Located close to Denver Airport, RMANWR is on the grounds of the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a United States Army chemical weapons manufacturing facility.
The site was designated a national wildlife refuge in 1992 by the United States Congress, and underwent a costly environmental cleanup in order to remove pollutants.
More than 330 species of wildlife inhabit the refuge, including raptors, mule deer, red foxes, white-tailed deer, raccoons, coyotes, white pelicans, black-footed ferrets, black-tailed prairie dogs, and bison.