SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Appendix D ⎯ Responses to Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statementto minimize vehicular traffic in highly infested areas. A program is in place tocontrol invasive species, but a great deal of funding is needed. Piñon pine andoneseed juniper, in a number of locations, have grown so thick that they needto be thinned in order to reduce the fire fuel loading and improve the healthand vigor of the remaining trees. This is an isolated reality and not indicativeof overall range condition.109. The summary of potential biological impacts from Alternative A set forth in Table 5–13 conflictswith information presented elsewhere in the DEIS and in the 2004 FEIS. DEIS Table 5–2 states that Alternative A would result in significant impacts to threatened and endangeredspecies at PTA, Schofield Barracks, DMR, and KTA, not just at PTA, as Table 5–13 states.The 2004 FEIS similarly identified significant impacts to listed species at Schofield Barracksand KTA.Response: The expected impacts to biological resources are explained in Section 5.2.10,and were correctly displayed in Table 5–13. Impacts to the other areas(SBMR, DMR, and KTA/KLOA) are considered significant but mitigable toless than significant. Table 5–2 has been corrected.The 2004 Transformation FEIS identified significant impacts to listed speciesat Schofield Barracks and KTA (2004 FEIS Table 4–10 at page 4–70), andidentifies an increase in wildfire potential as the source of these significantimpacts. This 2008 FEIS captures the potential impacts from wildfires in aseparate VEC, Wildfire Management. Wildfire Management impacts from theProposed Action in Hawaii (Alternative A) is presented in Section 5.2.4. Significantimpacts are reported for the affected training areas in Hawaii, partlybecause of the potential impacts from wildfire on sensitive species.The DEIS’ claims that training-related impacts from noxious weeds would be mitigable toless than significant and that impacts to vegetation, general wildlife and habitats would beless than significant are inconsistent with the analysis set forth in the 2004 FEIS (See DEISat 5–3, 5–41, 5–46 to 5–50). The FEIS concluded that fires sparked by SBCT trainingwould cause significant adverse impacts to sensitive habitats at Schofield Barracks, KTA,and PTA by removing native species and spreading nonnative species, while impacts onvegetation and sensitive habitats at DMR would be mitigable to less than significant. Inaddition, the FEIS found that maneuver exercises at PTA, including the WPAA, wouldcause significant impacts by fragmenting sensitive plant communities, encouraging thespread of nonnative weeds. The habitat that Stryker training threatens with destruction atPTA includes sub-alpine tropical dryland habitat, which is considered “one of the rarest[ecosystems] on the planet.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Opinion for RoutineMilitary Training and Transformation of the 2 nd Brigade 25 th Infantry Division (L), Islandof Hawaii, at 11 (Dec. 23, 2003); see also id. at 176 (Stryker activities would causeloss of nearly 30,000 acres of endangered Hawaiian hoary bat habitat at PTA, not includingthe WPAA).Response: The 2004 Transformation FEIS states the impacts from the spread of nonnativespecies on sensitive species and sensitive habitat would be significant butmitigable to less than significant (2004 FEIS Table 4–10 at page 4–70). This isconsistent with the 2008 FEIS determination displayed in Table 5–13 and thesupporting text in Section 5.2.10.February 2008 D–35 2/25th SBCT Final EIS