You can see bison and much more

Earlier this month I visited the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a 15,000 acre landscape less than 10 miles from downtown Denver. I snapped a photo (above) of the bison to show my colleagues — and now you.

I thought, How great is it that this refuge and these bison are so close to downtown Denver?

And it’s not just the case here. Overall, 101 of the 570 national wildlife refuges — the Biden administration recently created 2 new ones during national wildlife refuge week — are within 25 miles of a city with 250,000 or more people.

Birds, bison, bees, prairie and more need these public lands, and endangered and threatened species depend on them. People love them too. But funding has often fallen short.

On a policy level, Congress should look hard at the refuge system’s budget. Historically, it has gotten the short end of the stick for funding, leading to painful staffing cuts and more.

On a personal level, I urge you to check out a refuge near you. After all, not every trip into the great outdoors can be to the Great Smokies, Zion, Yellowstone or another beautiful (and often overcrowded) national park.

Go visit a wildlife refuge. Go see bison!