Rocky Flats Warning Signage Approved - Press Release 1/27/2026

                            for immediate release, Tuesday, January 27, 2026

BOULDER COUNTY AND WESTMINSTER POSTING WARNING SIGNS AT BORDERS OF ROCKY FLATS WILDLIFE REFUGE ALERTING PUBLIC TO “POTENTIAL RISKS OF USING TRAILS”FROM RADIOACTIVE, HAZARDOUS WASTE AT EX-NUCLEAR BOMB SITE

Responding to requests from area residents, Boulder County and the City of Westminster are posting strong warning signs about the risks of radioactive and toxic contamination facing hikers, bicyclists. and horseback riders planning to use trails at the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons production site, which has been rebranded as a national wildlife refuge.

Beneath a large “Danger Radioactivity” international warning symbol, the signs boldly state, “Visiting Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge May Expose You to Radioactive Materials.” They then explain, “The Rocky Flats Plant Leaked Plutonium and Hazardous Materials onto the land and into the water.” The sign concludes, “Hikers, Bikers, and Equestrians are encouraged to make informed decisions before entering the refuge.”

Over four decades, the Rocky Flats plant used massive quantities of radioactive and toxic materials to manufacture plutonium triggers for U.S. nuclear weapons. The facility was shut down in 1989 after a Federal Bureau of Investigation raid for environmental crimes. Many public health advocates, community safety activists, and independent scientists have argued that the site was not sufficiently cleaned up before being labelled a national wildlife refuge.

Due to these concerns, seven local school districts have barred children in their care from taking field trips to Rocky Flats. More recently, several municipalities, including Broomfield, Lyons, Superior, and Westminster, withdrew their support from a proposed Greenway Trail that is supposed to run across the site.

Christopher Allred from the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, a leader of the campaign for warning signage around Rocky Flats, praised the municipal decisions. “After decades of advocacy from the state to the municipal and county levels, we finally will have strong warnings posted around Rocky Flats,” he said. “We appreciate these important steps by the Boulder County Commission and Westminster City Council to bring more transparency and public health protections to the region. It is time for other communities bordering Rocky Flats to follow suit.”

Dr. Deborah Segaloff from Physicians for Social Responsibility Colorado, which also played a major role in the campaign for warning signs, added, “As an organization of health professionals that has educated the public about the dangers from exposure to plutonium, we commend Boulder County and Westminster officials for prioritizing public health by installing warning signage at Rocky Flats.”

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see sample warning sign below