Paint, renovation debris found dumped at Rocky Mountain Arsenal

Brooke Williams
·3 min read
5

DENVER (KDVR) — Federal law enforcement officers are looking to find whoever is responsible for what appeared to be renovation debris that was dumped on the grounds at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge this week.

“Our public lands belong to all Americans. We need to treat our lands better than this for future generations to enjoy. We will catch you and YOU WILL BE PROSECUTED,” the refuge posted on X Wednesday.

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Deputy Refuge Manager Megan Klosterman told FOX31 that a visitor reported the debris to park managers. She said it looked like someone had remodeled a bathroom and then dumped a bathtub, cabinets, doors and “all kinds of stuff” at the refuge.

While on the phone with FOX31, Klosterman said she was in her office covered in dry paint after helping cleanup efforts.

“When I went to pick up one of the bags, I didn’t realize it was full of paint,” she said. “Making our federal staff go out there and put in their time and energy to clean it up, taking that time away from other tasks that they could be doing to manage the refuge. And, also, paint on the landscape isn’t great for the environment either.”

Federal law enforcement officers are looking to find whoever is responsible for what appeared to be renovation debris that was dumped on the grounds at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge this week.
Federal law enforcement officers are looking to find whoever is responsible for what appeared to be renovation debris that was dumped on the grounds at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge this week. (Photo: Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge)

Klosterman said there are two federal law enforcement officers at Rocky Mountain Arsenal who are reviewing video footage and investigating the incident. If they find the person responsible, they will receive a federal citation.

Illegal dumping at the refuge

It’s happened before, and Klosterman said people have indeed been cited and fined for dumping there.

“We do find trash dumped out here more often than we would like. It is one of our struggles as an urban refuge,” she said. “This type of dumping can really, you know, break that trust that we’ve built with the public.”

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She hopes that people will treat the land better and stop using the wildlife refuge as a dumping ground for the sake of the wildlife and for the enjoyment of future generations.

“Our mission is to conserve the natural habitat of this prairie landscape and to provide safe haven for wildlife. But obviously, trashing these animals’ homes is disrespectful to the planet, and it’s disrespectful to the public because these open spaces are a safe place to recreate and to connect to nature,” Klosterman said.

The refuge is home to many animals, including bison, deer, raptors, songbirds, waterfowl, prairie dogs, coyotes and more.

Klosterman said she was very grateful for the visitor who reported the garbage to managers so they could respond quickly.

“We can’t be everywhere at once,” she said. “So we kind of rely on their eyes sometimes to let us know what’s going on out there.”

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Anyone with information on this particular dumping is asked to contact Rocky Mountain Arsenal’s law enforcement at 303-289-0232 and select option one.

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