Area of Critical Environmental Concern



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.

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.

Alaska

 * Sukakpak Mountain (2944 acres)

Arizona

 * 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
 * Bodie Bowl
 * Carrizo Plain
 * Clear Creek Serpentine
 * Conway Summit
 * East Mesa
 * Fort Ord
 * Indian Pass
 * Jawbone-Butterbredt Area of Critical Environmental Concern
 * Joaquin Rocks
 * Lake Cahuilla Shoreline
 * North Algodones Dunes
 * Ocotillo
 * Pilot Knob
 * Plank Road
 * The Red Hills of Tuolumne County
 * Salton Sea Hazardous
 * San Sebastian Marsh/San Felipe Creek
 * Serpentine
 * Singer Geoglyphs
 * West Mesa
 * Yuha Basin

Colorado

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

Idaho

 * Menan Buttes
 * Long-billed Curlew Habitat

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

Nevada

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

New Mexico

 * Sombrillo
 * La Cienega
 * 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

 * Wassen Creek (Natural systems and botanical values, 3,397 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * North Spit (Botanical, wildlife, and cultural values, 710 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * North Fork Coquille River (Natural systems; botanical fish values, 311 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * Tioga Creek (Natural systems, 42 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * Cherry Creek (Natural systems and botanical values, 592 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * China Wall (Natural systems; botanical and cultural values, 303 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * Upper Rock Creek (Natural systems and botanical values, 472 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * New River (Botanical, wildlife, fish and cultural values, 1135 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * North Fork Hunter Creek (Natural systems; botanical and cultural values, 1925 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * Hunter Creek Bog (Natural systems and botanical values, 721 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * North Fork Chetco River (Natural systems; and botanical, fish, and cultural values 603 acre, Coos Bay Office)
 * Upper and Lower Table Rock

Utah

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