Arizona · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Desert Grasslands RNA - Mescal Ridge
BLM found a natural system 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 381 acres and was designated July 1, 1994, in the Safford 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.
- Mescal Mountain12,346acres
- Limestone9,462acres
The nearest areas
- White CanyonArizona · 290 acres · at least 13 active mining claims, a grazing allotment covering part of it22miles
- Desert Grasslands RNA - PilaresArizona · 101 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it24miles
- Turkey Creek RiparianArizona · 2,213 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it26miles
- Table Mountain RNAArizona · 1,218 acres · at least 3 active mining claims, a grazing allotment covering part of it26miles
- Desert Grasslands RNA - Sombrero ButteArizona · 361 acres · at least 7 active mining claims, a grazing allotment covering part of it34miles
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 Desert Grasslands RNA - Mescal Ridge. 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