New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat Preservation
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource and a natural process here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 2 oil and gas leases and 22 rights of way inside the line today, and nine grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 57,564 acres and was designated June 17, 2010, in the Special Status Species RMPA. In the plan's name, RMPA stands for resource management plan amendment.
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
22 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 10 under oil & gas facilities, 9 under non-energy facilities, 2 under other energy facilities and 1 under water.
- SMITH PRODUCTION INC3rights of way
- MACK ENERGY CORP2rights of way
- A private individual, name withheld by this site2rights of way
- WESPAC ENERGY LLC2rights of way
- TRANS PECOS NATURAL GAS CO LLC2rights of way
- CANO PETROLEUM OF NEW MEXICO INC1right of way
- EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO1right of way
- VERSADO GAS PROCESSORS LLC1right of way
- PALOMA RESOURCE INC1right of way
- MID-AMERICA PIPELINE CO1right of way
- NM ST HWY DEPT1right of way
- HANSON OPERATING CO1right of way
- ROOSEVELT CNTY ELECTRIC1right of way
- ENTERPRISE FIELD SERVICES LLC1right of way
- TOMAHAWK OPERATING CO1right of way
- MEW ENTERPRISE1right of way
The oil and gas leases
2 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 2 of them took effect before the area was designated on June 17, 2010.
- CANO PETROLEUM OF NEW MEXICO INC1lease
- Holder not listed by BLM1lease
Not counted: 1 more lease BLM lists as Interim.
Grazing allotments
9 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- White Lake Ranch77,794acres
- Sand Ranch27,038acres
- North ACEC24,755acres
- East Sand Tank23,267acres
- Lone Lake20,492acres
- Button Mesa14,670acres
- Clay Pit11,415acres
- Sand Wells7,428acres
- Twin Windmills3,445acres
The nearest areas
- Mathers Research Natural AreaNew Mexico · 242 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it2miles
- Mescalero SandsNew Mexico · 10,002 acres · 4 grazing allotments covering part of it15miles
- Overflow WetlandsNew Mexico · 6,637 acres · 5 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it34miles
- North Pecos RiverNew Mexico · 6,477 acres · 4 grazing allotments covering part of it40miles
- Roswell Cave ComplexNew Mexico · 37,689 acres · 8 oil and gas leases, 13 rights of way, 21 grazing allotments covering part of it67miles
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 Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat Preservation. 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