New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
La Jara
BLM found a cultural value, a scenic value and a historic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 1 oil and gas lease and 14 rights of way inside the line today, and two grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 1,757 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
14 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 14 under oil & gas facilities.
- WILLIAMS FOUR CORNERS LLC12rights of way
- HILCORP SAN JUAN LLC1right of way
- WILLIAMS FIELD SERVICES CO1right of way
The oil and gas leases
1 active oil and gas lease sits inside the line. 1 of it took effect before the area was designated on September 1, 2003.
- HILCORP SAN JUAN LLC1lease
Grazing allotments
2 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Frances Mesa29,266acres
- Rosa Community21,390acres
The nearest areas
- Bald EagleNew Mexico · 4,242 acres · 11 oil and gas leases, 40 rights of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it6miles
- Frances MesaNew Mexico · 7,620 acres · 7 oil and gas leases, 100 rights of way, 6 grazing allotments covering part of it8miles
- Simon RuinNew Mexico · 48 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it12miles
- Reese Canyon Research Natural AreaNew Mexico · 2,351 acres · 1 oil and gas lease, 47 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it12miles
- Simon CanyonNew Mexico · 3,959 acres · 3 oil and gas leases, 35 rights of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it12miles
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 La Jara. 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