New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Bluewater Canyon
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a scenic value and a fish resource here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 1 right of way inside the line today, and two grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 767 acres and was designated December 23, 2024, in the Rio Puerco 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.
- NM ST HWY DEPT1right of way
Grazing allotments
2 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Reynold Draw1,278acres
- Blackjack Arroyo579acres
The nearest areas
- Andrews RanchNew Mexico · 953 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it7miles
- Casamero CommunityNew Mexico · 157 acres · 1 right of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it9miles
- Kin NizhoniNew Mexico · 915 acres · 1 right of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it15miles
- Legacy Uranium MinesNew Mexico · 50 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it35miles
- San Miguel DomeNew Mexico · 4,437 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it37miles
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 Bluewater Canyon. 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