An adjacent piece of property came on the market and was added to the Ranch in August 2020.
This particular piece of property is trapped between several access roads and has never been plowed. While it may have been grazed many years ago, its location with regards to historical fencing suggests it has not been grazed in at least the last twenty years. This is consistent with satellite photos as well, which also suggest no significant activity on the property in the last 20 years. It is distinctly possible that it has NEVER been grazed due to the odd location.
In addition, due both to the peculiar location and an issue with dry wells, the property has seen minimal disruption. There are several dry wells, a small rectangular area where the bitterroot was cleared for a potential house side, and a (yet unfilled *SIGH*) trench for a septic tank test. As such, it represents probably the best example of an untouched steppe-shrub ecosystem in the nearby area.
The present plans for the annex are to minimize disruption while still using it as a native plants seed source for the rest of the ranch. Drone monitoring is being performed instead of physical monitoring to reduce disruption. The plans are to only enter the area to collect seeds (and to fix the handful of things that need to be fixed - the septic tank trench for example).