U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Urban Transportation Connections Study

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ARSENAL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE , CO

REFUGE ACCESS PLAN November 2019

Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Urban Transportation Connections Study

INTRODUCTION

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in Commerce City just 14 miles northeast of the City of Denver, between the Denver Central Business District and Denver International Airport. With nearly 15,000-acres, the NWR has had various identities—from farmland to war-time materials manufacturing site to now a wildlife refuge. It is one of the 101 Urban Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (U.S. FWS’s) Urban Program and was one of the initial refuges examined by the Urban Transportation Connections Study.

THE REFUGE

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REGIONAL OVERVIEW

The larger Denver metropolitan area, with more than Park Station (A Line) to 60th and Dahlia, providing the 2.8 million people, contains Colorado’s capital and closest transit access to the Refuge. the state’s most populous city. Known as the “Mile Several higher education institutions call Denver High City”, Denver stands a mile above sea level, home, including the University of Denver and Colorado which is the highest elevation of any major city in the University-Denver. Given the refuge’s proximity to United States. Denver is placed in between the Rocky Denver’s downtown core, there are many K-12 schools Mountains to the west and the High Plains to the east, in within a 30-minute driving distance. The refuge offers giving it a varied topography. In recent years, Denver a variety of internship and work/training opportunities has consistently placed on U.S. News & World Report’s to local community members. list of Top Cities to Live in the United States. There are several active transportation facilities in the Denver’s main thoroughfares are I-25 (north-south), I-70 Denver region; the major facility nearest to the refuge (east-west), and I-76 (northeast). Denver also is served is the Sand Creek Regional Greenway, which largely by E-740, which serves as a limited-access toll road follows I-270 and connects Commerce City, Denver, and on the eastern side of the city. The larger metropolitan Aurora. Within the Refuge boundaries are the Prairie area is served by the Regional Transportation District Gateway Open Space, which features a trail facility that (RTD), which serves approximately 2.9 million riders leads to the Refuge’s Visitor Center, and the Arsenal annually with mass transit services. However, no rail Perimeter Trail, which connects from Second Creek and or bus services directly serve the Refuge. Route 62 largely circles the Refuge’s perimeter. (Commerce City/Dick’s SG Park) goes from Central

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WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?

“It (Rocky Mountain Arsenal) may be one of the finest conservation success stories in history and a place where wildlife thrives.” -U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

REFUGE HISTORY Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR has a rich history, starting with the American Indians, who followed bison across the plains. The area designated as the ‘Rocky Mountain Arsenal’ was created shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, serving as a facility to manufacture chemical weapons in support of World War II. The site saw continued use through the Vietnam War and ultimately was used as a location for disposing chemical weapons and development of by a private company. As the clean-up for the site was jumpstarted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program in 1986, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discovered more than 300 species of wildlife inhabiting the site, including a roost of bald eagles, an endangered species. The legislation making Rocky Mountain Arsenal a NWR was signed into law in 1992.

The timeline on the next page includes a high-level look at the history of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR.

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1942 Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) built to manufacture and test chemical weapons for WWII

1985 RMA closes

1986 A roost of the endangered is found

by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, initiating 1987 TSPLOST FULTON NORTH a thorough environmental assessment An investigation by the EPA discovers the site | needs extreme remediation

1992 Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act enacted and signed into law

2004 Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge opens to the public with walking trails and bus tours giving visitors access to roughly 5,000 acres of the site

2010 The Arsenal’s cleanup program is completed 2011 PROJECTS OVERVIEW Rocky Mountain NWR opens to the public

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN ARSENAL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

PROPERTY MAINTAINED BY US ARMY WILDLIFE DRIVE A hold-over from its time as a military site Wildlife Drive enables vehicular-based visitors the opportunity to drive-through the Refuge for chemical testing and other activities, while experiencing glimpses of the wildlife who call the Refuge home, including the there is a small site within the Refuge famous bison that roam on the Refuge. This self-guided tour facility is 9 miles long trek that is still maintained by the US Army. where visitors can encounter bison, mules, white-tailed deer, red-tailed hawks, prairie This site is a visible earthen mound that dogs, rabbits, waterfowl, shorebirds, and burrowing owls. can be seen from Wildlife Drive that marks where the site is.

