The Fernald Preserve was closed as a contaminated nuclear weapons plant in the 1990s, and reporters weren't even allowed to get out of the official van because it wasn't quite safe to walk around unprotected.

But in 2014, the former Feed Materials Production Center, which processed low-level uranium for use in nuclear bombs from 1951 to 1989, is a place where birders and photographers and casual hikers roam 7-plus miles of trails on the 1,050 acres 20 miles northwest of Cincinnati. Local schoolchildren visit the preserve on field trips, learning about Ohio wildlife.

Fernald is one of two former nuclear sites that have been decontaminated to the point where the public can visit.

(READ the story in the USA Today)