Integrated Training Area Management EA and Final FNSI

Cumulative ImpactsPast military activities have had adverse impacts to public access and recreation through permanentclosure of some areas (such as impact areas) and temporary closures of lands for training. However,construction of roads and trails on Army properties have led to beneficial impacts by improving publicaccessibility to USARAK lands for recreational purposes (USARAK 2004).All current and planned construction activities have the potential to adversely impact public access andrecreation. Construction activities typically result in temporary closures of certain areas for the durationof construction projects. The ITAM program includes many activities requiring construction activity.However, as construction projects last an average of ten days, the cumulative impact of these constructionactivities would be minor. Several ITAM projects would also result in improvements to public access.The largest impacts to public access and recreation result from military training activities. In comparison,the overall cumulative impact of ITAM activities to public access and recreation under the proposedaction would be minor adverse to beneficial.3.8 CULTURAL RESOURCES3.8.1 Affected EnvironmentCultural resources include features and objects dating to the prehistoric and historic periods that are foundor are likely to be found as defined by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended).Management of cultural resources on federal lands depends on eligibility of resources for inclusion in theNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Additionally, properties of traditional and religiousimportance relating to Alaska Native villages may be determined eligible for listing in the NRHP. Suchsites may also be considered sacred sites and are generally referred to as traditional cultural properties(TCPs). TCPs are expected to closely relate to traditional subsistence, cultural, and religious practices onlands managed by USARAK.Subsistence has been legally defined to include the customary and traditional uses of fish, plant materialsand game for Alaska's rural residents. Food is one of the most important subsistence uses of wildresources. However, there are other important uses of subsistence products, such as clothing, fuel,transportation, construction, home goods, sharing, customary trade, ceremony, arts and crafts. Harvestingof non-game resources, such as edible or medicinal plants, is determined by public access (when andwhere). There are no federal restrictions on the season, take, and eligibility of rural residents for nongameresources. Additional sections in this EA related to subsistence include Section 3.5, Wildlife andFisheries, and Section 3.7, Public Access and Recreation.Additional information on cultural resources and subsistence on USARAK lands can be found in theTransformation of U.S. Army Alaska Final EIS (USARAK 2004) and the Draft EIS for the Constructionand Operation of a Battle Area Complex and Combined Arms Collective Training Facility (USARAK2004).Fort RichardsonCultural ResourcesArcheological surveys suggest the existence of several prehistoric sites, most likely contained within themoraine features scattered across Fort Richardson. Several potential locations of both historical andethnographic significance exist, including portions of the Iditarod Historic Trail._____________________________________________________________________________________________Environmental AssessmentUnited States Army Alaska, Integrated Training Area Management ProgramManagement Plan 54