Draft EIS Appendix 22 

APPENDIX 22—ACEC DESIGNATION PROCESS 

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) are areas of BLM-administered lands where special

management attention is needed to protect their important and relevant values. “Special management

attention” refers to management prescriptions developed during preparation of a Resource Management 

Plan (RMP) or amendment expressly to protect the important and relevant values on an area from the

potential effects of actions permitted by the RMP, including proposed actions deemed to be in

conformance with the terms, conditions, and decisions of the RMP (BLM Manual 1613). These are

management measures that would not be necessary or prescribed if the critical and important features 

were not present. 

To be designated as an ACEC, the area must meet the criteria of relevance and importance (as defined in

BLM Manual 1613). Areas meeting the relevance criterion possess significant historic, cultural, or scenic 

values; fish or wildlife resources, including threatened and endangered species; or natural hazards. To 

meet the importance criterion, the resource must have substantial significance and value. This generally 

requires qualities of more than local significance and special worth, consequence, meaning,

distinctiveness, or cause for 

There were four existing ACECS within the Resource Management Plan Planning Area (RMPPA):

Como Bluff ACEC, Sand Hills ACEC, Jep Canyon ACEC, and Shamrock Hills ACEC. Public comment

received during scoping suggested that a number of areas be considered for designation as ACECs, and

some areas were proposed as potential ACECs by BLM staff. Thus, other areas within the RMPPA that

were identified as potential ACECs include the Red Rim-Daley Area, Upper Muddy Creek

Watershed/Grizzly Area, High Savery Dam, Stratton Sagebrush Steppe Research Area, Chain Lakes 

Areas, Laramie Peak Area, Pennock Mountain wildlife habitat management area (WHMA), WickBeumee WHMA, Laramie Plains Lakes Area, blowout penstemon area, white-tailed prairie dog areas, 

historic trails, mountain plover concentration areas, the Bates Hole/Chalk Mountain cushion plant

community, and the Powder Rim juniper woodland. 

BLM was required to determine if existing ACECs and areas proposed for ACEC designation meet the

relevance and importance criteria prior to inclusion in the RMP process. BLM used the proposal 

evaluation form presented in Table A22-1 to make this evaluation; the evaluation forms for all existing 

and proposed ACECs are presented in BLM (2004a). Areas that did not meet the relevance and

importance criteria were dropped from further consideration for ACEC designation. Areas that met the 

relevance and importance criteria are discussed in Chapter 3 and management of these areas is presented

in Chapter 2, Section 2.3.11 and Table 2-1. 

Rawlins RMP A22-1 
Appendix 22 Draft EIS 

Table A22-1. ACEC Proposal Evaluation Form—Rawlins Field Office 

RMP Process 

ACEC Proposal Evaluation Form 

Area Considered

General Location 

General Description 

Acreage

Values Considered 

Identification Criteria 

To be considered as a potential ACEC and analyzed in RMP alternatives, an area must meet the criteria of relevance 

and importance, as established and defined in 43 CFR 1610.7-2. 

Relevance: 

An area meets the “relevance” criterion if it contains one or more of the following: 

Relevance Value Yes/No Rationale for Determination

A significant historic, cultural, or

scenic value (including but not 

limited to rare or sensitive 

archeological resources and 

religious or cultural resources 

important to Native Americans). 

A fish and wildlife resource

(including but not limited to habitat 

for endangered, sensitive, or 

threatened species; or habitat 

essential for maintaining species 

diversity). 

A natural process or system

(including but not limited to 

endangered, sensitive, or 

threatened plant species; rare, 

endemic, or relic plants or plant 

communities which are terrestrial, 

aquatic, or riparian; or rare 

geological features). 

Natural hazards (including but not 

limited to areas of avalanche, 

dangerous flooding, landslides, 

unstable soils, seismic activity, or 

dangerous cliffs). A hazard caused

by human action may meet the 

relevance criteria if it is determined 

through the resource management 

planning process that it has 

become part of a natural process. 

Importance 

The value, resource, system, process, or hazard described above must have substantial significance and values to 

satisfy the “importance” criteria. This generally means that the value, resource, system, process, or hazard is 

characterized by one or more of the following: 

A22-2 Rawlins RMP 
Draft EIS Appendix 22 

ACEC Proposal Evaluation Form 

Importance Value Yes/No Rationale for Determination

Has more than locally significant 

qualities, which give it special worth, 

consequence, meaning, 

distinctiveness, or cause for 

concern, especially compared to 

any similar resource. 

Has qualities or circumstances that 

make it fragile, sensitive, rare, 

irreplaceable, exemplary, unique, 

endangered, threatened, or 

vulnerable to adverse change. 

Has been recognized as warranting 

protection to satisfy national priority

concerns or to carry out the 

mandates of FLPMA. 

Has qualities that warrant 

highlighting to satisfy public or

management concerns about safety

and public welfare. 

Poses a significant threat to human 

life and safety or to property. 

Rawlins RMP A22-3