Area of Critical Environmental Concern explained

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) is a conservation ecology program in the Western United States, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The ACEC program was conceived in the 1976 Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), which established the first conservation ecology mandate for the BLM. The FLPMA mandate directs the BLM to protect important riparian corridors, threatened and endangered species habitats, cultural and archeological resources, as well as unique scenic landscapes that the agency assesses as in need of special management attention.

Criteria

To be considered a potential ACEC an area must meet criteria of both relevance and importance.^[1]

Relevance

An area meets the relevance criteria of an ACEC if it contains one or more of the following:

• A significant historic, cultural, or scenic value;
• A fish or wildlife resource;
• A natural process or system (including but not limited to areas supporting rare, endemic, relict, or endangered plant species, or rare geological features);
• Natural hazards (most notably areas of avalanche, unstable soils, rockfall).

Importance

An area meets the importance criteria if it is characterized by one or more of the following:

• Has more than locally significant qualities;
• Has qualities or circumstances that make it fragile, sensitive, irreplaceable, rare, unique;
• Has been recognized as warranting protection to satisfy national priority concerns or to carry out the mandates of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act;
• Has qualities which warrant concern about safety and public welfare;
• Poses a significant threat to human life and safety, or to property.

Designated ACECs

Alaska

• Sukakpak Mountain (2944 acres)^[2]

Arizona

^{[3] [4]}

• Witch Pool (279 acres)
• Nampaweap (535 acres)
• Pakoon (76,014 acres)
• Beaver Dam Slope (51,197 acres)
• Virgin River Corridor (8,075 acres)
• Virgin Slope (39,931 acres)
• Little Black Mountain (241 acres)
• Fort Pearce (916 acres)
• Marble Canyon (11,012 acres)
• Johnson Springs (2,464 acres)
• Lost Spring Mountain (8,262 acres)
• Moonshine Ridge (5,095 acres)
• Dripping Springs
• Sears Point

California

• • Afton Canyon Big Marias^[5]
• Bodie Bowl
• Carrizo Plain^[6]
• Clear Creek Serpentine
• Conway Summit^[7]
• East Mesa
• Fort Ord
• Indian Pass
• Jawbone-Butterbredt Area of Critical Environmental Concern
• Joaquin Rocks^[8]
• Lake Cahuilla Shoreline^[9]
• North Algodones Dunes^[9]
• Ocotillo^[9]
• Pilot Knob^[9]
• Plank Road^[9]
• The Red Hills of Tuolumne County^[10]
• Salton Sea Hazardous^[9]
• San Sebastian Marsh/San Felipe Creek^[9]
• Serpentine^[11]
• Singer Geoglyphs^[9]
• West Mesa^[9]
• Yuha Basin^[9]

