California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Dead Mountains
BLM found a wildlife resource, a cultural value and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 5 rights of way inside the line today. It covers 28,563 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
The rights of way
5 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 4 under other energy facilities and 1 under non-energy facilities.
- NEVADA POWER CO2rights of way
- NEVADA POWER CO ATT LAND SERVICES1right of way
- USBR (YUMA)1right of way
- NEEDLES, CITY OF (California)1right of way
The nearest areas
- Bigelow ChollaCalifornia · 5,749 acres · 1 right of way10miles
- Piute-FennerCalifornia · 178,838 acres · at least 4 active mining claims and 1 more BLM lists as Filed, 14 rights of way12miles
- Bullhead Bajada Natural & CulturalArizona · 7,087 acres · at least 123 active mining claims and 1 more BLM lists as Filed, 6 rights of way15miles
- Beale Slough Riparian & CulturalArizona · 2,206 acres · 3 rights of way20miles
- Black Mountains Ecosystem ManagementArizona · 133,225 acres · at least 1,122 active mining claims and 263 more BLM lists as Filed or Under Review, 40 rights of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it23miles
Next to it
Piute-Fenner Area of Critical Environmental Concern and Piute/eldorado Area of Critical Environmental Concern touch 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 Dead Mountains. 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