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About Friends
The Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges is a non-profit organization that supports the two largest national wildlife refuges in the Denver metro area – the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Through active volunteering and fundraising, the Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges supports refuge programs, volunteers, environmental education for kids and habitat restoration among many other projects.
Each year, FFRWR sets a variety of goals in support of our refuges.
Please join us as we work with and for the Refuges we love!
Learn More on our Colorado Gives Foundation Page
Take the Walk for the Wild 5K Challenge!
Walk with us to thrive. Walk to make sure wildlife thrives.
Walk for the Wild is an annual event to demonstrate our commitment to deepening human connections with nature and to protect the thriving ecosystems we depend on.
Join us to raise awareness and support of National Wildlife Refuges & their partners while we strive to get people moving a distance of 5K in nature in conjunction with National Wildlife Refuge Week, the second week of October.
National Wildlife Refuge Week 2024 kicks off with Urban Refuge Day on Saturday, October 12th. National Wildlife Refuge Week runs October 13-19, 2024.
Our event is on October 19th starting from 9:30 am – 10:30 am at the Visitor Center of Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
Join our Artwork Installation and Celebration October 26th, 2024
Friends contracted local artists to collaborate with Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) art club elementary age students and MLK High School students, as well as participants of all ages from the First Friday nights at ELK to create captivating artwork for the 56th St Entrances Gate project.
Meet the talented individuals behind this initiative, including Michael Gadlin for the Chambers entrance and Drew Austin (lead artist) and Finn Baker for the Uvulda entrance. These artists have embraced the challenge of addressing concerns of accessibility by collaborating with local students to create entrances that truly reflect the desires and spirit of our community.
Subscribe for Refuge Updates and Free Programs!
Check out previous Newsletters by clicking the links below.
Select the image below to join for Refuge updates and upcoming events.
FFRWR September 2024 Newsletter
FFRWR March-April 2024 Newsletter
FFRWR January-February 2024 Newsletter
FFRWR December 2023 Newsletter
FFRWR November 2023 Newsletter
FFRWR September 2023 Newsletter
Thank you for celebrating Harvest Moon Appreciation Dinner
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Contact: vthurk@ffrwr.org to sponsor Harvest Moon 2025
In The News
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge has been honored as the first “flagship” urban refuge in the nation by the Biden administration. Only one of a handful of Urban Refuges achieving that designation, RMANWR endeavors to share its many resources, such as excellent environmental education opportunities, fishing, archery, and fun with local communities and the public at large. Read about it and listen to an interview by clicking here.
Volunteer Spotlight Rocky Mountain PBS
Montoya Whiteman, a dedicated volunteer with a deep connection to the refuge shares about Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge as the first baby bison are born for the season. Montoya says, “It’s a story of resilience that parallels the story of resilience with the bison and also with Indigenous peoples. Watch here!
Radio Feature: Might High Magazine, Bonneville International
Friends Executive Director, Vanessa Thurk, spoke with Murphy Huston on Mile High Magazine about Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges’ impact on Colorado’s Wildlife Refuges and promote our upcoming Harvest Moon appreciation dinner.
You can listen to the interview here:
https://lnkd.in/ghF92Rge
https://lnkd.in/gd3Ert4v
https://lnkd.in/gZCSwXtj
Release of Black-Footed Ferrets
The National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center released Black-Footed Ferrets at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge this Fall. You can read about the release or click to watch the video below to learn more!
Black-Footed Ferret Release Video
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that Denver’s Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge will be awarded $1 million in additional annual funding to expand their Urban Wildlife Conservation Program. With this funding, the Refuge will be able to better support local communities in the metro Denver area by offering a safe outdoor place for the community and visitors to enjoy recreation in their nearby nature. The Refuge will also be able to improve infrastructure, provide more environmental education opportunities, and support community partnerships.
“We are thrilled to be able to invest additional resources in providing opportunities for diverse local communities to use and enjoy the Refuge,” FWS Regional Director Noreen Walsh said. “Our vision is for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to be a place where all are welcome, and where visitors can enjoy access to the natural world and learn about our native wildlife. We are especially excited to be able to invest these new resources in connecting to and partnering with our neighbors in this urban metropolitan area.”
Here is a 10 minute video on the new Urban Wildlife Conservation investment:
CBS News
We are so proud to be highlighted on national news. Take two minutes and enjoy nature!
“CBS Sunday Morning takes us among the bison, rabbits and prairie dogs at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Commerce City, Colorado. Videographer: Michael Clark.”
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges are very excited to propose the new Lake Mary Education Center! Visits to the refuge have exploded and there is greatly-increased demand for environmental education. The board proposes to repurpose the fifty-year-old Contact Station into a full service Education Center. Please read the attached report for all the details. Click here to see the full proposal.
Getting outdoors and into nature is easy at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge – especially in the fall!
Click here to read an article from the Denver Post (requires a paid subscription).
Enjoy & Support your Denver-metro Urban National Wildlife Refuges
The Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges (FFRWR) is a community that supports the two largest national wildlife refuges in the Denver metro area–the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuges.
Through events, communications, advocacy and fundraising, we support the refuges in
- Conserving and restoring native habitat and wildlife
- Giving the public opportunities to experience wildlife and nature near a major metropolitan area
- Providing environmental education in partnership with families and schools
We also support the refuges by:
- Keeping our congressional leaders and other Friends Groups informed about the successes and concerns of our refuges
- Soliciting expertise, ideas, funds, and materials from the community to help make our local refuges outstanding
Ultimately, our vision is to create two refuges in which native wildlife and habitat are maintained in a healthy ecosystem that is rich and diverse and that contributes to the education and recreational enjoyment of people from all walks of life.
The beautiful photos you see are above were taken by wildlife photographer Dave Showalter at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Roll over each image to see an expanded view of the site and the wildlife that calls the Refuge home.