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Friends Newsletter July 2026

Photo Credit: Candy Jones, Information Desk Volunteer

Contents

• Events Recap: GenWild Camping trip at Cherry Creek State Park

• Volunteering: Open Information Desk Volunteer position

• Nature’s Nest: Get your own pocket BFF Shop

• Advocacy: Bison News + Chaco National Park needs your help!

• Wildlife Updates: Celebrate National Bison Month at RMANWR

• Harvest Moon Dinner: Exclusive Historic Arsenal Memorabilia

GenWild Lesson: Plant Adaptations

Our Generation Wild Coordinator taught a lesson on native CO plant adaptation to support Commerce City’s week of service camp. The lesson covered common plant adaptations for different weather and survival tactics, then the students created their own adaptive plant and presented their unique adaptations to the whole group.

GenWild Camping Trip

Commerce City hosted our Generation Wild Community, the NEMC, for a community camping trip at Cherry Creek State Park! Cherry Creek State Park provided group camp sites as well as fishing and archery programming. Bluff Lake Nature Center provided an owl pellet program, and FFRWR helped with the initial coordination and registration process. This event was geared towards first-time campers and families, and some families were even able to take home some donated tents from the City of Aurora.

Volunteer at RMANWR

Sign up for one of our Community Volunteer Days or apply for weekly volunteer positions at the Information Desk and Nature’s Nest store. Bring your friends and family to one or all of our upcoming volunteering events to show up for wildlife!

• Weekly, Saturday mornings (9am - 12:30pm) AND Saturday afternoons (12:30pm - 4pm) at the Information Desk

  • Regular weekly volunteers gain access to exclusive volunteer experiences and appreciation benefits!

Each year, our volunteer projects slow down from July - August for the safety of our volunteers during Colorado’s hottest months. Fall volunteer projects will be available online soon at volunteer.gov!

Nature’s Nest

Books & Gifts

Nature’s Nest Store Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 9 am - 4pm

Advocacy Corner

Educational Resources to Support Public Lands and Our Community

Wildlife Updates

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

• Bison Calves

  • The calf count for 2026 is at 46 new young bison! The Refuge wildlife specialist is preparing for the annual bison gathering where each animal receives a health check and a number are donated to Tribes through the InterTribal Buffalo Council.  

    
    

• Fawns and velvet at RMANWR

  • Dawn and dusk are said to be the best viewing times for doe and fawn pairs. However, each year visitors catch up-close sightings of huge mule deer bucks in velvet cooling off under cottonwoods at the end of the Wildlife Drive.

    
    

• Trail Open at First Creek

  • The eaglets at the nest near the First Creek Trail have fledged! Two nests at Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR had one eaglet each this year. The First Creek trail is back open for the season with a few trail improvements thanks to USFWS habitat staff and funding from NFWF.

Photo Credit: James Jacobs, former FFRWR Board Treasurer

Sneak Peek: Arsenal History

Harvest Moon Tickets on Sale Now: Thursday, September 10th

This year, the silent auction at Harvest Moon will showcase part of the Refuge history that needs to be remembered. In the height of on-site productions, Golden brand golden bricks were used in the smokestacks. Many bricks are engraved with “Golden" and have a rounded shape, specific to the curve of the smokestacks.

These Golden bricks are created here in Colorado, and the Refuge has been saving them for a special project. Get your hands on a piece of the history of Rocky Mountain Arsenal by bidding on one of just five bricks at our silent auction. This is an incredibly unique opportunity to take home part of history.

Event Details:

Our annual Harvest Moon appreciation Dinner is Thursday, September 10th at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Harvest Moon Dinner continues a tradition of showing appreciation for Refuge staff and volunteers and fundraisng for their efforts year-round. Doors open at 5pm and the program concludes by 7:30pm to exit the Refuge by 8pm.

This event honors the commitment of staff and volunteers while serving as a vital fundraising opportunity for conservation initiatives and environmental education at the Refuge. Attendees will enjoy a complimentary bar featuring beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages, a catered dinner, a live animal program led by Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance, and updates from the Refuge Manager. The evening also includes networking opportunities, special discounts at Nature’s Nest, and a chance to support ongoing conservation efforts.

The Friends organization is accepting items for our silent auction.

Each year, our auction items range from local artwork to mountain getaway experiences. Please contact vthurk@ffrwr.org for more information.

Land Acknowledgement

Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges staff and Board of Directors work on ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the hinono’eino’ biito’owu’ (Arapaho), Tséstho’e (Cheyenne), Núu-agha-tʉvʉ–pʉ̱ (Ute), Ndé Kónitsąąíí Gokíyaa (Lipan Apache), and  Nʉmʉnʉʉ (Comanche) and others.

With this land acknowledgment, we affirm Indigenous, history, and experiences.

Photo: BFF Sticker available only at Nature’s Nest

What is FFRWR?

Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges (FFRWR or Friends) is a nonprofit organization that supports the two largest national wildlife refuges in the Denver metro area: Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMANWR) and Rocky Flats (RFNWR) National Wildlife Refuges. Through active outreach and fundraising, Friends supports refuge programs, volunteers, environmental education, habitat restoration, and many other initiatives.

Each year, the Friends set a variety of goals in support of our refuges. Those range from funding bus rides to the refuge for school students to coordinating special restoration projects or fishing programs with the community. Last year, 84% of our total budget directly supported programing, fulfilling our mission to provide meaningful opportunities for the public to experience wildlife. Please join and support us as we work together in stewardship.

Newsletter Authors: Vanessa Thurk and Malina Chavez