Wyoming · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Sand Hills/JO Ranch ACEC
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a cultural value, a scenic value, a natural process, a historic value and a fish resource here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 6 oil and gas leases inside the line today, and four grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 11,977 acres and was designated December 24, 2008, in the Rawlins Resource Management Plan (Maintenance).
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
Ground: USGS The National Map, topographic tiles. Boundaries: BLM's own, read Oct 20, 2026. The 6 leases and 4 grazing allotments below aren't marked.The oil and gas leases
6 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 4 of them took effect before the area was designated on December 24, 2008.
- US REALM VENTURES LLC3leases
- Holder not listed by BLM1lease
- R & R ROYALTY LTD1lease
- KIRKWOOD RESOURCES LLC1lease
Grazing allotments
4 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- DOTY MOUNTAIN85,834acres
- DEEP GULCH35,357acres
- SULPHUR SPRINGS22,505acres
- J O PASTURES1,029acres
The nearest areas
- 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 it63miles
- 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 it66miles
- Irish Canyon ACECColorado · 11,922 acres · 4 grazing allotments covering part of it73miles
- Natural Corrals ACECWyoming · 1,107 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it74miles
- Pinnacles ACECWyoming · 1,344 acres · a grazing allotment covering part of it74miles
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 Sand Hills/JO Ranch 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