California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Fish Slough
BLM found a natural system, a cultural value, a scenic value, a natural process, a historic value and a fish resource here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place no claim, lease or right of way inside the line today, and four grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 39,448 acres and was designated March 26, 1993, in the Bishop.
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 4 grazing allotments below aren't marked.Grazing allotments
4 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Volcanic Tablelands47,152acres
- Hammil Valley44,332acres
- Chalk Bluff17,284acres
- Chalfant Valley16,531acres
The nearest areas
- White Mountains WSACalifornia · 1,665 acres · 4 grazing allotments covering part of it26miles
- White Mountain CityCalifornia · 820 acres · 1 right of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it27miles
- Crater MountainCalifornia · 5,766 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it31miles
- Bodie BowlCalifornia · 7,268 acres · 1 right of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it56miles
- Conway SummitCalifornia · 2,845 acres · at least 1 active mining claim and 2 more BLM lists as Filed, 2 rights of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it56miles
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 Fish Slough. 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