Utah · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Valley of the Gods
BLM found a scenic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 1 right of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 22,865 acres and was designated October 31, 2008, in the Bears Ears National Monument 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
1 right of way sits inside the line. BLM files 1 under fiber optic facilities.
- EMERY TELCOM1right of way
Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Texas-Muley68,890acres
- Perkins North64,329acres
- Perkins South62,926acres
The nearest areas
- San Juan RiverUtah · 3,611 acres · at least 1 active mining claim, 2 oil and gas leases, 1 right of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it12miles
- San Juan River BENMUtah · 1,486 acres · 5 rights of way, 4 grazing allotments covering part of it14miles
- Aquifer RechargeUtah · 85,856 acres · at least 19 active mining claims and 10 more BLM lists as Filed, 13 rights of way, 9 grazing allotments covering part of it20miles
- Alkali RidgeUtah · 39,197 acres · at least 2 mining claims BLM lists as Filed, 14 oil and gas leases, 21 rights of way, 7 grazing allotments covering part of it37miles
- HovenweepUtah · 2,439 acres · 1 oil and gas lease, 1 right of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it45miles
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 Valley of the Gods. 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