TANANA FLATS TRAINING AREA WINTER TRAIL UPGRADE, FORT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA (SOW 25-108)

This project is intended to provide the 11th Airborne Division and U.S. Army Alaska Land Rehabilitation and Maintenance (LRAM) assistance to Fort Wainwright Alaska and Tanana Flats Training Area in support of the U.S. Army Alaska Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM) Sustainable Range Program. The ITAM Program is responsible for maintaining sustainable training lands and resources to help the Army meet its training requirements providing training land management capability across the total Army in an environmentally sound manner. The LRAM support project will provide surface hardening, soil, water and vegetation protection and repair, erosion control, vegetation and soil rehabilitation, sensitive area protection and habitat management to the impacted military training areas. The project will provide upgrades to the winter maneuver trail and surrounding areas due to erosion causing negative impacts to the natural environment including wetlands, the aquatic ecosystem, natural hydrological channels, and permafrost soils. This project implements the installation Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) with the objective of providing healthy and resilient environments that are sustainable settings for military training while protecting and enhancing biological diversity and ecological health on all Department of Defense (DoD) lands, and to ensure compliance with all environmental laws and regulations. Some of the benefits to the natural resources include ensuring access improvements will not adversely impact existing hydrological connectivity, improve water quality, wetland protection, fish and wildlife habitat enhancement, protect permafrost soils, and prevent further damage and rehabilitate soils to the public lands. This cooperative agreement will be awarded pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 670 (Sikes Act). The Recipient for this cooperative agreement must be a qualified State, local government, Indian tribe, non-governmental organization, or individual pursuant to the authority of 16 U.S.C. 670c-1(a).