California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
White Mountains WSA
BLM found a natural system, a cultural value, a natural process and a historic value 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 1,665 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
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.
- Deep Springs Valley44,673acres
- Allotment USFS-GRZ-10542.01031824,451acres
- Oasis Ranch23,138acres
- Allotment USFS-GRZ-10540.010318–acres
The nearest areas
- White Mountain CityCalifornia · 820 acres · 1 right of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it3miles
- Fish SloughCalifornia · 39,448 acres · 4 grazing allotments covering part of it26miles
- Crater MountainCalifornia · 5,766 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it29miles
- Symmes Creek WSACalifornia · 8,372 acres · at least 3 mining claims BLM lists as Filed, 1 right of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it50miles
- ManzanarCalifornia · 573 acres · at least 2 mining claims BLM lists as Filed, 1 right of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it50miles
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 White Mountains WSA. 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