SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected Environmentnia are to the west of WAAF, and SBER is to the east. Land to the south of WAAF is used for agriculture.Schofield Barracks East Range. The SBER is east of the Main Post and encompasses 5,154 acres. Theinstallation master plan identified land uses at SBER as training, education facilities, the U.S. ArmyNon-Commissioned Officers Academy, warehouses, and a maintenance facility (Belt Collins 1993).Training areas at SBER are within the state-designated Conservation District Resource and ProtectiveSubzones (State of Hawaii 2002a). SBER provides training grounds for the 25 th ID and for tacticalfield exercises of other Army and U.S. Marine Corps units (USARHAW and 25 th ID [L] 2006). Thewestern half of the training area is suitable for limited battalion and company-level Army Trainingand Evaluation Program (ARTEP) missions and fixed and rotary wing parachute drop operations(USARHAW and 25 th ID [L] 2006). The area is valuable for rappelling, jungle survival training, andpatrolling operations. The eastern portion of SBER has extremely rugged terrain and is densely forested,restricting operations to squad level training.No live fire exercises are conducted at SBER. Use of blank ammunition, noise simulators, and limiteduse of pyrotechnics are permitted throughout the training area except near the training area boundaryadjacent to the town of Wahiawa (USARHAW and 25 th ID [L] 2006).Recreational opportunities at SBER include the 18-hole Leilehua golf course and hiking on theSchofield-Waikane Trail, which is owned and managed by the state and the Army. This 3.5-mile longtrail extends along most of the northern boundary of SBER and ends on the Koolau Mountain Ridge.Access to this trail requires permission from Range Control and Army Support Command. Hunting isallowed on SBER on a limited basisLand uses surrounding SBER include urban, military, forest, and agriculture. The town of Wahiawa islocated along the northwestern border of SBER. KLOA is along the northeastern border and includesthe Ewa Forest Reserve. The Koolau Mountains and Ahupuaa O Kahana State Park are east of SBER.Land south of SBER includes forest, agricultural lands, and Mililani Town.South Range Acquisition Area. The SRAA was recently acquired to support SBCT transformation.SRAA encompasses approximately 1,402 acres. QTR 2 and the SBCT motor pool are located on thisparcel and are in various stages of construction.The SRAA includes land within the Conservation District Resource Subzone. SRAA also containsapproximately 100 acres of Forest Reserve lands that are managed by The Nature Conservancy(TNC) (USARHAW and 25 th ID [L] 2006) and used for natural resource management and hiking.Portions of the Contour Trail lie within the SRAA and are used for monthly interpretive organizedhikes and to access TNC work areas.Land uses surrounding the SRAA include military, forest, and agriculture. SBMP is to the north, andField Station Kunia and WAAF are to the east. Land to the south is used for pineapple agriculture,and land to the south and west is part of the Honouliuli Preserve.The Helemano Trail would connect the SBMP with an HMR access road (Paalaa Uka PupukeaRoad). The trail alignment, consisting of 13 acres, uses agricultural roads within state-designatedPrime and Unique agricultural land (USGS 1999b; State of Hawaii 2002a). Land surrounding theHelemano Trail alignment is military (SBMP) and agricultural.February 2008 3–42 2/25th SBCT Final EIS