"The Hanford cleanup has been hard on the area’s ecosystem, disturbing habitat and native vegetation that can be difficult to replant. The site covers 586-square-miles in southeastern Washington.

But the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) have recently built two high-tech greenhouses and a field experiment station to cultivate plants native to the area around Hanford. The facilities will allow them to do research and sprout seeds to revegetate formerly contaminated areas, like the Hanford Site and the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon.

The two greenhouses will hold 70,000 plants each and use a thermodynamic system to store heat during winter months. The field station lab has equipment to analyze soil sample contaminants and clone native plants. The project is funded by the Department of Energy to help restore the contaminated site."

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Tribe Hopes To Restore Hanford's Natural Plants (Oregon Public Broadcasting 3/23)