Public Scoping Meetings

 Broomfield

September 9, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Broomfield Recreation Senior Center

Lakeshore Room

280 Lamar Street

 Arvada

September 10, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Arvada Center For the Arts and Humanities

Ballroom C

6901 Wadsworth Boulevard

 Westminster

September 11, 12:30 - 2:30 pm

West View Recreation Center

Community Room

10747 W. 108th Street

 Boulder

September 12, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Boulder Community Senior Center 

East Rooms . Mountain View

5660 Sioux Drive

Come hear presentations about the Refuge

resources and the CCP/EIS process, and

engage in discussions about planning

issues and opportunities. Meetings will

begin promptly according to the 

above schedule. 

An optional questionnaire about Refuge

issues will be circulated at the workshop

and will also be available online or 

by request.

If you have special needs and will be

attending one of the workshops, please call

303/289 0980 at least one week in advance

so arrangements can be made.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

A new National Wildlife Refuge is coming

to Colorado's Front Range! Transfer of

lands on the Rocky Flats Environmental

Technology Site to the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service will occur after the

cleanup completion scheduled for 2006.

Under the Service's management, the site

will become the Rocky Flats National

Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). In order to 

prepare for this new challenge, the Service

has begun developing a Comprehensive

Conservation Plan (CCP) for the future

Refuge. The complexity of issues inherent

to the site will also require an in-depth

analysis accomplished by an Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS). The CCP/EIS is

essential because it will direct wildlife 

conservation, management and wildlifedependent recreation at the Refuge for the

next fifteen years. 

The Service needs your help in 

determining how the Refuge can best 

provide for wildlife and serve its 

neighboring communities. The Service is

committed to keeping you informed about

Rocky Flats and invites the public to

engage in the CCP process and to share

your ideas about how to plan for the

Refuge's future.

Rocky Flats

National Wildlife Refuge

Planning Update Volume One, Fall 2002

As a refuge, Rocky Flats will provide a

serene natural setting and a welcome

retreat from the developed areas along

Colorado's Front Range. Given the site's

natural resources, location and Cold War

history, planning for a Refuge at Rocky

Flats will be an exciting and challenging

project. The presence of rare plant 

communities and federally-listed 

threatened wildlife species distinguish the

Refuge as important habitat for native

wildlife. The Service, dedicated to the

Refuge System’s "Wildlife First" mission,

wants to hear the public's suggestions for

maintaining and restoring the Refuge's

native wildlife populations and plant 

communities. We are also interested in

working with the public and interested

organizations and agencies to develop 

compatible wildlife-dependent recreation

opportunities for Refuge visitors. 

© Bob Savannah

Right:

Howlin’ coyotes.
Glossary of Terms

Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP):

A 15-year plan that will provide 

long-range guidance and management

direction for Rocky Flats National Wildlife

Refuge. The plan will outline the

Refuge's vision and desired future 

condition and explain the goals, objectives

and strategies necessary to achieve the

vision and purpose of the Refuge. 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS):

A document that assesses the effects of

the actions presented in the CCP on 

people and the environment

Compatible Wildlife-dependent

Recreation: Recreational activities that

are directly tied to wildlife. The 

recreational use is considered "compatible"

if it does not materially interfere with or

detract from the fulfillment of the mission

of the National Wildlife Refuge System

(System) or the purposes of the Refuge.

The six wildlife-dependent recreation

activities identified by Congress as the

System's priority public uses include:

hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, 

photography, environmental education

and interpretation.

Vision & Goals Statement: 

A vision statement is a compelling, 

future-oriented expression of what the

Rocky Flats site will be, or what the

Service hopes to do, based primarily upon

the Refuge System's mission and Rocky

Flats' purpose. Goals are descriptive, 

open-ended, and often-broad statements

that direct work toward achieving the

vision and purpose of the

Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. 

The CCP Is About Wildlife

The Rocky Flats CCP/EIS will focus on

the primary purposes of the Refuge that

include restoring and preserving native

ecosystems; providing habitat for, and 

population management of, native plants

and migratory and resident wildlife; 

conserving threatened and endangered

species; and providing opportunities for

scientific research. Management for compatible wildlife-dependent recreational

uses will also be addressed as part of 

the plan.

The Planning Schedule

The three-year CCP process will involve the following five planning stages: 

1. Preplanning 

2. Public Involvement and Scoping

3. Develop and Analyze Alternatives 

4. Prepare Draft CCP/EIS (For Public Review)

5. Final CCP/EIS and Record of Decision (ROD)

Planning Stage Dates

May 2002 - July 2002

Aug. 2002 -Oct. 2002

Nov. 2002 - May 2003

June 2003 - June 2004

July 2004 - Dec. 2004

The Planning Process

The CCP Isn’t About Cleanup

Cleanup and closure are the responsibility

of the Department of Energy (DOE); 

therefore, the Service will not address

cleanup issues as part of the CCP planning

process. DOE and the Service are engaged

in continuous dialog to insure that the

refuge and cleanup planning processes are

complimentary and well coordinated.

