After the fire: Rinker Rock Creek Ranch’s recovery from wildfire

When lightning struck the hills near Bellevue on Sept. 2, 2024, it sparked a wildfire that burned more than 7,500 acres — including 4,500 acres of University of Idaho’s Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, a living laboratory for rangeland research and restoration. After its official containment, the Glendale fire continued to burn underground in some of the ranch’s meadows for almost two weeks. Over 20% of the property burned, including public and private portions.

The fire burned mostly upland grasses and forbes but also impacted some of the riparian areas.

“We always thought the road or the stream would provide a fire break, but in this case, the fire burned surprisingly hot in the vegetation along the stream, and jumped the road,” said Tracey Johnson, the director of research at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch.

The large amount of plant biomass in these riparian areas allowed the fire to burn hot.

The fire also damaged infrastructure at the ranch’s Cow Camp, burning all the shade trees, wall tents and destroying the spring box and pipes that supply water to the camp. The corrals and surrounding fences where interns kept their horses were also damaged.

Most research plots were spared, but one designated for herbicide trials on the west side of the ranch was burned over. Other ongoing projects were indirectly affected, including Walker Field’s sage grouse research, as the fire temporarily changed how sage grouse hens use the landscape.

The ranch, since the containment of the fire, has focused on immediate restoration needs, including emergency stabilization measures to prevent erosion and keep soil from washing downstream. The Bureau of Land Management supported aerial reseeding of the adjacent federal acreage, and the ranch’s private property was also partially reseeded with help from multiple ranch partners.

A partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led to the installation of 100 in-stream structures at the end of October, called beaver dam analogs. These structures catch sediment moving from upland areas into streams to support the health of the riparian and aquatic systems.

Rinker Rock Creek Ranch leadership expressed deep appreciation for the support they received from partners, including the advisory board, which is composed of 13 state, federal and non-governmental organizations. Their collaboration was key to stabilizing the land and launching recovery efforts quickly.

In Fall 2025, the ranch will continue restoration work with herbicide treatments in areas where invasive weeds or annual grasses have taken hold. Additional reseeding or planting treatments will follow, and rebuilding the infrastructure at Cow Camp remains a priority.

Despite the damage, the Glendale fire created many opportunities for important research. Two funded projects are already underway.

One, supported by the Little Endowment, is evaluating the behaviors and effects of grazing livestock in the first season after fire, which is an uncommon practice, especially on state and federal grazing allotments. The study is focused on how pre-fire grazing and the presence of beaver dam analogs influenced the fire’s behavior and severity. Together, these studies have important implications for public and private grazing practices.

Though the Glendale fire left a lasting mark on Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, the strength of its partnerships — including support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Governor’s Office of Species Conservation and private donors from the Wood River Land Trust — has been vital to its recovery and continued research mission.

To support ongoing and future restoration efforts at the ranch, contact Mary Ellen Brewick at mebrewick@uidaho.edu.