Colorado

^{[12] [13]}

• Adobe Badlands^[14] – 6783acres
• American Basin^[15] – 1595acres
• Anasazi Culture^[15] – 156000acres
• Arkansas Canyonlands^[15] – 23921acres
• Atwell Gulch – 2900acres
• Badger Wash – 1520acres
• Barger Gulch Heritage Area – 535acres
• Beaver Creek – 12081acres
• Black's Gulch – 800acres
• Blanca Wildlife Habitat Area – 8600acres
• Blue Hill – 4178acres
• Browns Canyon – 11697acres
• Bull Gulch – 10214acres
• Coal Draw – 1840acres
• Coal Oil Rim – 3210acres
• Cucharas Canyon – 1866acres
• Cumbres and Toltec Railroad – 3824acres
• Debris Hazard – 7126acres
• Deep Creek – 2470acres
• Deer Gulch – 1810acres
• Dillon Pinnacles – 532acres
• Droney Gulch – 705acres
• Duck Creek – 3430acres
• Dudley Bluffs – 1630acres
• East Douglas Creek – 47610acres
• Elephant Rocks – 1338acres
• Escalante Canyon – 1895acres
• Fairview^[14] – 377acres
• Garden Park National Natural Landmark – 2728acres
• Glenwood Springs Debris Flow Hazard Zones – 6100acres
• Grand Hogback – 4300acres
• Grape Creek – 15978acres
• Gunnison Gravels – 5acres
• Gunnison Sage Grouse – 22000acres
• Gypsum Valley – 13135acres
• Hardscrabble-East Eagle – 4200acres
• Indian Creek – 2300acres
• Irish Canyon – 11680acres
• Juanita Arch – 1600acres
• Kremmling – 674acres
• Kremling Ammonite Site Research Natural Area^[15] – 160acres
• Laramie River – 1783acres
• Los Mogotes – 33456acres
• Lower Colorado River – 9000acres
• Lower Greasewood Creek – 210acres
• Lyons Gulch – 400acres
• McCoy Fan Delta – 1500acres
• McElmo Rare Lizard and Snake – 427acres
• Moosehead Mountain – 8940acres
• Mosquito Pass – 4036acres
• Mount Logan Foothills – 4000acres
• Mt. Garfield – 2400acres
• Native Plant Community – 4577acres
• Needle Rock^[14] – 80acres
• North Park Natural Area – 4444acres
• North Park Phaceila – 300acres
• North Sand Hills – 486acres
• Oil Spring Mountain – 18260acres
• Phantom Canyon – 6096acres
• Pyramid Rock – 470acres
• Rajadero Canyon – 3632acres
• Raven Ridge – 4980acres
• Red Cloud Peak – 5947acres
• Rio Grande – 2830acres
• Roan and Carr Creeks – 33600acres
• Rough Canyon – 1470acres
• Ryan Gulch – 1440acres
• San Luis Hills/Flattop – 29261acres
• San Miguel River^[14] – 20964acres
• Sheep Creek Uplands – 3900acres
• Sinbad Valley – 6400acres
• Slumgullion National Natural Landmark – 1407acres
• South Beaver Creek – 4565acres
• South Cathedral Bluffs – 1330acres
• South Shale Ridge – 27800acres
• The Palisade – 19178acres
• Thompson Creek – 4286acres
• Trickle Mountain – 44521acres
• Troublesome Creek – 998acres
• Unaweep Seep Research Natural Area – 37acres
• West Antelope Creek – 28215acres
• White River Riparian – 950acres
• Yanks Gulch/Upper Greasewood Creek – 2680acres

Idaho

• Menan Buttes
• Long-billed Curlew Habitat

Montana

(For more detailed descriptions of the following sites see)^[16]

