New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Roswell Cave Complex
BLM found a natural system, a scenic value and a natural process here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 8 oil and gas leases and 13 rights of way inside the line today, and 21 grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 37,689 acres and was designated June 17, 2010, in the Roswell 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
13 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 9 under oil & gas facilities, 2 under non-energy facilities and 2 under other energy facilities.
- IACX ROSWELL LLC5rights of way
- MEW ENTERPRISE2rights of way
- VANGUARD OPERATING LLC2rights of way
- FAIRVIEW PRODUCTION CO1right of way
- JAM OIL CO1right of way
- NATURAL GAS PROC CO1right of way
- SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE1right of way
The oil and gas leases
8 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 8 of them took effect before the area was designated on June 17, 2010.
- SOLIS PARTNERS LLC3leases
- Holder not listed by BLM2leases
- WPX ENERGY PERMIAN LLC1lease
- ELLIOTT INDUSTRIES LTD PTNRSHP1lease
- MCKAY OIL CORP1lease
Grazing allotments
21 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- X-Bar60,238acres
- Hasperos Canyon 341,478acres
- Hasperos Canyon 1538,126acres
- Circle F Ranch35,791acres
- Lavade Draw27,583acres
- Devils Well23,536acres
- Fritz Ranch23,451acres
- Salt Creek23,136acres
- Mesa22,177acres
- Juan Largo18,957acres
- Wire Lake18,727acres
- Cistern Draw18,538acres
- East Middle Fork18,183acres
- Rock Canyon17,276acres
- Huggins Draw16,635acres
- Buck Springs-East15,875acres
- Crockett12,735acres
- Red Hill12,580acres
- North Lake9,822acres
- Buck Springs8,280acres
- Comanche 37,672acres
The nearest areas
- North Pecos RiverNew Mexico · 6,477 acres · 4 grazing allotments covering part of it41miles
- Overflow WetlandsNew Mexico · 6,637 acres · 5 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it48miles
- Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat PreservationNew Mexico · 57,564 acres · 2 oil and gas leases, 22 rights of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it67miles
- Three Rivers PetroglyphNew Mexico · 1,043 acres · 2 rights of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it68miles
- Mathers Research Natural AreaNew Mexico · 242 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it68miles
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 Roswell Cave 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