Wyoming · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Alcova Fossil Area ACEC
BLM found a historic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 3 rights of way inside the line today, and three grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 5,977 acres and was designated December 1, 2007, in the Casper 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
3 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 2 under non-energy facilities and 1 under other energy facilities.
- WAPA1right of way
- NATRONA COUNTY (Wyoming)1right of way
- USBR (UPPER COLORADO BASIN REGIONAL OFFICE)1right of way
Grazing allotments
3 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- MARTON CGD60,231acres
- BEAR SPRING CREEK14,090acres
- ALCOVA LAKE8,169acres
The nearest areas
- Jackson Canyon ACECWyoming · 14,348 acres · 1 right of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it21miles
- Cave Creek Cave ACECWyoming · 240 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it23miles
- Blowout Penstemon ACECWyoming · 29,151 acres · at least 96 mining claims BLM lists as Filed, 1 oil and gas lease, 4 rights of way, 7 grazing allotments covering part of it27miles
- Green Mountain ACECWyoming · 24,924 acres · at least 571 active mining claims and 80 more BLM lists as Filed, 18 oil and gas leases, 2 rights of way, 6 grazing allotments covering part of it50miles
- Beaver Rim ACECWyoming · 6,729 acres · 5 rights of way, 4 grazing allotments covering part of it78miles
More from BLM's Wyoming office
Every area BLM's Wyoming 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 Alcova Fossil Area ACEC. 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