Montana · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Pryor Foothills
BLM found a natural system and a cultural value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place no claim, lease or right of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 2,606 acres and was designated September 21, 2015, in the Billings and Pompeys Pillar NM RMP (2015). In the plan's name, NM stands for National Monument and RMP 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
Ground: USGS The National Map, topographic tiles. Boundaries: BLM's own, read Oct 20, 2026. The 3 grazing allotments below aren't marked.Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Gyp Springs20,826acres
- Gypsum Creek14,749acres
- Petroglyph3,402acres
The nearest areas
- Petroglyph CanyonMontana/Dakotas · 239 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it3miles
- East Pryor MountainMontana/Dakotas · 11,061 acres · at least 24 active mining claims, 3 rights of way, 4 grazing allotments covering part of it6miles
- Little Mountain ACECWyoming · 21,443 acres · 1 right of way, 6 grazing allotments covering part of it18miles
- Weatherman DrawMontana/Dakotas · 12,282 acres · 2 rights of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it19miles
- Bridger FossilMontana/Dakotas · 577 acres · 4 grazing allotments covering part of it23miles
More from BLM's Montana/Dakotas office
Every area BLM's Montana/Dakotas 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 Pryor Foothills. 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