DEVELOPMENT & LAND USE

The discovery of Rocky Flats-derived plutonium in air-filter samples collected along Indiana Street has renewed concerns about plans to expand the Rocky Mountain Greenway trail system near the former nuclear weapons plant. The Rocky Mountain Greenway Project began in 2016 as an effort to connect three national wildlife refuges—Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Two Ponds and Rocky Flats—through a regional trail network. Plans include an underpass connecting the Rocky Flats National Wild

In April 2018, CBS Colorado reported that several Colorado school districts had prohibited school-sponsored field trips to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, the site surrounding the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant. The Denver Public Schools Board brought forward a resolution prohibiting its nearly 100,000 students from participating in field trips to the refuge. Board members cited concerns that visiting the former nuclear weapons site posed too great a risk

In March 2025, the Town of Lyons added its voice to growing local-government opposition to the Rocky Mountain Greenway trail connection through the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. On March 17, the Lyons Board of Trustees voted 6–1 to oppose construction of the Greenway through the refuge and its connection to regional trails. Lyons joined Broomfield, Superior and Westminster, which had previously withdrawn their support for the project. The Rocky Mountain Greenway is en

In January 2012, longtime Rocky Flats researcher and activist LeRoy Moore and photographer Robert Del Tredici published an opinion piece in the Boulder Daily Camera titled “Plutonium is forever.” Moore later preserved the article on his Rocky Flats blog, where it remains available today. More than a decade later, the piece provides an important historical perspective on concerns surrounding Rocky Flats, the proposed Jefferson Parkway and opening the Rocky Flats National Wildl

In 2012, LeRoy Moore and Robert Del Tredici published “Plutonium is forever,” an opinion piece raising concerns about residual plutonium contamination, the Jefferson Parkway and public recreation at Rocky Flats. More than a decade later, the article offers a historical perspective on questions about soil disturbance, public access and long-term stewardship that continue to surround Rocky Flats today.