Brownfields have the potential to be reused as nature preserves or recreation areas. This reuse depends on the public's perceptions of risk and their willingness to support the new uses of the sites. This study examines attitudes about the reuse of large coastal brownfields from local and nonlocal students and the public. The sites include the buffer area surrounding a nuclear power plant, an area contaminated by a chemical spill, and a ranch (which was used as a control site). The results show that all the samples are more supportive of the establishment of nature preserves with human access than either nature preserves without access or developed recreation areas. Limits on human access to the sites are more acceptable for the contaminated sites and more acceptable to the nonlocal samples. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)