Arizona · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Appleton-Whittell Research
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a scenic value and a natural process here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 3 rights of way inside the line today, and two grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 3,124 acres and was designated July 25, 2003, in the Las Cienegas RMP. In the plan's name, RMP stands for resource management plan.
One of the 1,120 places the Bureau of Land Management has designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. This page shows its line, what BLM found there and what sits inside it.
The line
The rights of way
3 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 1 under fiber optic facilities, 1 under other energy facilities and 1 under non-energy facilities.
- QWEST CORP1right of way
- SULPHUR SPRGS ELEC1right of way
- NATL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADM CLIMATIC DATA CTR1right of way
Grazing allotments
2 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Allotment USFS-GRZ-10123.0105193,244acres
- Allotment USFS-GRZ-10100.0105192,150acres
The nearest areas
- Empire-CienegaArizona · 48,239 acres · at least 7 active mining claims, 18 rights of way, 11 grazing allotments covering part of it16miles
- Willcox Playa NNLArizona · 3,270 acres · at least 7 active mining claims, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it53miles
- Swamp Springs-Hot Springs WatershedArizona · 17,875 acres · 2 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it57miles
- Baboquivari PeakArizona · 3,049 acres · 5 grazing allotments covering part of it65miles
- Dos Cabezas PeaksArizona · 26 acres · at least 2 active mining claims, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it68miles
More from BLM's Arizona office
Every area BLM's Arizona office holdsThe proposed rule
A proposed rule, RIN 1004-AF53, would change how BLM drafts every land use plan, and how it designates ACECs like Appleton-Whittell Research. The comment window hasn't opened: the proposed rule wasn't in the Federal Register at our last check. The Watch sends one email the day it prints.
The rule's abstract
The purpose of this rulemaking is to establish in regulations an updated process for the approval of the development, revision, amendment, and maintenance of land use plans, as provided for by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Additionally, this rulemaking will provide clarification of the process the BLM uses for designating Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.Unified Agenda entry for RIN 1004-AF53, Publication ID 2026, reginfo.gov (OMB OIRA), read Oct 18, 2026