The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM), former site workers, regulators, and local community members gathered at the Fernald Preserve Site Visitors Center on Sept. 19, 2026, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the site’s closure and cleanup
October 5, 2026
Estimated Read Time min
A lot can happen in 20 years’ time. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM), former site workers, regulators, and local community members gathered at the Fernald Preserve Site Visitors Center on Sept. 19, 2026, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the site’s closure and cleanup. The event marked the transformation of the site from a former defense uranium processing facility into an ecologically restored, undeveloped park with an emphasis on wildlife.
“It was great to be a part of this place,” said Dick Kasperek, a former worker and member of the local Fernald Community Alliance, “and great to be here and see what the site has become.”
Kasperek emphasized the importance of the site to the area and the value of community involvement: “You must stay involved with a place like this.”
More than 250 visitors attended the celebration, which included a special program and a community open house, highlighting the efforts of former workers, community supporters, and staff members during the site remediation, and the DOE’s commitment to protect the health and safety of the surrounding communities and environment.
“The anniversary event was a great opportunity for us to honor and celebrate the very people who have worked to transform the site,” said Site Manager Brian Zimmerman. “It’s through their efforts and accomplishments that the Fernald Preserve Site has become such a valuable resource within the community and such a key example of the beneficial reuse of a former defense production facility.”
The special program portion of the event was dedicated to former workers and community supporters and offered attendees a chance to reminisce, swap memories, and enjoy a range of speakers, including remarks from peers and from LM Deputy Director Lara Beasley.
“We will all continue to perform the vital work we do here to ensure this site remains the community resource it has become,” Beasley said. “If you discuss what success at an LM site looks like … it looks like Fernald. And that success speaks highly of the history and hard work undertaken to transition away from production, to start and complete a complex cleanup project, to create this wonderful public resource, and to protect the community and the environment.”
Highlighting the site’s commitment to the community, the anniversary event also featured a community open house with exhibits, tours, and activities for kids and adults alike. Attendees learned about the site, from its past Cold War operations to its present-day ecology. Events included an exhibit tour and wildlife spotting. As a special treat, the public got to go inside the converted advanced wastewater treatment facility, where ion exchange technology removes contamination from groundwater. The day’s events wrapped up with a hike to the on-site disposal facility, an engineering marvel designed to safely dispose of waste from the cleanup efforts, protecting human health and the environment.
Production at Fernald shut down in 1989 to refocus the site's mission on cleanup, with comprehensive characterization and remediation progressing under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, commonly known as the Superfund program. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) declared cleanup complete in 2006 and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency both agreed, leaving only ongoing groundwater pump-and-treat operations. The site was subsequently transferred from EM to LM for long-term stewardship and opened to the public in 2008.
Through it all, the community has played an essential role. Neighbors came together in 1984 to form the Fernald Residents for Environmental Safety and Health (FRESH) to hold DOE accountable.
“When I come here, I always think to myself, ‘How did we do all this?’ ” said Graham Mitchell, FCA President. “And I always realize how: we worked together and did what was needed to make this preserve happen.”
Since cleanup ended in 2006, the Fernald Community Alliance has worked to ensure that the Fernald Preserve lives up to its promise of being a valuable community asset.
During her comments, FRESH president Lisa Crawford noted, “It was 42 years ago that I started participating as a stakeholder and started raising hell. That work was important in creating this visitors center and in supporting the site development. And it’s just as important to continue to participate to help further the healing at this community resource.”
With the commitment and focused efforts of DOE, regulators, and the community, the site underwent a remarkable transformation, turning a former defense production site into a valued nature preserve. The area has become a favorite spot for birdwatchers and wildlife lovers.
Over the past 20 years, the site has continued to serve the community, providing seven miles of hiking trails and the Fernald Visitors Center. The center has exhibits showcasing the history of the site and offers a community meeting room that can be reserved at no cost. Throughout the year, visitors center staff conduct outreach programs and host regular educational programs for kids and adults alike.