California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Salt Creek Hills
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 1 right of way inside the line today. It covers 2,207 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
1 right of way sits inside the line. BLM files 1 under non-energy facilities.
- CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION1right of way
The nearest areas
- Avawatz Mountains WSACalifornia · 53,159 acres · nothing placed inside5miles
- Kingston Range WSACalifornia · 42,371 acres · nothing placed inside9miles
- Death Valley 17 WSACalifornia · 21,081 acres · nothing placed inside10miles
- Denning SpringsCalifornia · 446 acres · nothing placed inside12miles
- Amargosa SouthCalifornia · 161,328 acres · at least 68 active mining claims and 15 more BLM lists as Filed or Under Review, 26 rights of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it17miles
Next to it
Shadow Valley 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 Salt Creek Hills. 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