California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Ayers Rock
BLM found a wildlife resource, a cultural value, a scenic value, a natural process and a historic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place no claim, lease or right of way inside the line today, and a grazing allotment covers part of it. It covers 1,526 acres and was designated September 14, 2016, in the CDCA Plan, as amended by DRECP. In the plan's name, CDCA stands for California Desert Conservation Area and DRECP for Desert Renewable Energy Conservation 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 3 leases and grazing allotment below aren't marked.The geothermal leases
No active geothermal lease sits inside the line.
Not counted: 3 more leases BLM lists as Closed.
Grazing allotments
A grazing allotment covers part of this line. Its permittee isn't named here yet.
- Lacey-Cactus-McCloud169,055acres
The nearest areas
- Rose SpringCalifornia · 838 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it6miles
- Fossil FallsCalifornia · 1,662 acres · 2 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it11miles
- Olancha GreasewoodCalifornia · 29,345 acres · 10 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it14miles
- Sierra CanyonsCalifornia · 28,608 acres · 24 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it19miles
- Mohave Ground SquirrelCalifornia · 213,299 acres · at least 32 active mining claims and 370 more BLM lists as Filed, 72 rights of way, 10 grazing allotments covering part of it20miles
More from BLM's California office
Every area BLM's California 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 Ayers Rock. 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