FUDS Program Links

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Safety is a Priority

3Rs logo

Follow the 3Rs of Explosives Safety
if you suspect you may have come
across a military munition.

Recognize – when you may have
come across a munition and that
munitions are dangerous.
 
Retreat – do not approach, touch,
move or disturb it, but carefully
leave the area.
 
Report –call 911 and advise the police
of what you saw and where you saw it.

Restricted Areas

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is located in southwestern Arizona between the city of Yuma and the town of Quartzsite in La Paz and Yuma counties. The Corps of Engineers is investigating and monitoring this area through the Formerly Used Defense Sites, or FUDS Program, for munitions and explosive hazards that may remain from previous military activity. This page provides information on the Restricted Areas, which is part of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge FUDS property.

The Restricted Areas project comprises 110,995 acres and was investigated in three sections: the Kofa Mountains Restricted Area (58,119 acres), Castle Dome Restricted Area #1 (8,842 acres), and Castle Dome Restricted Area #2 (44,034 acres). Historically the Restricted Areas project was considered off-limits for Army firing activities and maneuvers, which likely indicates that no military construction or improvements took place in the project areas.

Today, the property is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website, more than 80 percent of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is designated as wilderness. It offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy wildlife watching, photography, hiking, camping and limited hunting.

Based on previous site investigations and historical records searches, the Corps of Engineers is recommending that no further FUDS Program investigations be conducted at this project because (1) historically the Restricted Areas project was declared off-limits to military operations and (2) no Munitions and Explosives of Concern or munitions debris were found during any subsequent site investigations.

Contact Information

For more information about the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge - Restricted Areas project, please call the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District Public Affairs Office at 213-452-3921.

To learn more about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FUDS Program, please click here.