University of Cincinnati

04/21/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/21/2025 13:55

UC celebrates Earth Day 2025 with award-winning publication

UC celebrates Earth Day 2025 with award-winning publication

Grassroots activism at forefront of restoring Fernald as wildlife haven

6 minute read April 21, 2025 Share on facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Print StoryLike

Earth Day celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day has gone global, and with its adoption have come federal intuitions such as the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and policies familiar to most: the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts.

This year, UC's College of Arts and Sciences has reason to celebrate as well. It's a regional win, capturing the reformation of Fernald, a former nuclear production facility located in northwest Cincinnati.

Assistant Professor and environmental historian Casey Huegel has received numerous awards for his book, "Cleaning Up the Bomb Factory: Grassroots Activism and Nuclear Waste in the Midwest," (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books, 2024).

UC assistant professor of history and environmental historian Casey Huegel. Photo/Provided

The Fernald Preserve is a former uranium processing plant located in a rural, residential area 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati, Ohio. The site has gone by many names over the years, including Feed Materials Production Center, Fernald Environmental Management Project and Fernald Closure Project, but is most often referred to as Fernald.

Getting beyond its past, with the help of grassroots activists, the site has blossomed into a lush habitat for native animals and visitors alike.

Today, Fernald Preserve is a large grassland sustaining diverse wildlife, from birds to deer to beavers, and many other creatures who call this place home. Yet, if you were to see Fernald in the past, it would hard to recognize it as the same.

Fernald's history: Uranium for the Cold War

Eastern wildlife like this raccoon is abundant in the restored woods and wetlands at Fernald Nature Preserve. Photo/Michael Miller

In 1951, the U.S. Department of Energy built the Fernald Feed Material Production Center. The purpose of the plant was to process uranium for nuclear weapons to be utilized during the Cold War. At first, community members were excited to have the factory nearby due to its economic impact.

"There was excitement that there's going to be this really important regional employer there and in 1956 Fernald hit its peak workforce," Huegel said.

But as time progressed and tensions of the Cold War slowed down, community support began to falter. By 1979, there were only 500 contracted employees still working at Fernald, Huegel said, leading to a period where the plant was forgotten.

"Some people who lived in the area weren't even sure what it was and were actually surprised to learn it was an atomic plant."

Then in 1984, a uranium leak at Fernald was uncovered, leaving many residents worried about their health, safety and future.

Community activism kicks in

Fernald's hardwood forests harbor several species of woodpecker. Photo/Michael Miller

"This is the era when, because of activists, because of journalists doing research, because of workers fighting for a cleaner workplace, because of politicians fighting to figure out what happened that the community discovers, after this 1984 uranium leak, that Fernald became known as a very polluted place, and the third-most contaminated nuclear wasteland in the country," Huegel said.

"And it's out of that, of course, the community has an extremely tense relationship with Fernald."

With a center on grassroots activism, Huegel tells the stories of the ordinary people who created change for their community.

Killdeer nest in the gravel paths in the Fernald Nature Preserve. Photo/Michael Miller

It's so important to keep this history attached to the place so that it's always remembered that this was a uranium processing plant as part of the nuclear weapons complex and that the community had to put up such a big fight to get this place cleaned up," Huegel said.

"Making sure that's remembered, I think is extremely important and part of why I wrote this book."

Through efforts such as Fernald Residents for Environmental Safety and Help (FRESH) and worker's unions, the community fought to clean up the waste to create a safe and healthy preserve.

Kudos for an award-winning remembrance

Since its release in 2024, Huegel's book has received the Junior Scholar Publication award from the Ohio Academy of History, the UC History Prize in American History from the department of history and most recently was named an honorable mention for the Frederick Jackson Turner Award.

David Stradling, the Zane L. Miller Professor of Urban History at UC and interim head of UC's Department of History, commends Huegel's book, highlighting its emphasis on telling the stories of residents who sought change.

"Casey's book is the first to fully explore a citizen movement to force the Department of Energy to clean up a nuclear facility," Stradling said.

Lessons for the future

A fawn hides in the cattails at the Fernald Nature Preserve. Photo/Michael Miller

With his book, Huegel also aimed to shine a light on Midwest history.

"I hope this book reminds people to think about the Midwest and its significant nuclear history," Huegel said. "I was really wanting to attract attention to the Midwest as a significant place for environmental activism."

Said Stradling: "Here we have a story that is grounded in this place, with the central activists demanding protection of their families and their properties. They were demanding that the government do the right thing for its citizens. Ultimately, they succeeded."

Reflecting on the accolades he has received, Huegel would like to give thanks to those who helped him reach where he is today.

"Receiving these honors is so exciting because they're coming from organizations and historians that I deeply admire, and I especially want to recognize my former professors and now colleagues in UC's History Department," Huegel said.

"Their engaging instruction and thoughtful mentorship helped me reach my potential as a historian and continue to inspire my work."

Featured image at top: A North American beaver forages at the edge of its beaver pond at the Fernald Nature Preserve. Photo/Michael Miller

By Gracie Reed

Student Journalist, A&S Department of Marketing and Communication

artscinews@ucmail.uc.edu

Related Stories

1

UC's College of Arts and Sciences taps innovative new leadership

December 20, 2023

The College of Arts and Sciences announced Ryan J. White and Rina Williams as the newest divisional deans of Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. White and Kennedy's inclusion will bring new focuses and structure around student success and the college of Arts and Sciences' advancement. Both will officially begin their new terms on Jan. 1, 2024.

2

UC offers new social justice, Latin American studies degrees

October 7, 2020

University of Cincinnati students can now enroll to earn a Bachelor's degree in two new humanities programs: Social Justice, and Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies, offered through UC's College of Arts and Sciences.

3

UC offers new environmental studies degree

February 9, 2022

The University of Cincinnati's College of Arts & Sciences has announced a new environmental studies bachelor of arts program to complement its current bachelor of science degree. The new interdisciplinary program will take a less scientific approach to the discipline, focusing on environmental history, philosophy, literature and writing, society and culture, and the implementation of environmental policies. The new degree is designed to to fill the areas of knowledge that environmental studies students have wanted in the curriculum, such as writing-heavy courses and a more humanities-based approach, says David Stradling, professor of history and chair of the committee for the environmental studies BA program.