California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Yuha Basin
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 33 rights of way inside the line today. It covers 81,579 acres and was designated December 12, 1980, in the CDCA Plan, as amended, DRECP amendment. 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
33 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 19 under non-energy facilities, 12 under other energy facilities, 1 under fiber optic facilities and 1 under none.
- IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT6rights of way
- SAN DIEGO GAS & ELECTRIC CO5rights of way
- SAN DIEGO & AZ RR CO2rights of way
- CSOLAR IV WEST, LLC2rights of way
- AT&T2rights of way
- U.S. BORDER PATROL2rights of way
- CA DEPT PUBLIC WORKS2rights of way
- UNITED STATES GYPSUM CO1right of way
- CED WESTSIDE CANAL BATTERY STORAGE LLC1right of way
- EL CENTRO FIELD OFFICE1right of way
- CA DEPT TRANSPORTATION1right of way
- USGS1right of way
- PLASTER BEACH INC1right of way
- US GYPSUM CO1right of way
- COMMERCE DEPT OF1right of way
- US DEPT JUSTICE INS1right of way
- SBA NETWORK SERVICES INC1right of way
- TERMOELECTRICA US LLC1right of way
- BAJA CALIFORNIA POWER INC TORRE OPTIMA II1right of way
The nearest areas
- Coyote Mountains Fossil SiteCalifornia · 5,876 acres · at least 3 active mining claims16miles
- OcotilloCalifornia · 14,908 acres · at least 1 mining claim BLM lists as Filed, 16 rights of way16miles
- West MesaCalifornia · 100,863 acres · 8 rights of way18miles
- Table MountainCalifornia · 5,218 acres · 5 rights of way21miles
- Lake Cahuilla ShorelineCalifornia · 11,879 acres · nothing placed inside23miles
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 Yuha Basin. 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