• Acid Shale-Pine Forest (endemic plant community, 2463acres, Lewistown Office)
• Ash Creek Divide (paleo, 7931acres, Miles City Office)
• Azure Cave (cave resources, bats; 140acres, Malta Office)
• Battle Butte (cultural, 120acres, Miles City)
• Bear Creek Flats (wildlife, oldgrowth pine, recreation, 564acres, Missoula Office)
• Beaverhead Rock (historic petroglyphs, 120acres, Dillon Office)
• Big Bend of the Milk River (archaeological resources 2120acres, Malta)
• Big Sheep Mountain (cultural, 360acres, Miles City)
• Bitter Creek (vegetation, landscape; 59600acres, Malta)^[17]
• Black-footed ferret (wildlife, 11166acres, Miles City)
• Blue Lake (home to axoloti, rare form of tiger salamander; 430acres, Dillon)
• Block Mountain (geological education, 8661acres, Dillon)
• Bridger Fossil (paleo, 575acres, Billings Office)
• Bug Creek (paleo, 3840acres, Miles City)
• Castle Butte (cultural, 185acres, Billings)
• Centennial Mountains (wildlife migration route, rare plants, grizzly bear, lynx, & wolf; 40715acres, Dillon)
• Centennial Sandhills (sand dunes, sensitive plants; 1040acres, Dillon)
• Collar Gulch (cutthroat trout, 1618acres, Lewistown)
• Cow Creek (geological, scenic; 14000acres, Lewistown)
• East Pryor Mountains (wildlife, wild horses, paleo; 29500acres, Billings)
• Elkhorn Mountains (historic & cultural sites, wildlife; 50431acres, Butte Office)
• Everson Creek (Stone Age archaeological site, 8608acres, Dillon)
• Finger Buttes (scenic, 1520acres, Miles City)
• Four Dances (cultural, scenic, peregrine falcon habitat; 765acres, Billings)
• Hell Creek (paleo, 19169acres, Miles City)
• Hoe (cultural, 144acres, Miles City)
• Howrey Island (wildlife, 321acres, Miles City)
• Humbug Spires (scenic, wildlife, vegetation; 8374acres, Butte)
• Judith Mountains Scenic Area (scenic, wildlife, recreation; 3702acres, Lewistown)
• Jordan Bison Kill (cultural, 160acres, Miles City Office)
• Kevin Rim (wildlife, cultural, recreation; 4657acres, Great Falls Office)
• Meeteetse Spires (rare plants, scenery; 960acres, Billings)^[18]
• Mountain Plover (wildlife, vegetation; 24730acres, Malta)
• Muddy Creek/Big Sheep Creek (scenic, cultural; 13097acres, Dillon)
• Petroglyph Canyon (cultural, 240acres, Billings)
• Piping Plover (wildlife, 16acres, Miles City)
• Pompeys Pillar (historic, cultural, recreation; 470acres, Billings)
• Powder River Depot (cultural, 1386acres, Miles City)
• Prairie Dog Towns, (black-footed ferret reintroduction site, 12346acres, Malta)
• Rattler Gulch Limestone Cliffs (scenic, 20acres, Missoula office. See Garnet Range for description)
• Reynolds Battlefield (cultural, 336acres, Miles City)
• Ringing Rocks (unique geology, 160acres, Butte Office)
• Sand Arroyo (paleo, 9056acres, Miles City)
• Seline (cultural, 80acres, Miles City)
• Sleeping Giant (recreation, wildlife, scenic; 11679acres, Butte Office)
• Smoky Butte (geology, recreation; 80acres, Miles City)
• Square Butte (cultural, scenic, geologic; 1947acres, Lewistown)
• Squaw Rock (wildlife, scenic, recreation; 640acres, Missoula)
• Sweetgrass Hills (Cultural, wildlife, recreation; 7952acres, Great Falls)
• Stark Site (cultural, 800acres, Billings)
• Virginia City, Montana Historic District (historic, 513acres, Dillon)
• Weatherman Draw (cultural, 4268acres, Billings)

Nevada

• Ash Meadows
• Beaver Dam Slope
• Condor Canyon
• Ivanpah
• Mormon Mesa
• Piute/Eldorado
• Rainbow Gardens
• River Mountains

New Mexico

• Sombrillo
• La Cienega^[19]
• Simon Canyon
• Florida Mountains
• Sacramento Escarpment
• Three Rivers Petroglyph
• Alamo Hueco Mountains
• Bear Creek
• Blue Spring
• Pecos River Canyon Complex
• Big Hatchet Mountains
• Cowboy Spring
• Granite Gap
• Guadalupe Canyon
• Chosa Draw
• Cookes Range
• Gila Lower Box
• Gila Middle Box
• Alkali Lakes
• Apache Box
• Central Peloncillo Mountains
• Uvas Valley
• Black Grama
• Cornudas Mountain
• Wind Mountain
• Alamo Mountain

Oregon

^[20]

• Wassen Creek (Natural systems and botanical values, 3397acres, Coos Bay Office)
• North Spit (Botanical, wildlife, and cultural values, 710acres, Coos Bay Office)
• North Fork Coquille River (Natural systems; botanical fish values, 311acres, Coos Bay Office)
• Tioga Creek (Natural systems, 42acres, Coos Bay Office)
• Cherry Creek (Natural systems and botanical values, 592acres, Coos Bay Office)
• China Wall (Natural systems; botanical and cultural values, 303acres, Coos Bay Office)
• Upper Rock Creek (Natural systems and botanical values, 472acres, Coos Bay Office)
• New River (Botanical, wildlife, fish and cultural values, 1135acres, Coos Bay Office)
• North Fork Hunter Creek (Natural systems; botanical and cultural values, 1925acres, Coos Bay Office)
• Hunter Creek Bog (Natural systems and botanical values, 721acres, Coos Bay Office)
• North Fork Chetco River (Natural systems; and botanical, fish, and cultural values 603acres, Coos Bay Office)
• Upper and Lower Table Rock^[21]

