Colorado · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Ruby Mountain/Railroad Gulch ACEC
BLM found a wildlife resource and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 5 rights of way inside the line today, and six grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 1,772 acres and was designated January 18, 2024, in the 2024 Eastern Colorado 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
5 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 5 under non-energy facilities.
- Holder not listed by BLM3rights of way
- NEW SALIDA DITCH CO1right of way
- UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD1right of way
Grazing allotments
6 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Allotment USFS-GRZ-6276863.01060234,277acres
- HECLA JCT. EAST3,114acres
- SUGARLOAF MTN.2,814acres
- HECLA JUNCTION WEST1,699acres
- PARK DITCH NORTH1,487acres
- BROWNS CANYON1,138acres
The nearest areas
- Droney Gulch ACECColorado · 674 acres · 2 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it6miles
- Castle Gardens ACECColorado · 310 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it12miles
- Arkansas Canyonlands ACECColorado · 23,707 acres · at least 4 active mining claims, 8 rights of way, 12 grazing allotments covering part of it33miles
- Trickle Mountain ACECColorado · 43,857 acres · 4 rights of way, 13 grazing allotments covering part of it38miles
- Top of the World ACECColorado · 8,741 acres · at least 6 active mining claims and 1 more BLM lists as Filed, 9 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it42miles
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 Ruby Mountain/Railroad 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