New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Gila Middle Box
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a scenic value, a natural process and a fish resource 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 841 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
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.
- Brushy Mountain23,832acres
- Copper Canyon4,186acres
The nearest areas
- Gila Lower BoxNew Mexico · 6,257 acres · 1 right of way, 6 grazing allotments covering part of it14miles
- Bear CreekNew Mexico · 1,483 acres · at least 4 active mining claims, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it19miles
- Apache BoxNew Mexico · 2,628 acres · 5 grazing allotments covering part of it23miles
- Lordsburg Playa Research Natural AreaNew Mexico · 4,515 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it29miles
- Northern Peloncillo MountainsNew Mexico · 781 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it34miles
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 Gila Middle Box. 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