SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental Consequencestraversing a particular area and how they move across the landscape. Direct damage to shrubs andtrees from pedestrian movements is expected to be negligible.Overall, impacts to vegetation from maneuver training would be significant but mitigable to less thansignificant. The amount of impacts to vegetation from SBCT would increase with the need for largertraining areas; however, the intensity of the impacts would be similar to those for an IBCT throughtheir more frequent use of existing roads.Regulatory and Administrative Mitigation 3: Mitigation measures for impacts to vegetation frommaneuver training would be the same as those described under Impacts from CantonmentConstruction.Less Than Significant ImpactsIntroduction and spread of invasive plants and noxious weeds. In general, maneuver training has thepotential to increase direct and indirect impacts related to the introduction and spread of noxiousweeds. Impacts to vegetation increase the potential for the introduction and spread of noxious weeds.Invasive plants have an advantage in becoming established in an environment that is stressed and canoften out-compete native species that are not adapted to the novel environment created throughhuman activity.FTC has targeted noxious weeds for priority control by preventing them from populating disturbedareas, controlling infestations to levels compatible with other land management objectives oreliminating the weed species from the area (DECAM 2002a).Cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical control methods are currently used to reducepopulations and stop the spread and of noxious weeds on the PCMS. Military vehicles are washedbefore and after their use at the PCMS to reduce the potential for spreading weed seeds on and off theinstallation. These practices would continue under Alternative C (DECAM 2002a). As such, impactsfrom noxious weeds related to maneuver training are expected to be less than significant.Impacts to general wildlife and habitats. Increased military training on FTC might displacemaneuvers on the grassland/pinyon-juniper interface farther into current pinyon-juniper habitat.Revegetating disturbed areas with plant species that are valuable to mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)for forage and cover as soon as possible after military training would continue to provide suitablemule deer habitat on FTC (USFWS 1991). Direct disturbance to wildlife species would increase inareas where vehicular activity, fire, and noise increase. Increased pedestrian activity in training areasalso would increase disturbance of wildlife species sensitive to human presence. Species that are moretolerant of human presence, vehicular activity, and noise would be increasingly favored in areaswhere military training occurs, while species that are less tolerant of these factors would decline.Potential impacts to mule deer from mechanized military training maneuvers could occur. One studyof mule deer demonstrates that, if harassed, mule deer exhibit increased overall activity levels,increased use of cover, increased sensitivity to vehicles, increased flight distance, and decreasedreproduction the following spring (Yarmoloy et al. 1988; Trame 1997). Training restrictions duringsevere winters and the fawning season (June 20 to August 20) could minimize impacts to mule deer.Revegetating disturbed areas could also reduce impacts from military training on mule deer (USFWS1991).Studies conducted on the PCMS indicate that movements or temporary shifts in home ranges causedby military training activities did not have measurable effects on pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)February 2008 5-172 2/25th SBCT Final EIS