Carbon County officials are vowing to go to "whatever lengths necessary" to prevent what they view as a too-big designation to protect the archaeological resources of Nine Mile Canyon.

An Area of Critical Environmental Concern designation for 60,539 acres in the canyon is to be part of a resource management plan issued by the Bureau of Land Management, county officials say. The BLM hasn't released the plan's final version, adds a county commissioner, but local officials have been shown proposed contents.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition supports ACEC designation for the canyon, which is world famous for its archaeological resources. The group seeks to protect the abundant examples of rock art and other evidence of the past.

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