New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Ladron Mountain - Devil's Backbone Complex
BLM found a wildlife resource, a cultural value and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 15 rights of way inside the line today, and 24 grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 60,439 acres and was designated September 16, 2010, in the Socorro RMP. In the plan's name, RMP stands for 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
15 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 11 under non-energy facilities, 2 under other energy facilities, 1 under fiber optic facilities and 1 under other.
- SOCORRO COUNTY OF8rights of way
- WESTERN NM TELEPHONE CO2rights of way
- WTN NM TEL CO INC1right of way
- SOCORRO FIELD OFFICE1right of way
- SOCORRO COUNTY ROAD DEPT1right of way
- SOCORRO ELEC COOP1right of way
- NM INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY1right of way
Grazing allotments
24 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- WEST LADRON27,983acres
- LA JENCIA CREEK27,560acres
- PUERTECITO BARANCO25,688acres
- PIPE RANCH19,534acres
- RIENHARDT19,416acres
- PUERTECITO DEL LEMITAR17,961acres
- MONTE NEGRO17,597acres
- Allotment USFS-GRZ-16290.01048217,360acres
- HICKMAN RANCH17,108acres
- WATER CANYON15,413acres
- OSO FLATS14,855acres
- OJO SALADITO13,604acres
- SO RANCH13,548acres
- LA JENCIA RANCH11,787acres
- RIO SALADO WEST9,446acres
- NORTH LADRON9,157acres
- PUERTECITO GAP6,809acres
- LOPEZ COMMUNITY6,346acres
- Allotment USFS-GRZ-16274.0104826,296acres
- LADRON PEAK5,393acres
- SO RANCH5,242acres
- POLVADERA3,987acres
- RILEY COMMUNITY2,780acres
- LA JENCIA RANCH157acres
The nearest areas
- Pronoun Cave ComplexNew Mexico · 1,261 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it35miles
- Cerro VerdeNew Mexico · 4,618 acres · 1 right of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it35miles
- Petaca PintaNew Mexico · 11,491 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it39miles
- Horse MountainNew Mexico · 5,334 acres · 1 right of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it61miles
- Bony CanyonNew Mexico · 549 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it64miles
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 Ladron Mountain - Devil's Backbone Complex. 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