Washington · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Yakima River Canyon
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a cultural value, a scenic value and a fish resource here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 5 rights of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 5,227 acres in Washington, managed by BLM's Oregon/Washington office, and was designated December 17, 1992, in the Spokane District RMP Amendment. 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
5 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 5 under non-energy facilities.
- WASHINGTON STATE - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION1right of way
- WESTERN RIVERS CONSERVANCY1right of way
- A private individual, name withheld by this site1right of way
- ELLENSBURG TELEPHONE1right of way
- USBR (COLUMBIA-CASCADES AREA OFFICE)1right of way
Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- UPPER YAKIMA CANYON18,379acres
- BURBANK9,910acres
- OR10802326acres
The nearest areas
- Yakima River Cliffs - Umtanum RidgeOregon/Washington · 230 acres · 1 right of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it7miles
- Cowiche CanyonOregon/Washington · 613 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it17miles
- Sentinel SlopeOregon/Washington · 124 acres · nothing placed inside31miles
- McCoy CanyonOregon/Washington · 165 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it32miles
- Colockum CreekOregon/Washington · 80 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it36miles
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 Yakima River 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