Browns Park is a broad river valley in extreme northwest Colorado, bordered by the Diamond Mountains (the eastern end of the Uinta Range) to the west and the Cold Springs Mountain ridge to the east. The Green River, a major tributary of the Colorado, courses through the valley after leaving Flaming Gorge in Utah; in southern Browns Park, it re-enters the mountains at the spectacular Gates of Lodore (within Dinosaur National Monument).
Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1965 to protect vital riverine wetlands and associated riparian habitats which have long been nourished by seasonal flooding. Following the construction of the Flaming Gorge Dam (which eliminated that flooding) refuge personnel established a water management system that pumps water from the river and local creeks into the wetland areas. After all, migrant birds have long relied on these wetlands as they cross the dry terrain of western Colorado; in addition, many species of waterfowl and shorebirds nest along the Green River.
The 12,150 acre refuge protects those riverine habitats as well as a swath of upland shrub zone, characterized by sage, greasewood, needle grass, piñon pine and Utah juniper. Among the 68 species of mammal that inhabit the refuge are moose, mule deer, pronghorns, river otters, badgers, beaver and wintering herds of elk. Other species of note include golden and bald eagles, sage grouse, white-faced ibis, American bitterns, Woodhouse's toads and, of course, rattlesnakes. The spectacular scenery and solitude of this remote refuge are equally appealing to the visitor; during my two-hour visit (admittedly on a Monday afternoon), I did not encounter another human being.
Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1965 to protect vital riverine wetlands and associated riparian habitats which have long been nourished by seasonal flooding. Following the construction of the Flaming Gorge Dam (which eliminated that flooding) refuge personnel established a water management system that pumps water from the river and local creeks into the wetland areas. After all, migrant birds have long relied on these wetlands as they cross the dry terrain of western Colorado; in addition, many species of waterfowl and shorebirds nest along the Green River.
The 12,150 acre refuge protects those riverine habitats as well as a swath of upland shrub zone, characterized by sage, greasewood, needle grass, piñon pine and Utah juniper. Among the 68 species of mammal that inhabit the refuge are moose, mule deer, pronghorns, river otters, badgers, beaver and wintering herds of elk. Other species of note include golden and bald eagles, sage grouse, white-faced ibis, American bitterns, Woodhouse's toads and, of course, rattlesnakes. The spectacular scenery and solitude of this remote refuge are equally appealing to the visitor; during my two-hour visit (admittedly on a Monday afternoon), I did not encounter another human being.
