Arizona · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Swamp Springs-Hot Springs Watershed
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a natural process and a fish resource here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 2 rights of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 17,875 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
The rights of way
2 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 1 under other energy facilities and 1 under oil & gas facilities.
- SULPHUR SPRGS ELEC1right of way
- EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO1right of way
Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Muleshoe25,341acres
- C-Spear Ranch9,966acres
- Soza Mesa7,023acres
The nearest areas
- Desert Grasslands RNA - Sombrero ButteArizona · 361 acres · at least 7 active mining claims, a grazing allotment covering part of it26miles
- Willcox Playa NNLArizona · 3,270 acres · at least 7 active mining claims, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it27miles
- Table Mountain RNAArizona · 1,218 acres · at least 3 active mining claims, a grazing allotment covering part of it33miles
- Turkey Creek RiparianArizona · 2,213 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it34miles
- Desert Grasslands RNA - PilaresArizona · 101 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it37miles
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 Swamp Springs-Hot Springs Watershed. 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