Visit the Office of Legacy Management’s interpretive centers throughout April to celebrate Earth Day this year
April 18, 2024
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Every year, Earth Day is celebrated worldwide on April 22 to raise awareness and emphasize the importance of protecting human health and the environment. For the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM), every day is Earth Day.
The Office’s main mission is to preserve and protect human health and the environment. From protecting natural habitats to routine sampling and monitoring at many LM sites, environmental stewardship is an ongoing commitment.
As celebrations kick off across the country, Earth Day is a great time to visit one of LM’s three interpretive centers: the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center in Hamilton, Ohio; the Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center in St. Charles County, Missouri; and the Atomic Legacy Cabin in Grand Junction, Colorado.
At each of the interpretive centers, visitors can engage in staff-led tours that detail the story of each site’s past, present, and future and discover LM’s thought-provoking and fun education programs. Exhibits feature historical objects, photographs, and details on the environmental remediation and beneficial reuse at each of the sites.
At the Fernald Preserve, visitors can also enjoy a hike on one of the site’s seven wilderness trails and take in the local wildlife. From April 20 -28, Fernald Preserve will also have an Earth Day themed booth that showcases this year’s Earth Day theme of “Planet vs Plastics.”
The Atomic Legacy Cabin offers Earth Day patrons the opportunity to learn about the history, geology, and ecology of the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States and uranium, the element that helped shaped the Colorado Plateau’s past, present, and future.
At the Weldon Spring Site, visitors can climb to the top of the 75-foot-high disposal cell that offers panoramic views of St. Charles and St. Louis counties, walk through the 150-acre Howell Prairie that offers a wide variety of plants and wildlife, or take a bike ride on the Hamburg Trail.
You can visit and celebrate Earth Day with us during regular hours at each center:
- Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Fernald Preserve Visitors Center: Wednesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Atomic Legacy Cabin: Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursdays 1 to 4 p.m.
Trails at the Fernald Preserve and Weldon Spring Site can be enjoyed seven days a week.
“The interpretive centers are a vital piece in making sure we remember the past, but are also looking forward to the future,” said STEM with LM Coordinator Shawn Montgomery. “For us, Earth Day is a year-round occurrence, and our interpretive center staff do a great job of educating and offering the public programming that highlights our commitment to protecting the environment and everyone in our communities.”
LM is all about Earth Day — 365 days a year. The Office is constantly searching for more opportunities to better help the environment and continue to protect human health. LM monitors more than 100 sites from Alaska to Puerto Rico and is committed to a safe and healthy planet for all generations. One of the ways LM fulfills this commitment is through STEM with LM programming. If you can’t visit an interpretive center, check out one of LM’s online STEM activities.
