SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected EnvironmentImpact areas are those parts of military lands that are used for weapons targeting and firing practice.High hazard (dudded) impact areas are closed to the public. Dedicated impact areas are not permanentlyrestricted from public access, although permission to enter these areas is limited. The ERF ImpactArea is the only impact area on FRA and is off-limits to public access. Covering 2,165 acres onthe estuarine tidal marsh at the mouth of the Eagle River, ERF has been used since the mid-1940s asan artillery shelling area. In addition, FRA has other non-dudded off-limits areas associated withsmall arms ranges. Warning signs are posted on areas of FRA that pose safety concerns, such as firingfans and ranges.3.2.5.2 Donnelly Training AreaDTA includes 636,599 acres of land. All of the land within DTA is within the USARAK-designatedland use range and training land use planning category (USARAK 1999a, b, c). Range and trainingland facilities are defined as areas of land or water set aside, managed, and used to conduct research;develop, test, and evaluate military munitions, explosives, other ordnance, or weapon systems; or totrain military personnel in their use and handling of weapons systems. USARAK range and trainingland facilities information is summarized in the Range and Training Land Development Plan (Nakata2001) and the Army Range Inventory Database.Public access for recreational and subsistence uses is allowed in some areas at DTA, Hunting andtrapping are allowed on DTA, and fishing is allowed at 16 lakes on DTA with stocked sport fishpopulations. DTA also contains many recreational trails east of the Delta River within the west part ofthe training area and throughout the east side of the training area. The most common hiking route atDTA is to the top of Donnelly Dome, east of the Washington Range along the Richardson Highway.The eastern part of DTA is generally available year round for all forms of recreation, with the exceptionof some isolated wetland areas, as well as the Jarvis Creek channel in which no ORVV use is allowed.The 33-Mile Loop runs through this area and contains a number of additional trails within itsconfines. Other access west of Richardson Highway includes Windy Ridge Road and Meadows Loop.Central DTA, a region that straddles the Delta River and lies primarily west of the river, is dominatedby impact areas. Because of this, most of the central area is closed to the public; however, some recreationaluse is allowed in the areas north and south of these designations along the northern boundaryof the training area and the foothills of the Alaska Range.DTA West includes both motorized and non-motorized recreational areas. The areas just west of theDelta River along the foothills of the Alaska Range and the southern boundary of DTA are generallyavailable year round for all forms of recreation.DTA contains both high hazard and dedicated impact areas. The 48,494-acre Oklahoma Impact Areais the largest of the high hazard impact areas, and it is located in the center of the training area, betweenDelta Creek and One-Hundred Mile Creek, up to the confluence of these two waterways. TheDelta Creek Impact Area covers 2,437 acres along Delta Creek, includes both banks, and is adjacentto the Oklahoma Impact Area. These two impact areas are used primarily by the U.S. Air Force asbombing and gunnery ranges. Washington and Mississippi impact areas are contiguous elongated impactareas that cover 12,207 acres combined, and run along the Delta River for approximately 14.5miles. These impact areas cover the river channel as well as adjacent lands on both banks. The 8,146-acre Allen Army Controlled Fire Area is north of these impact areas.The dedicated impact area on DTA consists of the Lakes Maneuver Impact Area. This parcel covers75,565 acres, and is situated between the Oklahoma Impact Area and the Washington and MississippiFebruary 2008 3–113 2/25th SBCT Final EIS