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Oct. 5, 1971
October 5, 1971
Evacuation zone declared wildlife refuge
On the fifth anniversary of the Fermi disaster, President Muskie signed a bill into law that will turn the evacuation zone around the Fermi plant near Detroit, Michigan into a vast nature preserve. The Enrico Fermi Wildlife Refuge, as it will be named, will encompass more than 500 square miles in Monroe and Wayne counties in southeastern Michigan. [1][2] While cleanup of the Fermi site was declared completed last year, additional work will continue to maintain the site to ensure that no additional radiation is released into the environment.
Even after just five years of abandonment, the evacuation zone is already being reclaimed by nature. Farmland is slowly turning into forest, and small saplings can be seen growing in lawns and along roadsides. Feral dogs and cats as well as former farm animals, like pigs and chickens, run rampant. However, rare and endangered species, like the bald eagle, are making a comeback in the area. [3]