Integrated Training Area Management EA and Final FNSI

USARAK also implemented the USARTRAK system to facilitate access to military lands by allowingrecreational users to use their Recreation Access Permit to remotely check in to installations and trainingareas. USARTRAK message systems are maintained by Range Control and have information on the latesttraining area closures and construction. This information is also listed in weekly bulletins and radioannouncements.Fort Richardson, Fort Wainwright, and Donnelly Training Area have four primary categories ofrecreation use areas: Open Use, Modified Use, Limited Use, and Off-Limits areas. All recreationalcategories are subject to periodic change or restrictions. The categories are defined as follows:• Open Use – areas open year-round to all forms of recreation, unless closed by the Range Controloffice. Ground and off-road recreational vehicle (ORRV) use is permissible here.• Modified Use – areas available to all non-motorized forms of recreation year-round but limited toareas where frozen conditions exist (more than six inches of ice or snow cover present). ModifiedUse restrictions are largely applicable to USARAK’s wetlands.• Limited Use – areas open to all non-motorized forms of recreation year-round. No ORRV use ispermitted in these areas at any time. Limited Use areas relate primarily to locations with highaverage use levels, such as in or near cantonment areas.• Closed – areas closed to all forms of recreation at all times. This is due primarily to eitherconflicts with military use and the primary military mission, or to human health and safetyconcerns.Additional information regarding public access and recreation on USARAK lands can be found in theTransformation of U.S. Army Alaska Final Environmental Impact Statement (USARAK 2004).Fort RichardsonAt Fort Richardson, moose is the most favored game species and salmon the number one fish species.Other outdoor activities include hiking, camping, small game hunting, berry picking, woodcutting, anddog sledding. Road access onto Fort Richardson is possible primarily from the Glenn Highway, the maingate, or along Arctic Valley Road. The post is also accessible via Richardson Drive from Elmendorf AirForce Base. Additionally, USARAK allows Eagle River rafting traffic to enter Fort Richardson lands.Paved and unimproved roads cover much of the northern and central portions of the post. Two ORRVaccess trails exist on post and connect green spaces near the cantonment area to more remote locations.Trails also connect the post to Chugach State Park and the Municipality of Anchorage’s Far NorthBicentennial Park, which share Fort Richardson’s southern boundary.Fort WainwrightHunting and fishing are the main recreational activities occurring on Fort Wainwright lands. Data showthat 21% of the interior Alaska moose harvest occurs on military lands, while 2.3% of the Interior caribouharvest and 2.1% of the sheep harvest are also on military-controlled lands (ADFG 2001). The mostpopular fish species are salmon and trout. Other recreational activities include hiking, camping, smallgame hunting, berry picking, and dog sledding.Access is allowed on many parts of Fort Wainwright Main Post. Roads and trails are both plentiful, andthe open spaces remaining in the Fort Wainwright cantonment area are important contributors torecreation opportunities for post inhabitants. The core cantonment area consists of landscaped yards,_____________________________________________________________________________________________Environmental AssessmentUnited States Army Alaska, Integrated Training Area Management ProgramManagement Plan 50