A hike on Lakewood’s Green Mountain Open Space could become an explosive experience — if visitors disturb pre-World War II artillery shells possibly scattered across the hillside.
A hiker recently discovered shell casings in a well-traveled area on the north slope of the open space and handed them over to the General Services Administration museum at the Federal Center.
“The debris we’ve found so far is not dangerous, but something there could be dangerous,” said Warren Smith, community involvement manager for Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division.
Anyone coming across suspicious debris should note the location, leave the area and call 911 to make a report.
“Don’t touch it, don’t pick it up and don’t throw rocks at it,” Smith said.
Recognizing the military debris may be tricky. It might look like an old soda can, a muffler or even a spear, and could appear old or new, Smith said.
Sometime in the 1930s, the area served as a practice range for nearby Camp George West, a Colorado Army National Guard outpost.
“With a gunnery range, it’s practice, so you don’t know how accurate they were,” Smith said, making the specific location of the debris difficult to pinpoint.
A certain number of unexploded shells, or “duds,” typically remain on a target range, said Marilyn Null, with the Colorado Department of Public Health.
But being a dud doesn’t mean it’s safe.
“The longer it’s out there, the more unstable it can become,” she said.
The city of Lakewood is working closely with the state health department, and both are taking the threat seriously.
“We want the public to listen closely to the safety message the health department put out,” said Lakewood spokeswoman Stacie Oulton.
The city has posted signs and pamphlets explaining the situation at Green Mountain open space trail heads and will close trails if necessary. City officials also urge open-space users to stay on designated trails.
The Colorado National Guard is helping investigate the threat, too.
“The Colorado Army National Guard is going to be looking at historic records and walking the area,” Null said.
It’s unclear how long this will take.
“Once the investigation is done, then we’ll start to assess,” Smith said.
Heather McWilliams: 303-954-1698 or hmcwilliams@denverpost.com
See the military debris
Want a look at the found shells?
Learn more and see pictures of the pre-World War II shell casings at:
