Colorado · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
South Shale Ridge ACEC
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 22 oil and gas leases and 9 rights of way inside the line today, and seven grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 27,838 acres and was designated August 24, 2015, in the 2015 Grand Junction 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
9 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 5 under oil & gas facilities, 2 under other energy facilities and 2 under non-energy facilities.
- LARAMIE ENERGY LLC3rights of way
- RED ROCK GATHERING CO LLC3rights of way
- MARALEX DISPOSAL LLC1right of way
- VISION ENERGY LLC1right of way
- BLUESTONE MGMT COMMTE1right of way
The oil and gas leases
22 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 22 of them took effect before the area was designated on August 24, 2015.
- LARAMIE ENERGY LLC7leases
- Holder not listed by BLM7leases
- TEP ROCKY MOUNTAIN LLC5leases
- VISION ENERGY LLC2leases
- CAERUS PICEANCE LLC1lease
Grazing allotments
7 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Winter Flats-Deer Park34,136acres
- Coon Hollow Common17,970acres
- Red Rock12,421acres
- Corcoran Wash11,303acres
- West Spears6,583acres
- South East Spear6,216acres
- Homestead5,298acres
The nearest areas
- Pyramid Rock ACEC (Zone 2)Colorado · 14,121 acres · 17 oil and gas leases, 13 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it6miles
- Pyramid Rock ACEC (Zone 1)Colorado · 1,257 acres · 2 oil and gas leases, 1 right of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it7miles
- Mount Garfield ACECColorado · 2,361 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it13miles
- Mount Logan Foothills ACECColorado · 3,928 acres · 6 oil and gas leases, 6 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it13miles
- Atwell Gulch ACECColorado · 2,859 acres · 1 oil and gas lease, 1 right of way, 4 grazing allotments covering part of it16miles
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 South Shale Ridge 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