SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental Consequencesfrom vehicle traffic. USARAK’s ecosystem management program would continue to developmethodology to analyze the impacts of road construction and use on priority wildlife populations.Grizzly bear, caribou, bison, moose, and wolf might be more susceptible to disturbance from roaddevelopment or training, and the effects to localized populations could be moderate.Maneuver training may affect fisheries resources directly by affecting water quality or by alteringhabitat. The expected increase in maneuver training could result in higher rates of erosion andsedimentation. Frequent training with Strykers or other vehicles could increase the possibility ofpetrochemical spills during refueling. Higher training intensities could also result in increasedfrequency of fires, which could cause erosion into streams, ponds, and waterways.Mitigation measures described previously under Impacts from Range Construction would furtherreduce the impacts of live-fire training.Introduction and spread of invasive plants and noxious weeds. Management of invasive plant speciesis an issue of concern on USARAK lands. The Land Condition Trend Analysis program monitorsvegetation and documents invasive plant species. These species are managed using integrated pestmanagement techniques, whereby chemical control is minimized.Increasing training at FRA and DTA could increase the number and type of nonnative plants,including noxious weeds. However, because the invasive species problem is currently minimal, andUSARAK is committed to proactive management, no impacts from noxious weeds under AlternativeB would occur.5.3.11 Air QualityTable 5-30 summarizes the impacts associated with air quality that would occur under Alternative B.Impacts from cantonment construction, range construction, live-fire training and maneuver trainingare predicted to be less than significant.Visibility was assessed for Alaska projects and would encompass all activity groups. The assessmenttargeted Denali Nation Park Class I Area because it receives the highest level of protection. DenaliNational Park is the closest Class I Area in proximity of FRA and DTA, so there is the potential forvisibility effects related to the park. Visibility during days with the lowest visibility (days with fogand cloud cover) would not be degraded by dust emissions from DTA. For highest visibility days,visibility may not be impaired inside the Class I area itself, but visibility for observers outside theClass I area looking into the park may be impaired due to increased training and maneuver activities.Table 5-30Summary of Potential Impacts to Air Quality from Alternative BLocationActivity Group Fort Richardson Donnelly Training AreaImpacts from Cantonment Construction ☼ N/AImpacts from Range Construction ☼ N/AImpacts from Live-Fire Training ☼ ☼Impacts from Maneuver Training ☼ ☼ = Significant + = Beneficial Impact = Significant but mitigable to less than significant N/A = Not Applicable☼ = Less than Significant = No ImpactFebruary 2008 5-111 2/25th SBCT Final EIS