Elk hunting has begun at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Refuge manager David Lucas says elk tested in 2023 had nondetect results for radionuclides, but the underlying laboratory records have not yet been located publicly. Rocky Flats Downwinders is seeking the original testing documentation to understand what was measured, how the results were interpreted, and what they mean for hunters and their families.

A recorded 2016 City of Arvada development agreement required Candelas homebuilders to provide homebuyers with a Contiguous Area Report discussing the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility immediately north of the community. Buyers were required to sign the report, and signed copies were to be recorded. The documents also raise another question: what happens to that disclosure when a home becomes a rental?

CDPHE’s cancer studies provide limited geographic comparisons, but they did not identify exposed residents, reconstruct residential histories, measure individual exposure, or follow people over time. Without that information—and with questions about the study boundaries and Denver metro comparison population—the health effects of Rocky Flats remain unresolved.

Broomfield's Resolution 2026-115 supports expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act at a critical moment. H.R. 10115 could bring federal recognition and assistance to communities surrounding Rocky Flats—communities that have spent decades asking for greater acknowledgment, health research and support.

New federal legislation could significantly expand who qualifies for compensation for radiation exposure in Colorado, including people who lived near Rocky Flats. In a September 1 report, CBS Colorado examined the proposed Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026 and spoke with Colorado Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen and community members about why they believe the legislation is needed. Expanding RECA in Colorado Pettersen, who represents Colorado's 7th

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 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.

New warning signs at the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge are drawing renewed attention to the site’s nuclear history. Installed in response to public requests, the signs warn of radioactive materials and raise a larger question: how should visitors be informed about the history and continuing concerns surrounding land that once formed part of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons complex?

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.

After Rocky Flats was demolished and most of the former nuclear weapons site became a wildlife refuge, former grand jury foreman and Colorado legislator Wes McKinley fought to ensure its history didn't disappear with the buildings. His years-long campaign for explicit signage raised a question Colorado is still debating: What should visitors be told about what happened at Rocky Flats?