Rocky Flats will not be transferred to the

Service until DOE's cleanup and closure

efforts have been completed and the site

has met the appropriate health and 

safety standards.

© Michael Mauro

Left:

Mule deer are yearround residents of

the Refuge. 
Draft Goals

1. Wildlife and Habitat Management:

The Refuge will 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. 

2. Public Use, Education & Interpretation:

The Service will provide compatible

wildlife-dependent recreational, 

educational and interpretive opportunities

for people to learn about and appreciate

the National Wildlife Refuge System; the

Refuge's xeric tallgrass prairie, upland

shrub and wetland habitats; native wildlife;

and the history of the site.

3. Safety: The Service will conduct

Refuge operations and manage public

access safely and in accordance with the

final Rocky Flats' cleanup 

decision documents. 

4. Effective and Open Communication:

The Service will proactively communicate

with the public and stakeholders about

Refuge programs and management 

decisions as well as the mission of the U.S.

Fish & Wildlife Service and the National

Wildlife Refuge System.

5. Working with Others: The Service will

work with others on issues of mutual 

concern including resource conservation,

compatible wildlife-related research, public

use, site history, and infrastructure.

6. Refuge Operations: Based on available

funds, the Service will provide resources

to fulfill the Refuge vision and purpose.

During a Vision and Issues Workshop in

July 2002, Service staff and representatives

from the Colorado Division of Wildlife

(DOW) developed the following draft vision

and goal statements for Rocky Flats

National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). At the 

upcoming public scoping workshops, the

public will be asked to review the 

statements and offer suggestions 

for refinement.

Draft Vision

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 refuge resources in an 

urbanized area through compatible 

wildlife-dependent recreation 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.

What Does The Refuge Have To Offer?

At the public workshops, participants will

be asked to comment on what they feel are

important qualities and features of the

Refuge and to identify issues of concern

related to Rocky Flats NWR. Here are

some examples that we have identified: 

Qualities

 Visitors to the site will be impressed by

views of the Rocky Mountains, downtown

Denver and the expansive prairie.

 Tall Upland Shrubland, a rare plant

community located primarily above seeps

within the Rock Creek drainage, has

increased in size since monitoring began

10 years ago.

Issues

 Noxious Weeds: The presence of 

invasive weeds is a problem that threatens

the integrity of native plant communities

at Rocky Flats NWR. 

 Hunting: If hunting is permitted at

Rocky Flats NWR, what type of hunting

programs will be offered? 

Working Toward A Refuge Vision and Goals © Michael Mauro

Right:

Swainson’s Hawk

In Flight

Left:

Wildlife 

observation is a

popular 

wildlife-dependent

recreation activity

at Refuges. © Paul Kerris
Contact Information 

Public comments will be accepted by 

written letter or e-mail at the 

following addresses:

Rocky Flats NWR 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan

Attn: Laurie Shannon, 

Planning Team Leader 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Building 121

Commerce City, CO 80022 

Ph: 303/289 0980

Fax: 303/289 0579

Email: rockyflats@fws.gov

Online: http://rockyflats.fws.gov

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge

Building 121

Commerce City, CO 80022

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

USFWS

© 2000 Michael Mauro

BOULDER

JEFFERSON

Boulder

Denver

Golden

Northglenn

Thornton

Arvada

Westminster

Louisville

Lafayette

Superior

Broomfield

36

á70

ì

ì6

93

ì6

á25

Rocky Flats 

National

Wildlife Refuge

Rocky Flats

National Wildlife Refuge

Rocky Flats Natural Features

Big Bluestem (right), a tall prairie grass

with rich fall color, is common to the xeric

tallgrass prairie plant community at Rocky

Flats. The tallgrass prairie provides

important habitat for birds and mammals

at Rocky Flats NWR throughout the 

seasons. In the spring and summer,

wildlife use the tall grasses for nesting, 

foraging, and as escape cover. Since some

prairie grasses like Big Bluestem resist 

collapse under the weight of snow they also 

provide winter forage and allow deer to

remain year-round residents of the Refuge. 

The expansive prairie at Rocky Flats NWR

contains a number of beautiful 

wildflowers. Blanket Flower (left) is a

member of the mixed mesic prairie plant 

community and is often found in open, 

dry areas.

Blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

FIRST CLASS MAIL

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

CITY OF DENVER

PERMIT NO 5267