Adobe Badlands Existing Area of Critical Environmental Concern – Meets mosy ACEC Criteria
Summary of BLM’s ACEC Inventory Findings: Relevance (must meet one or more of the following)
Significant historic, cultural, Fish and wildlife resources? Natural process or systems? Natural hazards?
or scenic value?
N
Y
Y
N
Summary of BLM’s ACEC Inventory Findings: Importance (must meet one or more of the following)
More than locally
significant value?
Y
Sensitive, rare,
irreplaceable,
exemplary, or
threatened?
Y
Warrants national
protection?
Y
Concerns
about safety and
public welfare.?
N
Poses a significant
threat to human life
and safety or to
property?
N
Excerpts from BLM’s ACEC Inventory:
N Significant Value – The area is not significantly different than other Mancos shale areas.
Y Fish & Wildlife Values – The area contains significant population’s two BLM-sensitive animal species, white-tailed prairie
dog and kit fox.
Y Natural processes or systems --The area contains significant populations of the threatened Colorado hookless cactus and
adobe penstemon, which are rare and endemic sensitive plants.
Y- More than local qualities-- The area is listed in state and regional hiking guide books because of its scenic formations.
Y- Vulnerable qualities-- Adobe Badlands is within an adobe roadless area, which is vulnerable to adverse change (highly
susceptible to erosion) without special management. Nearby private lands pose a threat of illegal off road recreation,
dumping, and other damaging uses. Saline soils are vulnerable to adverse change, in the form of increased erosion.
Y-Warrants national protection-- The area has been an ACEC since 1989, and is within a designated WSA in 1992.
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Comment Guidance – Affirming and Expanding on BLM’s Inventory:
Significant Historic, Cultural or Scenic Values–
If you have personally visited this unit, describe how the area is unique and significant from the surrounding landscape.
Resources help make an area “significant” are rare or sensitive archeological resources, local historical events that occurred
here, and scenic views. For example, “Climbing to Devil’s Thumb, we had a stunning view of rolling dunes and mountains.”
Biological and Natural Resources/Systems –
Comments should highlight the resources BLM found in the area as listed above. For example, sightings of hookless
cactus, and evidence of prairie dogs or kit foxes.
More than Local Value-Comments should emphasize that other people outside the local area want to know about & visit this area. For example,
“I am from Ouray and loved learning about such a different ecosystem.”

Vulnerable Qualities -Comments should re-enforce BLM’s findings that this area is threatened and needs special management to retain is
unique qualities. For example, “While I was hiking, I saw two motorcycles tearing up these sensitive soils and hookless
cactus habitat.”