For Researchers
Working Landscapes
Rinker Rock Creek Ranch (RRCR) is representative of many rangelands across the West. Across nearly 22,000 acres of sagebrush steppe there are riparian corridors, mesic and dry meadows, scattered aspen stands, year-round recreation opportunities, and livestock grazing, all under public and private ownership.
Focus
RRCR is a place for rangeland research, education, conservation, community outreach and recreation. RRCR is jointly managed by the College of Natural Resources and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. An advisory board that includes representatives from The Nature Conservancy and the Wood River Land Trust, two nonprofits that were instrumental to the property’s acquisition, collaborate with the university to provide management direction.
Interested in conducting research or education at the ranch? Online form. Please review site fees (pdf). Those visiting the ranch should complete a risk waiver (pdf).
Support
- University of Idaho faculty in animal science, rangeland management and natural resources
- Year-round undergraduate interns, onsite May-August
- Species inventory data
- Riparian and upland assessment data
- Aquatic and terrestrial monitoring data
- Drones and trained pilots available for research/video/aerial photos
Highlights
- RRCR encompasses an entire watershed
- Livestock used for grazing research purposes, including 162 cow-calf pairs from Nancy M. Cummings Research, Extension and Education Center
- Access to Rock Creek and associated perennial and ephemeral tributaries
- Beaver dam analogs installed in 2017
Proposed projects will be subject to screening. Projects that involve any type of modifications to the site (e.g., installation of infrastructure, removal of vegetation or soil, animal trapping, etc.) will need approval from ranch personnel to minimize the risk of conflict to ranch operations and research projects. Therefore, we strongly urge researchers to contact us early in the project development phase and before proposals have been submitted to sponsors. Please review site fees for Rinker Rock Creek Ranch (pdf).