Colorado · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Atwell Gulch ACEC
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a cultural value and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 1 oil and gas lease and 1 right of way inside the line today, and four grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 2,859 acres and was designated October 16, 2024, in the 2024 Grand Junction RMP (supplmental [sic] EIS). In the plan's name, RMP stands for resource management plan and EIS for environmental impact statement.
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.
- UTE WATER CONS DIST1right of way
The oil and gas leases
1 active oil and gas lease sits inside the line. 1 of it took effect before the area was designated on October 16, 2024.
- VR4-MORIA LP1lease
Grazing allotments
4 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Big Park11,700acres
- Sunnyside Common5,724acres
- Jerry Gulch2,400acres
- Halfway House963acres
The nearest areas
- Pyramid Rock ACEC (Zone 1)Colorado · 1,257 acres · 2 oil and gas leases, 1 right of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it10miles
- Pyramid Rock ACEC (Zone 2)Colorado · 14,121 acres · 17 oil and gas leases, 13 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it10miles
- Mount Logan Foothills ACECColorado · 3,928 acres · 6 oil and gas leases, 6 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it12miles
- South Shale Ridge ACECColorado · 27,838 acres · 22 oil and gas leases, 9 rights of way, 7 grazing allotments covering part of it16miles
- Mount Garfield ACECColorado · 2,361 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it17miles
More from BLM's Colorado office
Every area BLM's Colorado 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 Atwell Gulch ACEC. 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