The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intends to release 16 of the shaggy beasts in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to mark the 104th birthday of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Sounds like new wildlife photo ops coming up.
Cheers,
Posted by Jon Leibowitz on March 14, 2007 at 4:55 PM
wow, now that is cool. Are they going to be able to reproduce or are they going to be controlled? This is pretty monumental.
Posted by Derek Sedillo on March 14, 2007 at 6:47 PM
Cooolll!!! I can't wait to see 'em.
Now how about some wolves, grizzlies, moose, etc...
How hard is it to find wildlife to shoot in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge? Has anyone had much luck there?
- Derek
Posted by Les Barstow on March 14, 2007 at 7:08 PM
I'm surprised and happy. We've been told for years now that they would be unable to install the fencing that would keep bison out of the nearby developments, and that bison would probably never return to the Arsenal. This is a wonderful change.
Adding that area to the tram tour is going to significantly increase the length of the tour - or else they're going to have to add a second tour... The current tour covers the south and eastern portions of the refuge.
Posted by Les Barstow on March 14, 2007 at 7:10 PM
Derek,
It's really easy to get a good glimpse of White-tailed and Mule Deer at the Arsenal. Prairie Dogs are also a cinch, as are Canada Geese. Other wildlife is more sporadic, or are more visible outside of the regular tram tours and limited trail system (like the Burrowing Owl population). All in all, it's a good and close location.
Do you remember the cartoon of the 12 foot tall prairie dog leaning on a fence and looking down at the elected official saying the radiation levels on the Arsenal would not have a significant effect on the wildlife in the new Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge?
I wonder how hot things really are.
Posted by Les Barstow on March 15, 2007 at 3:53 PM
Radiation isn't the problem at the Arsenal - chemical nerve agents are.
According to the refuge line, animals on the refuge during the earlier stages of cleanup did show a decreased lifespan, though it wasn't a very severe effect. But there weren't mutations or anything else bizarre, just the lifespan decrease. Don't know what it's like now.
BTW, if the prairie dog was 12' tall, what will the bison be like?
Saturday will be one of the biggest days in the history of the Colorado prairie! As RMA photographer, I can shed some light:
Yes, 16 bison will be loaded on a truck Friday at the National Bison Range in Montana; which is also run by the USFWS. The bison became available as part of the annual culling of the MT herd. After loading Friday, the bison will travel through the night and be delivered to RMA Saturday. There are 13 cows and 3 bulls coming and most or all of the cows are pregnant. That means we'll have 25-30 bison pretty quickly.
This all came about rather suddenly and the RMA staff did an incredible job of building a ~ 6 mile fence during the worst of our epic winter. They were resourceful too, cutting up telephone poles as fence posts. The tour route will change for bison viewing, just as everything is changing at RMA. The refuge is becoming increasingly accessible to the public and will soon be open every day. A new VC will be built near the Prairie Gateway and will also be open daily.
Why is this such an important day? Saturday's private ceremony will be attended by the Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, Senators Allard and Salazar, as well as other dignitaries. It will mark the return of wild bison, a keystone species to Colorado's Prairie after a 130 year absence. The return of American bison is important on so many levels that are beyond anything immaginable. To put it in perspective, there were once 55 million bison on the Great Plains, today there are 55 million head of cattle in their place. Of the 400,000 bison in North America, about 5,000 are without genetic cattle markers and these bison fall in that category. The RMA bison are genetically pure.
The Arsenal's industrial core was called the "most polluted square mile on earth when I first moved here in the 80's. A Superfund cleanup has been going on since and is almost complete. The land and the wildlife are clean and plentiful. It is a great place to photograph and take a family for an outing. You can reserve private time in the public blind (partially funded by NANPA) and hike much of the prime photography areas. Although the hours aren't perfect for photography, the staff recognizes photography as a top recreational activity and is working to make the experience excellent for the public. Many of my best photographs have been made in the most accessible areas.
Your refuge was named by Sunset Magazine one of the top three places in the west to view wildlife - alongside Yellowstone. Change is in the air and it's a great time to get to know this magical place!
Posted by Les Barstow on March 15, 2007 at 5:33 PM
Great write-up, Dave!
6 miles of fence seems like a relatively small fenceline for a very large property. I'm assuming this is for an initial enclosure, to be enlarged as time goes on?
I may have underestimated the amount of fence, but the area currently fenced can hold up to 35 animals without overstocking. I'm not sure if the FWS plans to expand fencing or keep the herd small. There are options to move animals to and from other refuges. The area is the northwest corner of the refuge. The fence is high enough off the ground to allow other animals to go in and out and deer can jump it. People won't be allowed inside the fenced area (including me) for obvious reasons............
Posted by Jon Leibowitz on March 15, 2007 at 9:35 PM
Does anyone have a good map to show where the Arsenal is in relation to other huge open spaces like Pawnee? If its close, it would be amazing to one day link them up and have more free roaming bison. Pawnee is a pretty massive place in its own right.
Posted by Brent Murphy on March 15, 2007 at 11:37 PM
Posted by Jon Leibowitz on March 16, 2007 at 12:13 AM
oh wow, thats a pretty amazing thing, having it so close to the denver area. Honestly, I spent the last 4 years in Colorado and have never ventured anywhere to the east, except once to pawnee. I should try to get out there some time. What is the size comparison between the two? I was floored by the size of Pawnee, its such a gorgeous open area.
