California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Hopper Mountain
BLM found a wildlife resource here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 4 oil and gas leases and 12 rights of way inside the line today. It covers 4,518 acres and was designated December 22, 2014, in the Bakersfield 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
12 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 5 under other energy facilities, 4 under oil & gas facilities and 3 under non-energy facilities.
- CARBON CALIFORNIA COMPANY LLC4rights of way
- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO3rights of way
- PACIFIC BELL TELEPHONE CO DBA AT&T CALIFORNIA1right of way
- JOHANSON RES INC1right of way
- USFS (LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST)1right of way
- AERA ENERGY LLC1right of way
- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON1right of way
The oil and gas leases
4 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 4 of them took effect before the area was designated on December 22, 2014.
- Holder not listed by BLM3leases
- CARBON CALIFORNIA COMPANY LLC1lease
The nearest areas
- Bitter CreekCalifornia · 1,025 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it43miles
- Upper Cuyama ValleyCalifornia · 15,628 acres · 12 rights of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it47miles
- Big Rock Creek WashCalifornia · 309 acres · nothing placed inside57miles
- Horse CanyonCalifornia · 6,892 acres · at least 2 active mining claims, a grazing allotment covering part of it60miles
- Middle KnobCalifornia · 20,533 acres · at least 1 mining claim BLM lists as Filed, 5 rights of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it63miles
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 Hopper 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