Colorado · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Cucharas Canyon ACEC
BLM found a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 2 rights of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 6,068 acres and was designated January 18, 2024, in the 2024 Eastern Coloardo RMP. In the plan's name, RMP stands for resource management 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
2 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 1 under non-energy facilities and 1 under other energy facilities.
- Holder not listed by BLM1right of way
- BLACK HILLS ENERGY1right of way
Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- CUCHARAS CANYON NORTHEAST2,690acres
- CUCHARAS WEST1,757acres
- CUCHARAS CANYON SOUTH1,711acres
The nearest areas
- Grape Creek ACECColorado · 16,558 acres · at least 59 active mining claims and 1 more BLM lists as Filed, 2 rights of way, 6 grazing allotments covering part of it56miles
- Garden Park ACECColorado · 3,122 acres · 6 rights of way, 6 grazing allotments covering part of it61miles
- South Pikes Peak ACECColorado · 40,449 acres · 6 rights of way, 17 grazing allotments covering part of it61miles
- Arkansas Canyonlands ACECColorado · 23,707 acres · at least 4 active mining claims, 8 rights of way, 12 grazing allotments covering part of it67miles
- Blanca Wetlands ACECColorado · 122,660 acres · 7 rights of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it69miles
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 Cucharas Canyon 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