Facts and figures concerning the Army’s Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeast Colorado, which the Army wants to expand to enhance training:
LOCATION: About 30 miles northeast of Trinidad and 160 miles south of Denver.
SIZE: 235,368 acres, or 368 square miles.
PROPOSED ADDITION: 418,577 acres, or 654 square miles. The expanded site would cover 1,022 square miles, an area slightly smaller than Rhode Island.
HISTORY: Acquired by the Army in the early 1980s, about half through eminent domain.
USES: Non-live-fire training for large units using heavy equipment such as tanks, personnel carriers and helicopters.
NEED FOR EXPANSION: The Army says overall, it needs an additional 5 million acres, or 7,813 square miles, for training purposes. The proposed Pinon Canyon expansion would allow for training with improved technology and equipment to closely replicate battlefield conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
