Nursery

The Nursery is the last hope of the wasteland, where seeds and other genetic information, preserved from the world before The Great War, have been stored. This hidden valley is a lush, verdant place. Harold has found his way here, but thanks to the tree in his head, has been marked as an "interesting specimen" and has been prevented from leaving by the Nursery's security bots.

Overview
The Nursery is a miracle of pre-war engineering. It is a self-contained balanced ecological system set within a deep canyon. The valley floor of the canyon is rife with the flora and fauna of times past. At the head of the valley is a lake of crystal blue water that feeds a river. The river flows from one end of the valley to the other, disappearing into the canyon wall. Bordering the lake are several buildings that house the maintenance equipment that keeps the Nursery functioning.

The Nursery is located southwest of Denver, Colorado, near the Black Canyon National Park. The rim of the canyon is approximately a mile above sea level and the canyon itself is approximately a half mile deep. This area was chosen as the home for the Nursery because of its isolated location, its protected status as a national park, and it was deemed least likely to be affected by a war (or most capable of recovering from such effects).

History
In the early days before the bomb, scientists around the country were pondering how to save mankind from the ravages of war. Eventually their musings gave birth to a company named Vault-Tec, and the vaults. Over the next decade some of the most ambitious underground construction took place throughout the United States as hundreds of vaults were built. Into these shelters the people and the hopes of a nation could retreat in times of war.

The Environmental Protection Agency viewed the vaults as only half the solution. Their concern was not only the salvation of mankind, but nature as well. With this in mind, they proposed yet another type of vault, but on a much grander scale. This vault would be used by Mother Nature herself, where she would patiently await the re-emergence of man. When the survivors of the war came forth to reclaim the earth, the Garden of Eden would await them. Thus the Nursery was conceived.

The construction of the Nursery posed quite a problem, however. It was agreed that it could not be built underground like the vaults. Nature needed the sun, the wind, and the rain to flourish. And yet, if exposed and open, how could it possibly survive? The only conceivable answer was that it must be located in an isolated area, free from both the influence of humanity and the ravages of war. A search for such a location began.

Computers were fed massive amounts of data detailing the effects of war, where the bombs were likely to strike, and how the devastation would spread. Information about air currents, weather patterns, and the conditions that the Nursery would need to survive were then added to the equation. Finally, topographical maps of the nation input, and the machines were asked to choose.

It took years, but a choice was made. A single canyon was found to house the Nursery, deep in the mountains, shielded from the influence of both man and war. Soon afterward the most ambitious project conceived by the minds of men was devised: a self contained, self sustaining ecological system, with the capacity to reproduce itself. Of course, the expense of such an enterprise could not be footed by the government alone. The project was put up for bid in the private sector.

Derek Greenway was a scientist working under the employ of Poseidon Energy. When it became apparent that Poseidon was more interested in the development of weapons of destruction, and less in the saving of mankind, Derek resigned and started his own company. Greenway Hydroponics, with its turnip headed stick man logo Mr. Green, was the result.

Over the years Derek's company prospered due to their state of the art innovations in farming technology. When the Nursery project was put up for bid it was only natural that Greenway Hydroponics won and construction began.

Appearances in games
The Nursery did not appear nor was mentioned in any of the published games, but was one of the main locations in the cancelled Fallout 3 project by Black Isle codenamed Van Buren. It is not certain if it will appear in any future Fallout game.

Although it could have been the inspiration behind the Treeminder compound and Vault 22.