Integrated Training Area Management EA and Final FNSI

• Establish a defined land condition base line for natural and cultural resources that will bemaintained through ITAM and is relevant to the installation environmental setting and missionactivity.• Monitor land and natural resource conditions and determine trends in those conditions.• Stabilize and sustain natural and cultural resource conditions by changing type, frequency,duration, or intensity of use, or by applying adjusted levels of repair and maintenance.• Increase understanding of Army mission training requirements by educating environmental andnatural resources personnel.1.2.2 LocationImplementation of the USARAK ITAM Management Plan is proposed for Alaska’s three main Armyinstallations: Fort Richardson, Fort Wainwright, and Donnelly Training Area (Figure 1).Fort RichardsonFort Richardson encompasses approximately 61,000 acres. The post is located in south-central Alaskaadjacent to Anchorage, Eagle River, and Elmendorf Air Force Base (Figure 1). The Knik Arm of CookInlet borders the north side of the post, and Chugach State Park lies to the south and southeast. The townof Eagle River lies along the northeast border. Anchorage and Elmendorf Air Force Base form thewestern boundary.The western boundary is approximately 11 miles long, from the Knik Arm to its terminus besideAnchorage and Chugach State Park. The eastern border is 21 miles and also runs from Knik Arm toChugach State Park. Fort Richardson is approximately six miles across, from east to west.The cantonment area is situated at the base of the Chugach foothills, on the alluvial floodplain betweenthe Chugach Mountains and the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. Located approximately seven miles fromdowntown Anchorage, the cantonment area is bordered on the west by Elmendorf Air Force Base, on thenorth by training areas, on the east by the Glenn Highway, and on the south by Ship Creek, recreationalareas, and training areas.Fort WainwrightFort Wainwright encompasses approximately 917,000 acres and lies near Fairbanks, 120 miles south ofthe Arctic Circle. The installation is located in central Alaska, north of the Alaska Range in the TananaRiver Valley (Figure 1). The Main Post consists of 13,700 acres, Tanana Flats Training Area is over655,000 acres, and Yukon Training Area totals 247,952 acres.The Main Post of Fort Wainwright is situated on a flat alluvial plain. It is bordered on the west by the cityof Fairbanks and on the other three sides by open space that is owned by the state of Alaska. Tanana FlatsTraining Area is located south of Main Post. Its north and east boundaries are formed by the TananaRiver, while the Wood River borders the western edge. Yukon Training Area is located 16 miles eastsoutheastof Fairbanks, and the post is bound by the Chena River on the north and the Salcha River to thesouth. Eielson Air Force Base is located on Yukon Training Area’s west border._____________________________________________________________________________________________Environmental AssessmentUnited States Army Alaska, Integrated Training Area Management ProgramManagement Plan 4