FUTURE FIRST CREEK OVERLOOK Along Peña Boulevard, the PRAIRIE GATEWAY OPEN First Creek overlook site will offer visitors an area to SPACE park and to view the bison Owned by Commerce City, the Prairie area as well as connect Gateway Open Space area offers trails to the First Creek Trail. and other recreational facilities leading This site was developed in up to the Refuge. For visitors traveling partnership with the Denver to the Refuge by foot, this 190-acre International Airport with facility is how they currently can enter the hopes that visitor coming the Refuge and begins to set the stage to or from the Airport can for the natural setting internal to the stop at the Refuge to take in Refuge. some nature. VISITOR CENTER The formalized visitor center at Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR features a Friends the Front Range Wildlife Refuges-run gift shop, a curated interactive REFUGE exhibit about the Refuge’s—including a life-size UNITS bison display, a Discovery classroom used by Refuge rangers for classes and other activities, public restrooms, and the Refuge staff offices. It also offers parking to those who wish to use the Refuge’s many nearby walking trails as well as a structured habitat for the Black-footed Ferret, the only native mammal to North America and an endangered species.

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WHERE ARE WE GOING?

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR is making efforts to complement and partner with the larger Denver community. The refuge offers a variety of outdoor recreational activities, including an environmental educational program, a catch-and-release recreational fishing ground, a variety of hiking trails (grassland, wetland, woodland), wildlife viewing opportunities, a self-guided wildlife driving tour, and docent-led site tours. Beyond the available activities within its boundaries, the Refuge has a strong desire to work with local stakeholders to best position its plans with the investment opportunities that are rapidly occurring in the surrounding communities. Providing multimodal transportation access to the refuge continues to be a challenge, particularly due to potential interactions with the bison. The Refuge envisions establishing safe, yet creative, access for community members that does not require invasive vehicular or bicycling infrastructure inside the Refuge. Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR continues to engage public and private partners to address these challenges and serve the community as an accessible resource.

REFUGE VISION To help the Refuge realize its vision, Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR has engaged the local community to implement projects and amenities. As a part of this partnership, the long-term vision for the Refuge is to provide more strategic access points that are grounded by a new, internal wayfinding system. This effort has already begun—with construction for five new access points into the Refuge slated for 2019—and was made possible by a Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant. These efforts are multimodal in nature and include efforts to increase vehicular access to the site, offer safe pedestrian enhancements within the Refuge, and to leverage bicycle infrastructure where appropriate.

Beyond access into and out of the Refuge, Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR plans to begin a more rigorous marketing program—reaching out to partners such as the Denver International Airport, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City), the K-12 school system, and bus and railcar advertisements. Continuing public awareness campaigns that leverage engagement with members of the community on an everyday level can boost the Refuge’s identity and resources within the Denver Metropolitan area.

Some of the more regional partnership opportunities that the Refuge is engaging in include the First Creek Overlook, where the Denver International Airport is looking to partner with the refuge to add nearly 600 acres that will help bring the bison closer for viewing from Peña Boulevard. The NWR is also helping the Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) foundation to build an off-site center that leverages the Refuge for their work. Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR hopes to continue these relationships and partner with other local stakeholders, agencies, and organizations to find continued success in enhancing the Refuge.

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ESTABLISHING THE NEED – COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

Area Demographics The Urban Transportation Connections study analyzed demographic data from the American Community Survey 2010- 2014 to better understand the urban fabric surrounding the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR. This analysis evaluated five socioeconomic factors to establish a potential need for improved access to underrepresented communities: Hispanic/ Non-White Populations, School-aged Children, Households below the Poverty Level, Households without Access to Vehicles, and Households with Limited English Proficiency. For each factor, the area around the refuge was compared to the greater metropolitan area. The cumulative concentrations are combined in the composite map shown below with equal weight. The darkest color shows the highest concentration of the target populations, and the darker colors represent areas of focus when considering future connections to the refuge.

The City of Denver has a notable Hispanic population, with more than 20 percent of Census respondents reporting as Hispanic or Latino background.

CONCENTRATION OF TARGET POPULATIONS*

HIGH

LOW

REFUGE

* Note: the darker the color, the greater the concentration of target populations and the greater the representation of multiple factors from the right- hand page

COMPOSITE AREA DEMOGRAPHICS

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HISPANIC/ NON-WHITE SCHOOL AGE

CONCENTRATION OF TARGET POPULATIONS

HIGH

LOW

LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

LOW INCOME NO VEHICLE

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Community Partners Another aspect of a refuge’s context is the partnerships available in the community and nearby urban core. The City of Denver community and its suburbs have seen tremendous growth in recent years, creating an exciting time with ample partnership opportunities for the Refuge. The nearby Stapleton community abuts the Refuge, which has allowed for partnerships between the two. The nearby High Line Canal trail facility has raised several millions of dollars to enhance and expand this amenity, which would help connect the Refuge to the Montebello community. On the western and southwestern side of the Refuge, Commerce City owns the Prairie Gateway Open Space area that leads up to the Refuge. Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) is a local community organization that helps connect children with nature; they regularly partner with the Refuge for their educational activities and are seeking ways to connect to the Refuge once their formal facility is constructed (ELK has received funding from a multitude of national and local sources for this construction). Beyond local communities, the Refuge is viewed as an asset for Denver International Airport, which sits just across Peña Boulevard from the Refuge—the Airport has supported the Refuge with advertisement and is looking for future opportunities to build a publicly accessible viewing area for visitors to both the Refuge and the Airport and could expand the bison habitat. The Refuge also coordinates and co-manages lands with the US Army.

