Advocacy
Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Review
After nearly two years of work, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) released a draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (CCP/EIS) for the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in February 2004. The draft CCP/EIS outlined the management direction and strategies for refuge operations, habitat restoration and visitor services for the next 15 years.
The draft document and additional information is available at http://rockyflats.fws.gov/index.htm
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service developed four management alternatives for Rocky Flats.
Two of the proposals would allow various levels of public access (Alternatives B & D). Alternative A ("the do nothing proposal") and Alternative C (the "ecological restoration proposal") would essentially ban public access. In order to have access at the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Area we needed to tell the Fish and Wildlife Service what we wanted, so BMA prepared and submitted the following comments on the draft plan.
We support the Fish and Wildlife Service's Proposed Action (Alternative B) with some enhancements. We believe there are components of Alternative D that should be included in the proposed alternative to better meet the Fish and Wildlife objectives. Specific items we recommend include:
- Developing a phased implementation plan which allows gradually increasing visitor access to the trail system over the initial five years of operation, rather than closing most of the property to visitors for that period.
- Providing a short trail segment paralleling the gravel road between the parking lots on the west side of the refuge to create a north-south connection between the two major east-west trail alignments.
- Providing a trail to the northwest to connect with Boulder City Open Space and Mountain Parks trails.
- Providing a north-south trail connection along the eastern side of the property.
- Allowing equestrian access to a north-south trail (allowing connection to the Boulder City and County Open Space properties to the north of Rocky Flats that are open to equestrian use).
The draft CCP comment period closed April 26, 2004 and the Service is now preparing a final CCP. We'll keep you informed of the results.