Area of Critical Environmental Concern


Areas of Critical Environmental Concern is a conservation ecology program in the Western United States, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The ACEC program was conceived in the 1976 Federal Lands Policy and Management Act, 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 ;
  • Natural hazards.

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

Arizona

  • Witch Pool
  • Nampaweap
  • Pakoon
  • Beaver Dam Slope
  • Virgin River Corridor
  • Virgin Slope
  • Little Black Mountain
  • Fort Pearce
  • Marble Canyon
  • Johnson Springs
  • Lost Spring Mountain
  • Moonshine Ridge
  • Dripping Springs
  • Sears Point

California

Colorado

  • Adobe Badlands –
  • American Basin –
  • Anasazi Culture –
  • Arkansas Canyonlands –
  • Atwell Gulch –
  • Badger Wash –
  • Barger Gulch Heritage Area –
  • Beaver Creek –
  • Black's Gulch –
  • Blanca Wildlife Habitat Area –
  • Blue Hill –
  • Browns Canyon –
  • Bull Gulch –
  • Coal Draw –
  • Coal Oil Rim –
  • Cucharas Canyon –
  • Cumbres and Toltec Railroad –
  • Debris Hazard –
  • Deep Creek –
  • Deer Gulch –
  • Dillon Pinnacles –
  • Droney Gulch –
  • Duck Creek –
  • Dudley Bluffs –
  • East Douglas Creek –
  • Elephant Rocks –
  • Escalante Canyon –
  • Fairview –
  • Garden Park National Natural Landmark –
  • Glenwood Springs Debris Flow Hazard Zones –
  • Grand Hogback –
  • Grape Creek –
  • Gunnison Gravels –
  • Gunnison Sage Grouse –
  • Gypsum Valley –
  • Hardscrabble-East Eagle –
  • Indian Creek –
  • Irish Canyon –
  • Juanita Arch –
  • Kremmling –
  • Kremling Ammonite Site Research Natural Area –
  • Laramie River –
  • Los Mogotes –
  • Lower Colorado River –
  • Lower Greasewood Creek –
  • Lyons Gulch –
  • McCoy Fan Delta –
  • McElmo Rare Lizard and Snake –
  • Moosehead Mountain –
  • Mosquito Pass –
  • Mount Logan Foothills –
  • Mt. Garfield –
  • Native Plant Community –
  • Needle Rock –
  • North Park Natural Area –
  • North Park Phaceila –
  • North Sand Hills –
  • Oil Spring Mountain –
  • Phantom Canyon –
  • Pyramid Rock –
  • Rajadero Canyon –
  • Raven Ridge –
  • Red Cloud Peak –
  • Rio Grande –
  • Roan and Carr Creeks –
  • Rough Canyon –
  • Ryan Gulch –
  • San Luis Hills/Flattop –
  • San Miguel River –
  • Sheep Creek Uplands –
  • Sinbad Valley –
  • Slumgullion National Natural Landmark –
  • South Beaver Creek –
  • South Cathedral Bluffs –
  • South Shale Ridge –
  • The Palisade –
  • Thompson Creek –
  • Trickle Mountain –
  • Troublesome Creek –
  • Unaweep Seep Research Natural Area –
  • West Antelope Creek –
  • White River Riparian –
  • Yanks Gulch/Upper Greasewood Creek –

Idaho

Montana

Nevada

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

New Mexico

*
  • 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

Utah

Wyoming