California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Black Mountain
One of 2 areas BLM's California office names Black Mountain; this one is 61,721 acres. All of them. BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a cultural value, a natural process and a historic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place at least 5 mining claims BLM lists as Filed inside the line today. It covers 61,721 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
Who holds the claims
At least 5 claims sit inside this line: 0 active and 5 filed and pending, 5 with a claimant BLM withholds under the Privacy Act. BLM lists 5 as Filed.
- Names withheld by BLM (private individuals)5claims
BLM's mining rules list designated ACECs among the places where mining that disturbs the surface beyond casual use needs a plan of operations BLM approves. Exploration of five acres or less can go ahead on a notice instead.
The nearest areas
- Rainbow Basin/Owl CanyonCalifornia · 4,104 acres · 2 rights of way10miles
- Harper Dry LakeCalifornia · 485 acres · 2 rights of way10miles
- Superior-CroneseCalifornia · 518,461 acres · at least 429 active mining claims and 244 more BLM lists as Filed or Under Review, 55 rights of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it11miles
- Coolgardie MesaCalifornia · 13,253 acres · at least 3 active mining claims and 5 more BLM lists as Filed, 2 rights of way11miles
- West ParadiseCalifornia · 1,232 acres · nothing placed inside14miles
Next to it
Superior-Cronese Area of Critical Environmental Concern touches the line.
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 Black Mountain. 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