California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Sierra Canyons
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a cultural value, a scenic value, a natural process and a historic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 24 rights of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 28,608 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
24 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 20 under non-energy facilities, 2 under other energy facilities, 1 under fiber optic facilities and 1 under apiaries.
- CA DEPT PUBLIC WORKS3rights of way
- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO2rights of way
- VERIZON CALIFORNIA INC2rights of way
- CENTRAL PAC RR1right of way
- LOS ANGELES, CITY OF (California) - DEPARTMENT WATER & POWER1right of way
- KERN COUNTY (California) - WATER AGENCY1right of way
- LOS ANGELES CITY OF1right of way
- MAMMOTH RADIO LLC1right of way
- GRANITE CONSTRUCTION CO1right of way
- USGS1right of way
- GRANITE CONSTRUCTION1right of way
- CA DEPT TRANSPORTATION1right of way
- OCIO1right of way
- FAA USDT1right of way
- Holder not listed by BLM1right of way
- VERIZON CALIFORNIA INC1right of way
- UNITED HONEYBEES INC1right of way
- CONTINENTAL TELEPHONE CO OF CA1right of way
- CA DIVISION OF HIGHWAYS1right of way
- LOS ANGELES DEPT WATER & POWER REAL ESTATE SECT1right of way
Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Allotment USFS-GRZ-10516.01031860,604acres
- Tunawee56,053acres
- Olancha Common15,591acres
The nearest areas
- Sand CanyonCalifornia · 2,629 acres · 2 rights of way5miles
- Fossil FallsCalifornia · 1,662 acres · 2 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it8miles
- Short CanyonCalifornia · 754 acres · nothing placed inside9miles
- Mohave Ground SquirrelCalifornia · 213,299 acres · at least 32 active mining claims and 370 more BLM lists as Filed, 72 rights of way, 10 grazing allotments covering part of it12miles
- Rose SpringCalifornia · 838 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it18miles
Next to it
Mohave Ground Squirrel 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 Sierra Canyons. 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