Oregon · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Dry Creek Gorge
BLM found a scenic value and a natural process here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place no claim, lease or right of way inside the line today, and four grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 16,106 acres and was designated September 1, 2002, in the Southeastern Oregon 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 4 grazing allotments below aren't marked.Grazing allotments
4 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- WALLROCK96,647acres
- SOURDOUGH80,263acres
- NYSSA76,026acres
- DRY CREEK67,585acres
The nearest areas
- Hammond Hill Sand HillsOregon/Washington · 3,716 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it6miles
- Owyhee ViewsOregon/Washington · 52,589 acres · at least 1 mining claim BLM lists as Filed, 1 right of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it10miles
- HoneycombsOregon/Washington · 15,868 acres · at least 1 active mining claim, a grazing allotment covering part of it14miles
- Lake RidgeOregon/Washington · 3,860 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it17miles
- Owyhee Below DamOregon/Washington · 11,225 acres · at least 1 active mining claim, 8 rights of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it18miles
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 Dry Creek Gorge. 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