportunities that focus on wildlife habitat and

interactions between wildlife and human use.

Partnerships will be sought from federal, state and

municipal agencies and private entities to help achieve

Refuge goals and to conserve contiguous lands. 

The Lindsay

Ranch barn will

become an

interpretive site. 

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Summary

S8 Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge 

OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES

The Service has developed objectives and strategies for

the CCP. An objective is a general statement about what

the Service wants to achieve on the Refuge, while a

strategy is a specific action, tool, technique or combination

of the above used to meet objectives. Chapter 4 describes

the objectives and strategies in detail. The key objective

topics are listed below.

WILDLIFE AND HABITAT MANAGEMENT

• Preble’s habitat management

• Xeric tallgrass management

• Mixed grassland prairie management

• Road restoration and revegetation

• Weed management

• Deer and elk management

• Prairie dog management

• Species reintroduction

PUBLIC USE, EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION

• Public access

• Visitor experience 

• Interpretation

• Environmental education

• Hunting

• Recreation facilities

SAFETY

• Staff safety

• Visitor safety

OPEN AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

• Outreach efforts

WORKING WITH OTHERS

• Emergency response partnerships

• Conservation partnerships

• Research partnerships

• Volunteer partnerships

REFUGE OPERATIONS

• Staffing

• Operations and management facilities 

• Cultural resource management

© Mauro

Mule deer are frequently sighted at the Refuge.
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan S9

Summary

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

The Comprehensive Conservation Plan will pose a variety

of benefits and impacts to resources at Rocky Flats. Some

of the greatest benefits will come from road removal and

revegetation, weed management, and Preble’s habitat

management activities. The greatest impacts to Refuge

resources will be the result of increased visitor use. The

environmental consequences are summarized below and

described in detail in the EIS.

Preble’s Habitat Management. Preble’s habitat will be

protected and maintained. This will result in moderate,

long-term benefits to Preble’s and other species that

depend on riparian habitat. 

Grassland Management. Tallgrass and mixed grassland

management strategies, along with weed and fire

management and road removal and revegetation, will

benefit grassland communities on the Refuge. 

The planned restoration of non-native grasses in the hay

meadow and other areas to native prairie will benefit the

overall quality and diversity of mixed grassland habitat on

the Refuge. 

Road Restoration and Revegetation. The removal and

revegetation of unused roads and stream crossings will

provide a major long-term benefit to a variety of

vegetation communities and related wildlife species. 

Weed Management. Implementation of Integrated Pest

Management (IPM) practices will benefit a variety of

wildlife habitat types on the Refuge. 

Deer and Elk Management. The establishment and

achievement of population targets for deer and elk will

benefit both those species and the habitat on which

they depend. 

Trail Development and Use. While the impacts of new

trail construction will be negligible, public use of some

trails could result in moderate long-term adverse impacts

to wildlife species due to an increased human presence

that may alter wildlife movement and foraging patterns.

Some trail impacts will be reduced by the enforcement of

seasonal trail closures.

© USFWS

Sharp-tailed grouse is a likely candidate for reintroduction.

Lupine is one of many wildflowers found on the Refuge

in the spring.

© Mauro