Integrated Training Area Management EA and Final FNSI
Integrated Training Area Management EA and Final FNSI
Integrated Training Area Management EA and Final FNSI
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LRAM projects beneficial to public access <strong>and</strong> recreation would include road crossings; hardening ofroads, pads, <strong>and</strong> low water crossings; maneuver trail upgrade <strong>and</strong> maintenance; trail closures; installationof water bars; revegetation <strong>and</strong> protection of existing vegetation; vegetation thinning or clearing; <strong>and</strong>installation of education kiosks, signs, <strong>and</strong> Seibert stakes.Driving conditions for public recreation would be improved by maneuver trail upgrades <strong>and</strong> maintenance;road crossings; <strong>and</strong> hardening of roads, pads, <strong>and</strong> low water crossings. These improvements would alsoallow the public to access more installation l<strong>and</strong>. Installation of water bars to prevent rill erosion bydraining water from roadways would also reduce road damage <strong>and</strong> improve accessibility. Projected trailupgrade <strong>and</strong> road/pad hardening projects for the next five years include approximately 85 acres impactedat Fort Richardson, 245 acres at Fort Wainwright, <strong>and</strong> 135 acres at Donnelly <strong>Training</strong> <strong>Area</strong> (AppendixA). Since these projects involve maintenance <strong>and</strong> repair of existing range <strong>and</strong> training l<strong>and</strong> infrastructure,the majority of these projects would be improvements to existing roads <strong>and</strong> not the creation of new ones.These projects would improve availability of installation l<strong>and</strong>s previously difficult to access for bothrecreation <strong>and</strong> military training. This would possibly result in increased training exercises <strong>and</strong> morefrequent public access closures in those areas. Additionally, trail closures <strong>and</strong> restoration projects used toprevent trail proliferation <strong>and</strong> degradation of existing trails would reduce both military <strong>and</strong> public accessin some areas.Revegetation, protection of existing vegetation, <strong>and</strong> vegetation thinning or clearing could improvewildlife forage <strong>and</strong> habitat, resulting in improved hunting opportunities. Projected thinning projects forthe next five years include approximately 20 acres impacted at Fort Richardson <strong>and</strong> 140 acres at FortWainwright. About 100 acres of mowing is planned at Donnelly <strong>Training</strong> <strong>Area</strong> (Appendix A). Installationof signs, Seibert stakes, <strong>and</strong> education kiosks would improve both public communication of recreationpolicies <strong>and</strong> demarcation of areas with restricted public access. Plans to install signage at unmarkedentrance points <strong>and</strong> underutilized, stocked lakes on Donnelly <strong>Training</strong> <strong>Area</strong> would impact approximatelyone acre (Appendix A).Overall, LRAM activities would be expected to have minor adverse short-term impacts <strong>and</strong> beneficiallong-term impacts to public access <strong>and</strong> recreation.SRAThis program would ensure soldiers are aware of specific environmental concerns (for example,sensitivity of wetl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> permafrost areas) <strong>and</strong> regulations <strong>and</strong> restrictions intended to minimize naturalresource impacts. SRA guidelines would detail procedures for field operations (litter removal, wastedisposal, camouflage, fire, excavation, snow removal, etc.), on- <strong>and</strong> off-road vehicle movement, h<strong>and</strong>lingof hazardous wastes, harassment of wildlife, off-limits areas, <strong>and</strong> noise. The SRA program would bebeneficial to public access <strong>and</strong> recreation by encouraging a l<strong>and</strong> stewardship ethic among militarypersonnel to help minimize unintended or unnecessary <strong>and</strong> negligent natural resource damage due tomilitary training.RTLABy maintaining a balance between the use of training l<strong>and</strong>s to maximize military preparedness <strong>and</strong> theconservation of biologically diverse <strong>and</strong> functioning ecosystems, RTLA would monitor the capability oftraining l<strong>and</strong>s to meet multiple use dem<strong>and</strong>s on a sustainable basis. It would seek to help avoid excessivemilitary use that would exhaust natural resources. The RTLA program includes avian, wetl<strong>and</strong>s,vegetation, <strong>and</strong> both small <strong>and</strong> large mammal monitoring. Monitoring would be generally scheduledaround training activities <strong>and</strong> would not require public access restrictions._____________________________________________________________________________________________Environmental AssessmentUnited States Army Alaska, <strong>Integrated</strong> <strong>Training</strong> <strong>Area</strong> <strong>Management</strong> Program<strong>Management</strong> Plan 52