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    • Denver, Colorado, USA
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Wildlife Refuge A Denver, Colorado, USA story

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  1. Earthshots
  2. Denver, Colorado, USA
  3. Wildlife Refuge
Description

There is a noticeable area of undeveloped land in all that urban growth. Just west of the new airport is open land that is now protected from development.

The former area of farmland and grazing land became a chemical weapons manufacturing facility during World War II. Chemical weapons manufacturing ended in 1969, and Shell Oil Co. began using the facility to produce agricultural chemicals. This continued until 1985.

Referred to as the most contaminated place in America, environmental recovery efforts at the site began in the 1980s and continue today. The area became Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in 1992. The valuable prairie, wetland, and woodland habitat is a sanctuary for bison, deer, bald eagles, owls, and many other species. The refuge reached its current size of 15,000 acres in 2010 and offers visitors fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

USGS aerial photos from 1953 and 1971 show these facilities. Many of the structures are no longer there in recent high-resolution images.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

July 9, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 33/32) — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, CO, USA

July 9, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 33/32) — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, CO, USA

Sept. 25, 1953, USGS Aerial Photo — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge location

Sept. 25, 1953, USGS Aerial Photo — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge location

Aug. 7, 1971, USGS Aerial Photo — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge location

Aug. 7, 1971, USGS Aerial Photo — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge location

Aug. 21, 2012, WorldView-2 — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Aug. 21, 2012, WorldView-2 — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Aug. 28, 2017, National Agriculture Imagery Program — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Aug. 28, 2017, National Agriculture Imagery Program — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

July 9, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 33/32) — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, CO, USA
Sept. 25, 1953, USGS Aerial Photo — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge location
Aug. 7, 1971, USGS Aerial Photo — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge location
Aug. 21, 2012, WorldView-2 — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Aug. 28, 2017, National Agriculture Imagery Program — Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Denver, Colorado, USA Additional Imagery & Stories

Greeley
Greeley

Other urban centers near Denver are also growing quickly. While the population of the Denver metropolitan area increased by 78% between 1990 and 2017,...

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New Airport
New Airport

A major development in this time series of images is Denver International Airport. A massive piece of infrastructure, the airport sits on 34,000 acres...

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Stapleton
Stapleton

Stapleton Airport near downtown Denver served the city since 1929. By the 1980s, it was becoming overburdened and could no longer meet the needs of th...

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