DOUGLAS - A team gathered by the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments has released a plan to manage a state-owned ranch in Converse County in a way that balances agriculture, wildlife resources and public recreation, a state official says.

The draft plan also allows for the state to draw income from the Duncan Ranch.

The plan lays the framework for a year-round ranching operation, coupled with major habitat and water resource improvements that would boost wildlife populations and improve agricultural uses, Office of State Lands and Investments Director Lynne Boomgaarden said.

Meanwhile, the state should be able to draw revenue to the school trust accounts through timber harvests that also improve wildlife habitat, and by leasing ground to the state forestry department's wildfire Helitak crew for a home base.

Recreational opportunities would lure some, although those activities would to some degree be limited by their compatibility with the other uses. The public would be restricted from some areas seasonally to support the ag operation, Helitak base and other commercial projects, and, if needed, to allow hunters to maximize their chances. For example, the plan states that if public recreation conflicts with hunting at some point, areas of the ranch could be closed to recreation temporarily.

"This is going to continue to be an exercise in educating the public and helping to find a balance for which we can manage real property resources for the beneficiaries - in other words, earn revenue off them," Boomgaarden said, adding that public recreation opportunities would fit where they won't harm the other objectives.

Preserving open space and wildlife habitat can be done in conjunction with managing a ranch, she said, and is a mission compatible with public recreational access, as long as that remains low-impact.

That means people in vehicles will be restricted to a few roads, and other motorized use, such as snowmobiles and four-wheelers, will be prohibited. Also banned will be recreational shooting and overnight camping.

Former owner Hugh Duncan offered the 6,439-acre ranch, about 10 miles out of Glenrock, for sale to the state in 2005. Situated in two mountain valleys in the northern Laramie Range, the ranch's natural resources and proximity to Casper, Glenrock and Douglas drew the State Land and Investment Board's attention. The Board of Land Commissioners, composed of the state's top five elected officials, approved the purchase in February 2006 for $5.9 million.

While by law the ranch will be managed as a trust property to benefit Wyoming schools, the purchasers pulled together a diverse team to consider management specifics. Early on, the team keyed in on the potential for organized learning opportunities, such as field science classes at all levels in geology, ecology and biology. The team also planned to keep the ranch's agricultural operations intact while offering recreation, hunting and fishing.

Boomgaarden said she expects to hear some comments from people who erroneously believe the ranch was purchased for the public, when in fact it was bought as a trust asset. Some misperceptions could come from pre-sale analysis by the state parks and cultural resources department, which pinpointed a high compatibility as a state park. Boomgaarden said her office is required to solicit analysis from state parks and other agencies. However, the property would fit within state parks' mission only if fully developed as a park, and that didn't fit within the Office of State Lands' mission to draw revenue from the ranch.

"We do acknowledge that we intentionally purchased this as a larger block that would have some public recreational access and opportunities," she said. "This (the draft plan) is how we can do it all, consistently, without sacrificing one mission for another."