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REUNION COMMUNITY DENVER INTERNATIONAL ROCKY FLATS NWR AIRPORT * SAND CREEK GREENWAY * DICK’S SPORTING GOODS* PARK * MONTEBELLO COMMUNITY PIONEER PARK * ***** ELK FACILITY

UVALDA TRAIL

CENTRAL PARK TRANSIT STATION

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Community Connections The Urban Transportation Connections Study aims to identify ways to better connect Urban Refuges to their community. To achieve this goal, the planning team identified places in the community that could be served by future multimodal connections to the Refuge. The following pages include details about projects that could provide these connections as well as non-infrastructure based projects or programs that can further increase awareness of the Refuge in the community.

Note: this Refuge Access Plan is a companion piece to an online tool that is being developed as part of the this study. More information about partnerships, community connections, and projects will be available in this online tool.

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PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS Using feedback gathered from the site visit, stakeholder input, Refuge insight, and other analysis to understand Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR’s current and future accessibility needs, the planning team developed a list of recommended transportation projects to provide the community connections identified on the previous page. The projects were categorized into four major mode types: Roadway (RD-), Transit (TR-), Bicycle and Pedestrian (BP-), and Other (OT-).

To support the Refuge with implementing projects from the Urban Transportation Connections Study, these recommended projects were evaluated against a robust set of evaluation criteria and organized into three tiers: Top Priority, Second Priority, and Easy Wins (detailed on page 13). Top Priority projects are those projects deemed to be of either the greatest need or biggest impact to the Refuge’s accessibility. Second Priority projects are projects that can increase the Refuge’s accessibility, but do not have either as high of a need or potential impact as those in the First Priority category and/or they require significant Refuge time/money or may be dependent on another project being implemented first. Easy Win projects require little time or money for implementation and may serve as catalysts for greater Refuge enhancements or improvements.

The prioritized transportation projects for Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR are listed below and featured in the map on the next page.

TOP PRIORITY ƒƒRD-4: Add access points (as a cul-de-sac or loop) to provide access from Quebec and Montebello communities ƒƒRD-7: Install signalized pedestrian crossing at Quebec Street ƒƒTR-2: Create Service-led shuttle around the Wildlife Loop with pick-up stations around the perimeter ƒƒTR-4: Create a bus route along Peoria that allows the community to access the Refuge via bus ƒƒBP-10: Create a bikeshare station/amenity on or near the Refuge for out-of-town visitors and the community to enjoy the trails along the Refuge

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR’s Top Priority categories are Transit, Roadway and Bicycle and Pedestrian infrastructure. The Top Priority recommendations largely focus on creating additional multimodal access points and connections. Efforts include shuttle services, an additional bus route, safer pedestrian crossings, and bikeshare amenities.

SECOND PRIORITY ƒƒRD-1: Install wayfinding/signage facilities on Trenton, 56th Avenue corridor, Pena Boulevard, Tower Road ƒƒRD-2: Install wayfinding/signage facilities more prominent signage at 64th and Quebec ƒƒRD-5: Enhance signage around Perimeter Trail ƒƒRD-6: Create an audio tour and frequent sighting signs as well as pull-over places/shelters/facilities with shade to watch for wildlife ƒƒTR-1: Extend Route 62 to the Refuge on the weekend ƒƒBP-1: Enhance signage around Perimeter Trail

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RD-4

BP-3 RD-2

RD-7 TR-2 TR-1

TR-4

PRIORITIZED PROJECTS Projects without a geographic location not mapped.

KEY Projects Not Mapped ƒƒTOP PRIORITY ƒƒTR: Transit ƒƒRD-1 ƒƒBP-2 ƒƒSECOND PRIORITY ƒƒRD: Roadway ƒƒRD-3 ƒƒBP-7 ƒƒRD-5 ƒƒBP-9 ƒƒEASY WINS ƒƒBP: Bicycle and Pedestrian ƒƒRD-6 ƒƒBP-10 ƒƒOT: Other ƒƒBP-1 ƒƒOT-4

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ƒƒBP-2: Provide connection to ELK facility and the surrounding communities (Montebello and Commerce City) ƒƒBP-3: Provide bike facilities to wildlife areas, such as via Wildlife Drive ƒƒBP-7: Install bike racks/other bike facilities (tire repair station, etc.)

Other priorities for Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR include an extension of bus service to Refuge on weekends as well as additional parking, connections to surrounding communities and the ELK facility, and active transportation infrastructure including bike facilities and trails.

