Utah · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Behind the Rocks
BLM found a natural system, a cultural value and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 7 rights of way inside the line today, and two grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 4,811 acres and was designated October 31, 2008, in the Moab Field Office 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
7 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 7 under non-energy facilities.
- MOAB FIELD OFFICE5rights of way
- SAN JUAN COUNTY (Utah)1right of way
- Holder not listed by BLM1right of way
Grazing allotments
2 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Behind The Rocks52,487acres
- Kane Springs14,458acres
The nearest areas
- Mill Creek CanyonUtah · 6,725 acres · 10 rights of way, 4 grazing allotments covering part of it6miles
- Highway 279 / Shafer Basin / Long CanyonUtah · 12,626 acres · at least 62 active mining claims, 3 oil and gas leases, 12 rights of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it8miles
- Indian CreekUtah · 3,936 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it20miles
- Bowknot BendUtah · 1,087 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it26miles
- Sinbad Valley ACECColorado · 6,388 acres · 1 right of way, 4 grazing allotments covering part of it29miles
More from BLM's Utah office
Every area BLM's Utah 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 Behind the Rocks. 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