Welcome to A People's Atlas of Nuclear Colorado
To experience the full richness of the Atlas, please view on desktop.
Navigating the Atlas
You may browse the Atlas by following the curated "paths" of information and interpretation provided by the editors. These paths roughly track the movement of radioactive materials from the earth, into weapons or energy sources, and then into unmanageable waste—along with the environmental, social, technical, and ethical ramifications of these processes. In addition to the stages of the production process, you may view in sequence the positivist, technocratic version of this story, or the often hidden or repressed shadow side to the industrial processing of nuclear materials.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
Sarah Kanouse, Interpretive signage at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, 2 May 2014, Flickr
Site
Rocky Mountain Arsenal / Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
In 1942, the U.S. Army established the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) as an 18,000-acre chemical weapons plant, evicting several hundred farming families. From 1942 to 1982, the Army manufactured chemical weapons and, for much of this period, leased portions of the facility to what is now Shell Oil to make commercial pesticides and herbicides. During four decades of activity, RMA produced an array of military and industrial chemicals, including plant pathogens, incendiaries, and sarin nerve gas. Toxic by-products of many of these compounds were stored in open-air, unlined basins, which led to severe soil and groundwater contamination across portions of the RMA and neighboring communities.
After chemical operations ceased in 1982, wildlife biologists discovered roosting bald eagles at RMA, sparking interest in turning the site into a national wildlife refuge. The designation would facilitate conservation of resident wildlife, and also vastly reduce the cleanup standards required for the Army and Shell to remediate and vacate the site. Congress passed the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act in 1992. After the state of Colorado sued over surface and groundwater contamination, the Army and Shell eventually contributed $2.1 billion toward an effort to consolidate and contain contaminants at the RMA; virtually all buildings and infrastructure were also removed.
Today, the Army retains ownership of approximately 1,000 acres near the center of the property—the location of two hazardous waste landfills. The remaining lands have been transferred to other ownership, primarily to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The agency now manages 15,000 acres of the RMA as one of the nation’s largest urban wildlife refuges. The FWS continues to restore short- and mixed-grass prairie ecosystems and has introduced bison and black-footed ferrets as part of this effort. In 2011, the FWS built a new visitor center, and officials now estimate annual visitation at 300,000.
U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. “Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement: Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.” May 2015. Accessed January 13, 2023.
After chemical operations ceased in 1982, wildlife biologists discovered roosting bald eagles at RMA, sparking interest in turning the site into a national wildlife refuge. The designation would facilitate conservation of resident wildlife, and also vastly reduce the cleanup standards required for the Army and Shell to remediate and vacate the site. Congress passed the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act in 1992. After the state of Colorado sued over surface and groundwater contamination, the Army and Shell eventually contributed $2.1 billion toward an effort to consolidate and contain contaminants at the RMA; virtually all buildings and infrastructure were also removed.
Today, the Army retains ownership of approximately 1,000 acres near the center of the property—the location of two hazardous waste landfills. The remaining lands have been transferred to other ownership, primarily to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The agency now manages 15,000 acres of the RMA as one of the nation’s largest urban wildlife refuges. The FWS continues to restore short- and mixed-grass prairie ecosystems and has introduced bison and black-footed ferrets as part of this effort. In 2011, the FWS built a new visitor center, and officials now estimate annual visitation at 300,000.
Sources
Havlick, David. Bombs Away: Militarization, Conservation, and Ecological Restoration. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2018.U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. “Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement: Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.” May 2015. Accessed January 13, 2023.
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