Oregon · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Black Canyon - P
BLM found a natural system here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place no claim, lease or right of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 6,639 acres and was designated April 1, 2015, in the John Day Basin 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
Ground: USGS The National Map, topographic tiles. Boundaries: BLM's own, read Oct 20, 2026. The 3 grazing allotments below aren't marked.Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- SUTTON MOUNTAIN27,414acres
- CIRCLE BAR20,618acres
- GIRDS CREEK10,618acres
The nearest areas
- John Day PaleontologyOregon/Washington · 31,527 acres · 4 rights of way, 31 grazing allotments covering part of it11miles
- Forest Creek - Fox CanyonOregon/Washington · 131 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it31miles
- Forest Creek - Rough CanyonOregon/Washington · 239 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it33miles
- North Fork Crooked RiverOregon/Washington · 6,892 acres · 1 right of way, 6 grazing allotments covering part of it33miles
- Armstrong CanyonOregon/Washington · 3,882 acres · 1 right of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it34miles
More from BLM's Oregon/Washington office
Every area BLM's Oregon/Washington 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 Black Canyon - P. 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