Idaho · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
China Cup Butte RNA
BLM found a natural process here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place no claim, lease or right of way inside the line today, and two grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 159 acres and was designated September 29, 1981, in the Big Desert MFP 1981. In the plan's name, MFP stands for management framework 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
Ground: USGS The National Map, topographic tiles. Boundaries: BLM's own, read Oct 20, 2026. The 2 grazing allotments below aren't marked.Grazing allotments
2 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Big Butte49,388acres
- Houghland34,039acres
The nearest areas
- Bowen Canyon Bald Eagle SanctuaryIdaho · 2,298 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it45miles
- Elk MountainIdaho · 12,671 acres · 8 grazing allotments covering part of it50miles
- Oregon-California Trail JunctionIdaho · 522 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it51miles
- Substation TractIdaho · 438 acres · nothing placed inside57miles
- Indian RocksIdaho · 3,577 acres · 2 rights of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it58miles
More from BLM's Idaho office
Every area BLM's Idaho 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 China Cup Butte RNA. 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