SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental Consequencesincrease from increased live-fire training in prairie dog habitat. Effects to prairie dogs from increasedtraining would directly and indirectly affect associated species, including burrowing owl, mountainplover, and bald and golden eagles. Disturbance and destruction of prairie dog habitat would directlyaffect burrowing owls and mountain plovers if these species were present in the colony, and wouldreduce suitable habitat in areas not currently occupied by these species. If prairie dog populationsdecline on FTC, use of the installation for foraging and/or nesting by bald and golden eagles andferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) would decline or be eliminated. Impacts to or mortality of sensitivespecies could occur, but the absence of federally listed species populations in the effected area makesimpacts unlikely. Mitigation measures would minimize impacts to sensitive species and their habitats.Regulatory and Administrative Mitigation 1: Black-tailed prairie dogs on FTC would continue to bemanaged according to the Biological Assessment and Management Plan for the Black-Tailed PrairieDog on FTC and the PCMS (DECAM 2004m). Buffer zones around mountain plover nests on FTCwould be accommodated where feasible. If buffers were maintained, mountain plovers would not beaffected by increased military training during the breeding season. DECAM annually provides G-3with wildlife information and recommendations for minimizing potential effects to nesting birds. TheBiological Assessment and Management Plan for the Mexican Spotted Owl on Fort Carson (DECAM2002b) would be maintained. Fire suppression and prescribed burning would be maintained inMexican spotted owl management areas, as recommended in the management plan (DECAM 2002b).Mexican spotted owls would not be affected by increased military training on FTC as long as themanagement plan is followed. Effects to sensitive plant species from increased training on FTC couldinclude risk of wildfire, habitat loss, and disturbance.Less Than Significant ImpactsImpacts to vegetation. Direct impacts to vegetation could be attributable to direct damage by smallarmsammunition and by crushing. Munitions explode and create craters, resulting in areas of bareground that are susceptible to erosion from wind and water (Houston 2002). However, the cratersaccumulate organic matter, and vegetation usually recovers.Restricted Areas, which have been designated to protect resources on particular sites from trainingimpacts, are subject to various constraints to training. To the extent that training is could occur theseareas, there would be minor impacts to vegetation in Restricted Areas from training.The frequency of live-fire training would not change from the current condition; however, the numberof rounds and the numbers of Soldiers and weapons would increase. Environmental conditions wouldbe monitored, evaluated, and considered if warranted as the level of training was increased. Thisprocess of monitoring and adaptive management feedback would continue to be governed by theITAM program, document the level of impact that is occurring, and serve to establish the upperacceptable level of impacts that would be allowed to occur without precluding achievement ofsustainable land management goals under the Army’s ITAM program. The ITAM program, alongwith continued the use of the INRMP, balances the Army’s training needs with the need to sustain thequality and sustainability of environmental resources in the training areas.No live-fire training would occur at PCMS; therefore, impact analysis is Not Applicable. Impacts tovegetation from live-fire training at FTC would be less than significant. Measures to reduce impactsto vegetation from live-fire training would be the same as those described under Impacts fromCantonment Construction.Introduction and spread of invasive plants and noxious weeds. In general, live-fire training has thepotential to increase direct and indirect impacts related to the introduction and spread of noxiousFebruary 2008 5-169 2/25th SBCT Final EIS