Arizona · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Black Butte
BLM found a wildlife resource, a cultural value, a scenic value and a natural process here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place no claim, lease or right of way inside the line today, and two grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 9,552 acres and was designated April 22, 2010, in the Bradshaw-Harquahala 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
Ground: USGS The National Map, topographic tiles. Boundaries: BLM's own, read Oct 20, 2026. The 2 grazing allotments below aren't marked.Grazing allotments
2 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Ohaco63,914acres
- Effus18,664acres
The nearest areas
- Vulture MountainsArizona · 6,496 acres · at least 8 active mining claims and 3 more BLM lists as Filed, 1 right of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it13miles
- Harquahala MountainsArizona · 77,246 acres · at least 40 active mining claims and 30 more BLM lists as Filed, 3 rights of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it18miles
- Saddle MountainArizona · 55,504 acres · 13 rights of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it30miles
- Three Rivers RiparianArizona · 31,589 acres · at least 48 active mining claims and 5 more BLM lists as Filed or Under Review, 3 rights of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it42miles
- Tule CreekArizona · 643 acres · at least 1 mining claim BLM lists as Filed, a grazing allotment covering part of it45miles
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 Black Butte. 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