Natural Resources

Military operations had not been hampered at the six withdrawn sites GAO visited in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, but these operations had constrained resource management activities. Military commanders at five of the sites said that they changed some training exercises to accommodate concerns for wildlife; at one site, officials expressed concern about meeting training needs because of environmental constraints. However, the Defense Department restricted access to three sites, making it difficult for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to carry out resource management activities. Such restrictions and the overall military presence have led BLM to assign a low priority to resource management on military lands. A lack of information on resource conditions prevents an overall assessment of the impacts. The six sites could improve resource management by enhancing interagency cooperation and by strengthening systems to monitor resource management actions. Resource management at the Goldwater Range in Arizona was an example of effective cooperation between BLM and the military.