By: Leo Fautsch

If you are not aware of it, we have an amazing attraction right here in Commence City at 6550 Gateway Road. It is the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. It used to be a Super Fund Site, but the Federal Government cleaned it up and turned it into a beautiful park.

It has a Visitor Center with some history about the area, a staff person to answer questions, and a very nice gift store with affordable souvenirs. There are also some nice hiking paths and bike trails, but the main attraction is a stretch of road where you can take in some rare viewing of deer, buffalo, eagles, and of course prairie dogs.

The facility covers about 16,000 acres, so how close you get to the animals is a bit of a hit and miss. Typically, due to the large number of deer, you will be able to get within several yards of a buck or a doe. The buffalo tend to travel in a heard, so you will see them, but they may be off in the distance, but if you visit the park on a regular basis, odds are you will catch the heard right by the road where they are so close you can hear them snort and maybe get just a few yards from them.

They also have eagles, which are a treat to view, but they are harder to spot, but if you keep an eye to the sky, and watch the tree branches and power lines you may get lucky, and find one of these splendid creatures sailing through the sky or hanging out surveying the landscape.

As a local photographer, I have found it to be priceless for wildlife images. If you would like to view some of the pictures I have been able to capture at the Arsenal, please visit my webpage at: yourartdesires.com.