Utah · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Nine Mile Canyon
One of 2 areas BLM's Utah office names Nine Mile Canyon; this one is 44,257 acres. All of them. BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a cultural value and a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 7 oil and gas leases and 14 rights of way inside the line today, and 14 grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 44,257 acres and was designated October 31, 2008, in the Vernal 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
14 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 9 under non-energy facilities, 4 under oil & gas facilities and 1 under none.
- UINTAH COUNTY (Utah)4rights of way
- WAPITI OPERATING LLC2rights of way
- ENERVEST OPERATING LLC2rights of way
- DUCHESNE COUNTY (Utah)2rights of way
- VERNAL FIELD OFFICE1right of way
- PAT NIELSON INC1right of way
- WAPITI ROCKY MOUNTAIN LLC1right of way
- ARROW WEST AVIATION INC1right of way
The oil and gas leases
7 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 7 of them took effect before the area was designated on October 31, 2008.
- WAPITI ROCKY MOUNTAIN LLC3leases
- Holder not listed by BLM3leases
- LEWIS & CLARK CORP1lease
Grazing allotments
14 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Green River139,486acres
- Little Desert49,361acres
- Stone Cabin30,464acres
- Devils Canyon22,351acres
- Bull Canyon16,578acres
- Parleys Canyon16,341acres
- Five Mile15,622acres
- Sulfur Canyon10,941acres
- Green River Bottoms7,159acres
- Currant Canyon6,975acres
- Twin Knolls6,969acres
- Water Canyon #26,698acres
- Blind Canyon4,415acres
- Max Canyon365acres
The nearest areas
- Nine Mile CanyonUtah · 26,108 acres · 2 oil and gas leases, 10 rights of way, 14 grazing allotments covering part of it4miles
- Lears CanyonUtah · 1,374 acres · 1 oil and gas lease, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it15miles
- Lower Green RiverUtah · 6,988 acres · 5 oil and gas leases, 2 rights of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it18miles
- Pariette WetlandsUtah · 10,594 acres · 23 oil and gas leases, 11 rights of way, 2 grazing allotments covering part of it21miles
- Rock Art SitesUtah · 80 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it37miles
Next to it
Nine Mile Canyon Area of Critical Environmental Concern and Lower Green River touch the line.
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 Nine Mile 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