New Mexico · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Simon Canyon
BLM found a cultural value, a scenic value and a historic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 3 oil and gas leases and 35 rights of way inside the line today, and a grazing allotment covers part of it. It covers 3,959 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
35 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 33 under oil & gas facilities, 1 under non-energy facilities and 1 under other energy facilities.
- ENTERPRISE FIELD SERVICES LLC18rights of way
- WILLIAMS FOUR CORNERS LLC5rights of way
- VAL VERDE GAS GATHERING CO LP4rights of way
- *ENTERPRISE FIELD SERVICES LLC3rights of way
- HILCORP SAN JUAN LLC2rights of way
- Enterprise Field Services LLC2rights of way
- FARMINGTON, CITY OF (New Mexico)1right of way
The oil and gas leases
3 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 3 of them took effect before the area was designated on September 1, 2003.
- HILCORP SAN JUAN LLC2leases
- Holder not listed by BLM1lease
Grazing allotments
A grazing allotment covers part of this line. Its permittee isn't named here yet.
- Pump Mesa40,068acres
The nearest areas
- Simon RuinNew Mexico · 48 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it1miles
- Christmas Tree RuinNew Mexico · 40 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it4miles
- Pregnant BasketmakerNew Mexico · 7.9 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it6miles
- Bald EagleNew Mexico · 4,242 acres · 11 oil and gas leases, 40 rights of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it7miles
- Frances MesaNew Mexico · 7,620 acres · 7 oil and gas leases, 100 rights of way, 6 grazing allotments covering part of it9miles
Next to it
River Tracts Area of Critical Environmental Concern touches the line.
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 Simon Canyon. 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