Posted by Les Barstow on March 16, 2007 at 12:32 AM
The Arsenal is comparatively small when placed alongside Pawnee. It's bounded pretty much by Commerce City, Stapleton, and DIA and its surroundings - the map at the link Brent provided shows it decently. At present, access is limited - weekends only, and trails only on a small portion of the refuge. Dave's pronouncement that much more of the refuge will be open soon is good news all on its own, and a testament to the restoration efforts at the site.
The city is quite visible in front of the mountains from RMA; on clear days, this makes for good cityscapes. But at the same time, the slight roll to the terrain provides ample opportunities to isolate deer against a horizon. The site has obviously been heavily utilized over the years, but the FWS has done an excellent job of replanting and weeding, and it is now one of the premier shortgrass prairie sites. You won't be disappointed.
Posted by Jon Leibowitz on March 16, 2007 at 12:38 AM
has there ever been talk about doing similar things in Pawnee?
Well said, Les! The USFWS has a rare opportunity to create a microcosm of the Great Plains in an urban refuge for recreation and education. There is no question that this place has been forever altered by man since the sodbusters arrived in the late 1800's. It is also a premier urban refuge and a place where people can make the connection in their minds to the bigger picture ~ Pawnee and Comanche Grasslands for instance. Imagine that through education and outreach, these animals can be the reason that more people ask Jon's question: where are the free-roaming herds of bison? I believe we will see bison roaming our prairie in our lifetime.
Posted by Scott Fricke on March 16, 2007 at 11:47 PM
Thats pretty exciting Dave, I look forward to visiting. You mentioned you moved here in the 80's, did you know there used to be a bison herd at Cherry Creek Reservoir in the 60's and early 70's, they were later moved up to Genessee.
Discussion
16 repliesSounds like new wildlife photo ops coming up.
Cheers,
Now how about some wolves, grizzlies, moose, etc...
How hard is it to find wildlife to shoot in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge? Has anyone had much luck there?
- Derek
Adding that area to the tram tour is going to significantly increase the length of the tour - or else they're going to have to add a second tour... The current tour covers the south and eastern portions of the refuge.
It's really easy to get a good glimpse of White-tailed and Mule Deer at the Arsenal. Prairie Dogs are also a cinch, as are Canada Geese. Other wildlife is more sporadic, or are more visible outside of the regular tram tours and limited trail system (like the Burrowing Owl population). All in all, it's a good and close location.
I wonder how hot things really are.
According to the refuge line, animals on the refuge during the earlier stages of cleanup did show a decreased lifespan, though it wasn't a very severe effect. But there weren't mutations or anything else bizarre, just the lifespan decrease. Don't know what it's like now.
BTW, if the prairie dog was 12' tall, what will the bison be like?
Yes, 16 bison will be loaded on a truck Friday at the National Bison Range in Montana; which is also run by the USFWS. The bison became available as part of the annual culling of the MT herd. After loading Friday, the bison will travel through the night and be delivered to RMA Saturday. There are 13 cows and 3 bulls coming and most or all of the cows are pregnant. That means we'll have 25-30 bison pretty quickly.
This all came about rather suddenly and the RMA staff did an incredible job of building a ~ 6 mile fence during the worst of our epic winter. They were resourceful too, cutting up telephone poles as fence posts. The tour route will change for bison viewing, just as everything is changing at RMA. The refuge is becoming increasingly accessible to the public and will soon be open every day. A new VC will be built near the Prairie Gateway and will also be open daily.
Why is this such an important day? Saturday's private ceremony will be attended by the Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, Senators Allard and Salazar, as well as other dignitaries. It will mark the return of wild bison, a keystone species to Colorado's Prairie after a 130 year absence. The return of American bison is important on so many levels that are beyond anything immaginable. To put it in perspective, there were once 55 million bison on the Great Plains, today there are 55 million head of cattle in their place. Of the 400,000 bison in North America, about 5,000 are without genetic cattle markers and these bison fall in that category. The RMA bison are genetically pure.
The Arsenal's industrial core was called the "most polluted square mile on earth when I first moved here in the 80's. A Superfund cleanup has been going on since and is almost complete. The land and the wildlife are clean and plentiful. It is a great place to photograph and take a family for an outing. You can reserve private time in the public blind (partially funded by NANPA) and hike much of the prime photography areas. Although the hours aren't perfect for photography, the staff recognizes photography as a top recreational activity and is working to make the experience excellent for the public. Many of my best photographs have been made in the most accessible areas.
Your refuge was named by Sunset Magazine one of the top three places in the west to view wildlife - alongside Yellowstone. Change is in the air and it's a great time to get to know this magical place!
6 miles of fence seems like a relatively small fenceline for a very large property. I'm assuming this is for an initial enclosure, to be enlarged as time goes on?
http://www.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal/contact/contact.htm
The city is quite visible in front of the mountains from RMA; on clear days, this makes for good cityscapes. But at the same time, the slight roll to the terrain provides ample opportunities to isolate deer against a horizon. The site has obviously been heavily utilized over the years, but the FWS has done an excellent job of replanting and weeding, and it is now one of the premier shortgrass prairie sites. You won't be disappointed.