TE 41 - Geographical HistoryDRAFT.pdf

Yukon Training Area (YTA)

The Yukon Training Area stretches eastward over 35 miles from the Richardson

Highway, and features an elevation change of over 3,000 vertical feet which encompasses a microclimate of its own leading to wide variances in temperature and precipitation. This is noticeable in the winter such that you might experience snowfall in the upper elevations and none at the lower elevations, or vice versa. Although temperatures may average -20 F during the coldest months, with the wind that commonly occurs in this area, temperatures may plummet to -60 F, especially with calculated chill factor, and cold weather and emergency gear should be in possession at all times during the winter season. This contract will provide maintenance of facilities, roads and snow removal services to the YTA owned by the United States

Army. These areas consists of primarily range and training facilities under the jurisdiction of FWA and is connected by a road system encompassing 73.2 miles of ordinarily used roads, as well as other undeveloped roads and trails within a 250,000 acre platted area adjacent to Eielson AFB.

There is no telephone, domestic water, or sewer service in this remote training area.

Communications are maintained using radios and cell phones which are not guaranteed due to terrain and elevation differentials. An equipment shelter/maintenance camp consisting of a heated temporary structure and an office trailer in a fenced enclosure is located at Bravo Battery for the Contractor’s use in this contract, which is maintained by the Contractor There is a Range Operations contract that provides the personnel and equipment to operate within the facilities as well as the range areas with targeting apparatus, electronic surveillance, and target scoring, and their contract requires that they maintain their own equipment.

The U.S. Air Force at Eielson AFB is a joint user of the YTA and historically has operated and performed road maintenance and snow removal thru the PARC Contract

(Pacific Alaska Range Complex) to gain access to their facilities. Coordination and cooperation in the YTA with PARC and Eielson AFB shall be managed by the COR.

In consideration of the remote location of the YTA, the onsite point for operating hours is the Main Gate of Eielson Air Force Base; i.e. (ref C.1.1.4). Travel time from the gate to the maintenance facility, and vice versa, is approximately 30 minutes, on average.

Donnelly Training Area (DTA)

Donnelly Training Area surrounds Fort Greely, aka Space Missile Defense Command, and stretches westward across the Delta River. It is approximately 115 miles south of

FWA via the Richardson Highway. It is mostly sunny and windy in the summer and split

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between clear and overcast days in the winter. The annual precipitation is only 12 inches (305 mm), including 37 inches (94 cm) of snow. The average low temperature in

January is −11 °F (−23 °C). The average high during July is +69 °F (+20 °C).

Temperature extremes have been recorded from −63 °F to +92 °F (−53 °C to +33 °C).

It is shown that there is considerable variation in minimum temperature within the area, with Bolio Lake, for example, often being 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the main weather station at Fort Greely. An equipment shelter/maintenance camp consisting of a heated temporary structure and an office trailer in a fenced enclosure is located on Meadows Road for the Contractor’s use in this contract. The Contractor also maintains and operates this facility in accordance with GFE requirements.

Black Rapids Training Site (BTA)

The Northern Warfare Training Center is responsible for maintaining the US Army's state of the art in cold weather and mountain warfare. The Center provides training in these subjects to both active and reserve components and assists in the development of tactics and techniques for such operations. This site is a stand-alone facility with no commercial power; generators and the well/septic tank are maintained under a separate utilities contract. Most of the actual training is done at BTA, a demanding environment located in a mountain pass of the Alaska Range approximately 40 miles southeast of

Delta Junction, Alaska adjacent to the Richardson Highway.

Seward Military Resort (SMR)

Seward Military Resort (SMR) is located 120 miles south of Anchorage; Seward is situated at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula. SMR government staff provides initial maintenance support.

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