HAILEY, Idaho — A three-way partnership between University of Idaho, USDA and environmental groups will allow UI researchers to perform extensive range and grazing-related research on the 10,400-acre Rock Creek Ranch in southcentral Idaho.

The parties signed a memorandum of agreement June 28 that will allow UI to operate the working conservation ranch for five years.

The ranch is owned by The Nature Conservancy and the Wood River Land Trust. Their agreement with UI will allow the university to establish a rangeland research and educational facility that encompasses ranching, conservation and recreation.

UI has hired former Idaho Cattle Association Executive Vice President Wyatt Prescott to manage the 150-cow ranching operation there.

The research that will be conducted under the agreement and the fact that Prescott will manage the ranch came as welcome news to the state’s cattle industry.

“We’re really happy that Wyatt has been tasked to manage that. It will be really well run,” said Britany Hurst, the ICA’s feedlot coordinator and communications director. “It’s hugely exciting for us.”

UI researchers will use the ranch to study rangeland related issues, as well as how responsible grazing and sound conservation practices can work together, according to a UI news release.

“Leading research and outreach in Idaho is the fundamental land-grant mission of the University of Idaho,” UI President Chuck Staben said in a news release. “Together with The Nature Conservancy and the Wood River Land Trust, we will continue to do what UI has done for 125 years — provide sound data from which our state’s industries can improve, expand and thrive.”

The environmental groups purchased the land in 2014 for $2.2 million from the Harry Rinker family, which previously obtained a $3.8 million Natural Resource Conservation Service Grassland Reserve Program easement on the property.

In addition to protecting wildlife habitat and preventing future development, the easement requires that grazing continue on the property, along with other uses, including conservation efforts and recreational opportunities, said John Foltz, special assistant to the UI president for agricultural initiatives.

The ranch contains core sage grouse habitat, including 50 leks, and provides critical water and habitat for other wildlife, including pygmy rabbits, beavers and elk.

According to the UI news release, “Grazing and the issues around it are key components of the future of the property, as the UI Rangeland Center strives to provide science-based answers to Idaho’s large ranching industry.”

According to a UI fact sheet on the ranch, “Active and relevant data on best management practices obtained through research on this property can be directly applied across the state and the region.”

The ranch is adjacent to 11,000 acres of federal and state land that is primarily used for livestock grazing and outdoor recreation activities.

The private and public land combined include almost the entire area’s watershed, which will allow researchers to control most of the uses that will impact research results, according to the fact sheet.