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What Lies Beneath Fernald?

fernald preserve
Wikimedia Commons
Aerial view of the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center.

Uranium processing ended at the Fernald site 30 years ago and now the more than 1,000 acres are known as the Fernald Preserve. Its transition from uranium processing facility during the Cold War to vast nature preserve involved lawsuits, contamination, community advocacy, new government regulations, and an enormous and comprehensive clean-up.

Journalist Jenny Wohlfarth documented what she called "an ecological oasis in our city's backyard, with a very dark past."

For the June edition of Cincinnati Magazine, Wohlfarth spent months researching and reporting on the class-action lawsuit brought forth by local residents against the federal government over the environmental contamination at Fernald, as well as the site's notable evolution.

Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss her findings for the story is University of Cincinnati journalism professor and Cincinnati Magazine contributing writer Jenny Wohlfarth (@jenny_wohlfarth).

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Michael Monks brings a broad range of experience to WVXU-FM as the host of Cincinnati Edition, Cincinnati Public Radio's weekday news and information talk show.