Utah

^[22]

• Copper Globe (historic, 128acres, Vernal office)
• Dark Canyon (59,755 acres, Monticello office)
• I-70 Scenic ACEC (scenic, 45463acres, Price office)
• Lears Canyon (habitat, 1378acres, Vernal office)
• Lower Green River (scenic, habitat, 9430acres, Vernal office)
• Nine Mile Canyon (scenic, cultural, 48151acres, Vernal office)
• Pariette Wetlands (habitat, 10635acres, Vernal office)
• San Rafael Canyon (scenic, 54102acres, Price office)
• San Rafael Reef (scenic, 84018acres, Price office)
• Scenic Highway Corridor (scenic, 13554acres, Monticello office)
• Sid's Mountain (scenic, 61380acres, Price office)
• Temple Mountain (historic, 2444acres, Price office)
• Bonneville Salt Flats ((convert30,203))

Wyoming

• Greater Red Creek (175240 acres)
• Greater Sand Dunes (41644 acres)
• Natural Corrals Archeological Site (1116 acres)
• Pine Springs (6055 acres)
• Special Status Plant Species (1009 acres)
• White Mountain Petroglyphs (21.7 acres)

See also

• United States
  • Department of the Interior
    • Bureau of Land Management

External links

• Massachusetts state ACES program

Notes and References

1. BLM Manual 1613, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, section 1613.1.11
2. Web site: Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) - Designated .
3. Arizona Strip Proposed Plan/FEIS, 2007. Chapter 3: Affected Environment, Areas of Critical Concern. Bureau of Land Management. http://www.nps.gov/lake/parkmgmt/upload/FEIS_CHAPTER_3.pdf (Accessed 2012-01-30)
4. Web site: Yuma Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan. August 20, 2023.
5. https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/lup/68418/87828/105163/Yuma-ROD-ARMPcomplete.pdf Yuma Rod
6. Web site: Carrizo Plain . www.blm.gov . 2016-10-03.
7. https://blmca.sites.usa.gov/2015/10/27/hunters-moon-and-aspen-conway-summit/ Conway Summit
8. Web site: Joaquin Rocks . www.blm.gov . 2016-10-03.
9. https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/lup/66459/20012656/250017248/ACEC_Lake_Cahuilla_Subregion.pdf Lake Cahuilla subregion
10. Web site: Red Hills ACEC, Mother Lode Field Office, Bureau of Land Management California . 2010-06-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101221220511/http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/folsom/redhillshomepg1.html . 2010-12-21 . . accessed 2010-06-22.
11. Web site: Serprentine . www.blm.gov . 2016-10-03.
12. Web site: Areas of Critical Environmental Concern . . United States. Bureau of Land Management . 2019-04-30 .
13. The actual list is in an Excel file here.
14. Web site: Draft Evaluation of Proposed and Existing Areas of Critical Environmental Concern for the Uncompahgre Planning Area. United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. June 2010. October 22, 2012.
15. Web site: BLM Colorado: Land Use Planning - Areas of Critical Environmental Concern . . August 12, 2008 . October 22, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100530120513/http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/land_use_planning/acec.print.html . May 30, 2010 .
16. Web site: Bureau of Land Management Montana/Dakotas. ACEC Status Report. 2012-01-01.
17. Web site: Northern Plains Conservation Network . Bitter Creek/Grasslands National Park . 2012-01-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120129020105/http://www.npcn.net/index.php/pages/bitter-creek/ . 2012-01-29 .
18. Web site: The Conservation Fund . Saving Montana's Meeteetse Spires . 2012-01-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111121224506/http://conservationfund.org/news/meeteetse_spires_montana . 2011-11-21 .
19. http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/fo/New_Mexico_State_Office/features/la_cienega_acec_expansion.html Community Celebrates Expansion of La Cienega ACEC
20. Web site: ACEC Existing - Coos Bay Oregon/Washington BLM. blm.gov. 2016-04-15.
21. Web site: Welcome to the Table Rocks Oregon/Washington BLM. blm.gov. 2016-04-15.
22. http://ostseis.anl.gov/documents/dpeis/index.cfm Draft Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resource Management Plan Amendments to Address Land Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1