Squeezing in Some Nature Time in Memory of Old WMD's

We've been working hard on our daughter's house that's going on the market, and have missed our occasional field trips out of the city, so we made an exploratory detour on our way to Englewood on Saturday.

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a mere 8 to 10 miles from downtown Denver and is said to be the largest Superfund Site in existence. The information I read had things in it like, "toxic horror" and "the most polluted piece of ground in America". So why not stop by and check out the current situation?

The 15,000 acre refuge is home to 330 species of wildlife. There are deer, coyotes, white pelicans, burrowing owls, American bison, bald eagles, prairie dogs, and so many more. We saw fish feeding in a bucolic pond and red winged blackbirds were in abundance. Most of the people we saw appeared to be birders or fishermen.

While looking at the lovely wildflowers, giant cottonwoods, and grasses, it was difficult not to think about the contamination, and almost unthinkable products, that were produced on this land after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As the U.S. entered the war, large numbers of farmers were booted off their land with less than a month's notice. Production of mustard gas, white phosphorus, napalm, and incendiary munitions began to be produced in abundance.

Now, as the shortgrass prairie is restored and the eagles nest, five groundwater treatment systems treat more than 750 million gallons of groundwater a year. There is a nine mile wildlife drive and hiking trails. Some fishing, catch and release only, is permitted. (who would ever think of eating something from one of these lakes?) The visitor center is very nice and they offer programs for children as well as adults. There are even free guided two-hour tours on a shuttle bus. There is a program called "Disappearing Treasures: National Eagle and Wildlife Property Repository Tour" on August 16th that I'd love to attend, but will be out of town that day.

I applaud what is being done here. I recommend visiting if you're in the area because I didn't do justice to the history. I was appalled at the sudden eviction of the farmer's from their land, (more than 200 farms) and had never realized how many buildings were erected on the land for this wartime effort. It's an interesting part of Colorado's history. History is always a mix of the good and the bad. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal land is an example of how we can right a grievous wrong done to the earth.