Nevada · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
North Dry Valley
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a cultural value, a scenic 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 two grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 10,265 acres in Nevada, managed by BLM's California office, and was designated April 17, 2008, in the Eagle Lake.
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 2 grazing allotments below aren't marked.Grazing allotments
2 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Twin Peaks407,079acres
- Winter Range NV47,924acres
The nearest areas
- Lower Smoke CreekCalifornia · 894 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it14miles
- Buffalo Creek CanyonsCalifornia · 35,663 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it29miles
- Incandescent RocksNevada · 1,103 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it31miles
- Carson Wandering SkipperNevada · 242 acres · 1 right of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it34miles
- Willow CreekCalifornia · 2,143 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it37miles
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 North Dry Valley. 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