New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Big Hatchet Mountains
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 1 right of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 27,357 acres and was designated December 1, 1993, in the Mimbres 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
1 right of way sits inside the line. BLM files 1 under non-energy facilities.
- Holder not listed by BLM1right of way
Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Hatchet Ranch160,891acres
- Alamo Hueco93,112acres
- Heard21,642acres
The nearest areas
- Alamo Hueco MountainsNew Mexico · 13,072 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it12miles
- Cowboy SpringNew Mexico · 6,691 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it16miles
- Central Peloncillo MountainsNew Mexico · 12,302 acres · 7 grazing allotments covering part of it36miles
- Antelope Pass Research Natural AreaNew Mexico · 8,652 acres · at least 32 active mining claims and 101 more BLM lists as Filed or Under Review, 2 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it41miles
- Guadalupe CanyonNew Mexico · 4,154 acres · 4 grazing allotments covering part of it42miles
More from BLM's New Mexico office
Every area BLM's New Mexico 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 Big Hatchet Mountains. 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