New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Frances Mesa
BLM found a cultural value, a scenic value and a historic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 7 oil and gas leases and 100 rights of way inside the line today, and six grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 7,620 acres and was designated September 1, 2003, in the Farmington 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
100 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 92 under oil & gas facilities, 6 under non-energy facilities and 2 under other energy facilities.
- ENTERPRISE FIELD SERVICES LLC64rights of way
- *ENTERPRISE FIELD SERVICES LLC14rights of way
- VAL VERDE GAS GATHERING CO LP7rights of way
- Enterprise Field Services LLC2rights of way
- FARMINGTON, CITY OF (New Mexico)2rights of way
- WILLIAMS FOUR CORNERS LLC2rights of way
- **ENTERPRISE FIELD SERVICES LLC1right of way
- NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS LLC1right of way
- HILCORP SAN JUAN LLC1right of way
- FARMINGTON, CITY OF (New Mexico) - Electric/Utilities1right of way
- WILLIAMS GAS & FLD SVCS1right of way
- COMMNET FOUR CORNERS LLC1right of way
- NORTHERN NM PTNSHP1right of way
- T-MOBILE1right of way
- SACRED WIND COMMUNICATIONS INC1right of way
The oil and gas leases
7 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 7 of them took effect before the area was designated on September 1, 2003.
- Holder not listed by BLM3leases
- HILCORP SAN JUAN LLC3leases
- ENDURING RESOURCES IV LLC1lease
Grazing allotments
6 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Frances Mesa29,266acres
- Frances Canyon13,181acres
- Gobernador Canyon8,113acres
- Navajo City7,668acres
- Navajo Dam5,363acres
- Cool Water Canyon2,241acres
The nearest areas
- San Rafael CanyonNew Mexico · 5,687 acres · 7 oil and gas leases, 66 rights of way, 4 grazing allotments covering part of it4miles
- Pregnant BasketmakerNew Mexico · 7.9 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it6miles
- Christmas Tree RuinNew Mexico · 40 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it6miles
- Delgadita/Pueblo CanyonsNew Mexico · 351 acres · 6 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it7miles
- Bald EagleNew Mexico · 4,242 acres · 11 oil and gas leases, 40 rights of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it8miles
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 Frances Mesa. 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