The following projects are considered “Easy Wins” for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR and should be sought for quick, low cost implementation.

EASY WINS ƒƒRD-3: Update geolocation in Google ƒƒBP-9: Add trail markers with signs, featuring distance as minutes instead of length ƒƒOT-4: Install experiential wayfinding/signage about “How to use the Refuge” (canoeing, birding, etc.)

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS While the focus of the Urban Transportation Connections Study was to identify ways to provide more equitable access to Urban Wildlife Refuges through alternative means of transportation, there are two other major categories of projects that surfaced during the Refuge site visits and the development of the Refuge Access Plans: Large-Scale and Community Awareness Projects. Large-Scale Projects are projects needed in the community and/or near the Refuge that are too big in scope for FWS to implement with their limited funding, but they should continue to get FWS and Refuge support. Community Awareness Projects are important for the Refuge to be a valued community asset and should be implemented, but these projects extend beyond the purpose of the Urban Transportation Connections Study.

The evaluation criteria developed for the Urban Transportation Connections Study considered these limitations—if a project was not a transportation-specific project, it was not given a score. This lack of scoring is not indicative of the project’s relative importance, but instead prevented non-transportation projects from being rated against evaluation criteria that favored transportation-based characteristics. Similarly, if projects were too big for the Service on their own, either due to time or monetary constraints, these projects were not scored during the evaluation process to prevent unrealistic projects from scoring higher than more feasible projects.

The following projects have been determined to be too large for the Refuge to solely take on—instead, they should continue to support the development and implementation of these critical projects—or projects that will help to increase community awareness of the Refuge but do not further the Urban Transportation Connections Study goal of increasing equitable transportation-focused access.

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LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS ƒƒTR-3: Coordinate with RTA to provide a storage facility for luggage for people coming from the Airport via transit to visit the Refuge before heading to the City ƒƒTR-5: Implement an on-demand, self-driving vehicle for on-site transportation

COMMUNITY AWARENESS PROJECTS ƒƒTR-6: Work with RTA to have art installations at the transit stations closest to the Refuge depict wildlife ƒƒTR-7: Create a Refuge presence on the A-line train through advertisements ƒƒBP-4: Coordinate with ELK to provide a guided tour of the Refuge leveraging their future bike library ƒƒBP-5: Explore day-specific biking events in/around the Refuge (such as Bike to Work Day [June 28th]) ƒƒBP-6: Create a concession area ƒƒBP-8: Create programming (with a focus on bike/ped modes) to the Thornton area ƒƒOT-1: Add advertisement in the airport ƒƒOT-2: Increase programming ƒƒOT-3: Develop “Where’s the Wildlife?” app ƒƒOT-6: Coordinate getting the Refuge listed on the recreation cards distributed in surrounding communities ƒƒOT-7: Advertise/outreach to local school system (printed/digital) on contact days/events/etc. at the Refuge

NEXT STEPS With the completion of this study, Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR staff should take on the following tasks to continue to advance the goals of the Urban Transportation Connections Study:

ƒƒImplement Easy Wins projects by self-identifying which project(s) to begin with and the necessary steps or partnerships needed for successful completion

ƒƒWork toward implementing Priority Projects by solidifying appropriate partnerships, identifying funding opportunities, and, to the degree possible, initiate early planning and concept design/development

ƒƒIdentify high priority partnerships and determine what needs to be done to foster these relationships

ƒƒCoordinate with transit agencies to extend service to the refuge and to help to promote awareness of the refuge

ƒƒSeek out additional collaboration opportunities with regional transportation working groups, especially at the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)/Council of Governments (COG)-level to promote the Refuge in big- picture, regional planning efforts

ƒƒIncorporate more Community Awareness projects and programming into NWR’s outreach efforts by identifying gaps, developing an execution plan, and delivering the project or program

November 2019 14 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Urban Transportation Connections Study project team gratefully acknowledges the following stakeholders for their contributions:

Adams County | Bicycle Colorado | Bikes Together | City of Aurora | City of Commerce

City of Denver | Colorado Department of Transportation | Conservation Colorado | Denver International Airport

Denver Parks and Natural Resources | Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) | Great Outdoors Colorado (GoCo) Groundwork Denver

Mile High Youth Corps | People for Bikes | Regional Transit District | Sand Creek Regional Greenway | Walk Denver

Photo Credit: Cover: “Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge” Refuge Ranger Diane Emmons Cover: “Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge” Kimley-Horn Page 2: “Service-owned shuttle at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge” Kimley-Horn Page 3: “Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center” Kimley-Horn Page 9: “Prairie dogs at Rocky Mountain National Wildlife Refuge” Kimley-Horn

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Site Visit: May 2017